Have you heard the expression the more you give, the more you get? Well, that is entirely true with planning a personal branding photography shoot. 

Preparation is key to a successful branding shoot. By the end of the post, you’ll understand why I spend so much time helping my clients prepare for their personal branding sessions and why planning is so important.

Planning is Crucial for Personal Branding Photography

A personal brand is more than a set of logos, brand colors, and typefaces. A personal brand is a compilation of your marketing efforts, including your headshots, online presence, website, and social media feed.

Perfect photos don’t just happen. They are created. 

We’ve all seen personal brands that we recognize when scrolling social media. You know the ones - the brands that have a consistent set of brand colors, great headshots, and show up consistently. That’s all part of strategic brand marketing and brand recognition.

The more time spent preparing for your photoshoot, the better the outcome will be, and the more “on brand” marketing photos you’ll have to use.

Headshots and branding photos convey messages about your business or service. When someone sees your headshot, they’re taking a lot into consideration, like:

• “Are these people trustworthy and competent?
• “Do they look friendly and approachable? 
• “Will they listen to my needs?”
• “Are they professional?”

All of this is conveyed with your expression, body language, and attire. If you want great branding portraits, you have to put in the time to plan them. And I’m here to help you every step of the way!

I consider all of the brand colors you use, your brand positioning, your brand values, and I help you choose the best wardrobe pieces to compliment your brand. I do all of this so that you can start showing up with even more confidence and attracting your DREAM clients!

After a personal branding photography session with me, you’ll have a library of images to choose from! Never again will you scroll back through your phone, hoping to find a “useable image” to post! 

Go ahead - be the scroll stopper you are!

Wardrobe Selection for Personal Branding Photography

We’ve established the importance of planning for a personal branding photography session, and wardrobe is crucial to the planning process.

You may need to go shopping for that one perfect piece. But it’s always a good idea to take inventory of what you own and plan your wardrobe selections in advance. Waiting until the last minute to choose your wardrobe pieces will only make your experience stressful - and we don’t want that!

Before you worry that you have nothing to wear, trust me, you have useable pieces, and I can help you find them! I include a complimentary wardrobe consult with your session - don’t skip this process! 

We can meet over Zoom during your wardrobe consultation, and you can walk me through your closet. Or I can come to your home in person and help you select pieces that will be flattering on camera while providing variety for your marketing.

During your wardrobe consultation, I also learn about your branding needs, brand colors, and I will walk you through my process, so you know what to expect on your shoot day! 

Variety is the spice to life - and you guessed it, personal branding photography! 

I offer each client the opportunity to have up to 5 different outfit changes. If you look through some of my past sessions, you’ll see how each outfit changes their entire look. Each wardrobe change is an opportunity to elevate their brand awareness.

Some people say they don’t need to be photographed in five outfits. But here’s the thing - the client becomes more confident and comfortable in front of the camera. This is why I don’t suggest wearing your favorite look first!

When my client is comfortable in front of the camera, that’s when the magic happens! It truly feels like each client has their own warm-up process that has to happen, and then boom - we’re best friends having a great time in the studio.

Trust me; you’ll want to bring 5 outfits along. If you choose not to use them for some reason, that’s completely fine. But by bringing the wardrobe pieces along, you’ll at least have the option to use them.

A little known fact I’ve realized over the years is that an outfit the client thought they would love the most ends up being the one they like the least on camera. So, again, having a variety of wardrobe is helpful to make sure I can capture exactly what you’re looking for!

Personal Branding Photography Sessions are an Experience!

Photoshoots with me are a full-day EXPERIENCE! I take the time to plan with each client and generally get to know the client before they ever step foot into the studio. I love what I do, and I love the people I get to work with.

Each branding photography session is a full-day experience that starts with professional hair and makeup. I also offer complimentary champagne if you’d like to kick back and enjoy some bubbly while being pampered.

Once you’re camera ready, we spend a couple of hours creating and perfecting your branding images. After we’ve wrapped the shoot, you’re welcome to grab some lunch while I go through your images and get them ready for your viewing session.

We have your viewing session the same day, which is much more efficient and faster than separating it over separate days. 

During your viewing session, I’m there as a sounding board. I can help you pick photos and help you understand the marketing potential of each image. 

We go through questions like, “Which expression is more approachable? Which body language is more powerful and authoritative?” We can also talk about anything specific you may need in the way of an extraction (pulling your image away from the background for special marketing needs). 

Without your input and planning, you wouldn’t expect a brand designer to create a logo, color palette, or font pairing. The same is true with creating custom personal branding photos. 

If you want a brand that truly stands apart from the crowd, you’ll have to invest in some planning - just like everything else in marketing. But my sessions are fun, and I guide you through each step. 

If you’re ready to plan your branding photoshoot I invite you to give me a call or fill out my form here. I'd love to learn about your marketing goals. And no, you don't have to live in Denver to work with me. My studio is downtown near hotels and public transportation. Come for a photoshoot and enjoy beautiful Denver!