Great Branding Photos Start With Clear Expectations
I recently talked to some solopreneurs who were unhappy with their branding photography. Each business person assumed their personal branding photographer knew what they needed and was surprised when they didn't get the anticipated results. There were gaps in what they received versus what they actually wanted.
They had to spend more money on a second session to get the photographs that the first photographer missed.
No one likes to deal with extra expenses, especially when it comes to marketing their businesses.
Start With a Planning and Design Session
To ensure that your next branding session is successful, it's essential to have a planning and design session with your photographer where you discuss what you want out of the session, whether it's a professional headshot, lifestyle portrait, product photography, or virtual events.
If you have specific concerns about your appearance, make them known upfront and listen to what the photographer has to say. An experienced photographer who understands lighting, posing, and post-production editing should be able to photograph you, so your areas of concern are eliminated or at least minimalized.
Also, make sure you talk about your specific visual asset marketing needs for your social media platforms, website, presentation slides, printed materials, and other marketing materials.
The length of your session and the amount of your investment will be based on these needs, so ask how your photographer plans to meet these needs within the given timeframe and location of the shoot.
The goal of this planning conversation is to come away with a clear and executable plan that meets your expectation level going into the photo session instead of trying to address these issues during the session.
Having a proactive rather than a reactive plan will relieve you from unwanted stress and anxiety on the day of the session.
When you and your personal brand photographer are in total alignment, you will be more relaxed in front of the camera, resulting in high-quality visual storytelling images that you will be proud to use in your marketing materials.
