Do You Need Branding Photography?

Wherever you are in business, at some point you will find yourself asking, ‘Do I Need Branding Photography?’

Producing a photoshoot to showcase products, services or announcement might seem like a daunting task, but it really doesn’t need to be that complicated at all!

Successful, high quality, branded photography is a huge part of running a successful business these days.

Defining Your Needs

To make your job easier, we want to share the steps you need to take with your lifestyle or branding photographer in planning detailed shoots for your business or brand.

We are Las Vegas Business Photography and Lifestyle Branding specialist and are happy to share some of our knowledge with you to make the planning process smooth and easy!

Project Concept

The first step of every shoot should be to come up with a concept – your project vision.

You need to have a clear idea of your desired outcome and know your goals for the overall project.

Not only will this give you the framework you need to plan a successful brand photo shoot, it will also help you to communicate your vision and goals with your collaborators, including your photographer.

So, to help you work through that process ask yourself the following questions:

How and Where are Your Branding Photos Being Used?

Identifying where your brand photos will show up will help you plan out the shots you need, provide you with a range of content that is cohesive within your brand style and ensures that you end up with content that fits the needs of your project.

For example, there is nothing worse than realizing your photographer shot a lot of verticals when you needed photos for banners!

It’s important to ask yourself what the intention of this photoshoot is so you can make sure your photos achieve that desired result.

Are these photos going to be used for storytelling social media posts? Will they be used in banner images on your website? Or are they going to be used for campaign images?

By thinking out the purpose of your images and how you will be using them will dictate what type of shots you need to produce (ie. horizontal, vertical, or square crop? Detail or wide shot? Colored backdrops or white?),

This is a key component to guarantee that your photoshoot produces the right photos for your needs.

What Design Elements Do I Need to Include?

To help create a visual concept, it’s helpful to create a Photo Storyboard or inspiration page. This is where you can have fun on Pinterest creating “secret boards” or creating a Google Drive folder of images!

Creating an inspiration board that captures the aesthetic side of what we’re trying to achieve will also serve as a stimulus for starting to brainstorm specific shot ideas.

Things included in the inspirational project should be:

• Wardrobe styling
• Color scheme
• Locations
• Styling
• Mood experience
• Lighting
• Brand implementation
• Themes
• Products/services to be used

As anything in marketing, it’s important to always shoot with your target audience in mind!

Bonus Tip:

Here in Las Vegas, we are surrounded by some of the most spectacular scenery in the country. Whether you are thinking about one of our multi-million-dollar casinos or if you are contemplating one of our amazing outdoor locations, photographing in Las Vegas can be a challenge to say the least.

Let’s face it, the weather is always a factor when selecting a location for a branding photography session. Summer weather can be blistering and the winter months here are chillier than most people suspect. Let’s not even discuss the wind factor.

While we would all love to set up and photograph in the casinos, most properties frown on the encroachment and will politely escort you off the property with guest privacy and liability issues as a reason to shoo you out.

That means having a great backup plan is always the answer.

Since I have my own dedicated studio, having an alternative is always easy, go-to option for me and my clients.

Our space is comfortable, fully equipped with backdrops, lounge area, makeup and hair station with tons of beautiful natural light.

We actually photograph the majority of my headshot photography and a good portion of my lifestyle photography in studio.

To be honest, this option typically captures all the looks, poses and styles my clients are interested in creating, giving them a complete collection of images to use in all of their marketing collateral, online social and media outlets.

Consider Prop Usage

Props can add an extra layer to photos as they can bring in different elements and depth to photos.

If you have things that make sense to include in your branded photoshoot, be sure to bring to discuss this with your photographer and bring them! Props are meant to add to your photo not to distract or take away them. Make sure you use them sparingly and thoughtfully.

If you are a business consultant looking for great content photos think about things you commonly use. They could be props like:

• Laptops, notebooks, books desk material
• Your office space – interiors and exteriors
• Photographically pretty food items (cupcakes, donuts, alcoholic drinks, etc.)
• Product or company merchandise
• Flowers
• Mugs you love
• Jewelry and other fun accessories
• Eyeglasses, pens

By using some of these items in your photos—especially if you are creating content around specifics—it is best to incorporate relevant props into your branding photoshoot! They can add some diversity, creativity and interest to your content!

BONUS TIP:

Texture is awesome for photos! Rich textures can bring a lot of visual interest to photos and can really help you creatively stand out when expressing your brand story!

Bring in varied linens, layer textured outfits, put products in textured situations that will make your audience want to touch and feel everything in your images!

Choosing Clothing and Wardrobe

We can’t stress the importance of proper clothing selections.You risk blowing the entire session when you do not plan wardrobes out thoughtfully!

Think about branded color palettes, matching products together for complimentary color choices and how your wardrobe will work within your location.

For example, if you are planning a shoot to introduce leadership on an “ABOUT ME” page you will want to make sure your leadership’s clothing is complimentary to your brand colors and style, since your photos will be used on your website and throughout your social media accounts.

If your brand is luxe, high end and sophisticated, don’t wear something casual or trendy and vice versa!

Ultimately, you want to dress for your brand and your audience! Ask yourself, what will the outfits project to viewers?

Put Together an Inspirational Story Board

Since there are a lot of moving pieces to a photoshoot, it can be easy to rush through photos and forget some poses or meaningful shots you planned for, but just forgot due to the madness of the day!

To ensure you get all the content you need and to take some pressure off, create a list of images you want ahead of time. By going into a photoshoot with specific ideas for shots you want to create, you’re able to control the outcome and ensure that you’re walking away with images you need and that each one incorporates your brand color palette, style and personality.

Be as specific as possible when writing down ideas for each shot. If you haveideas for specific props or styling, make sure to include those details!

When looking for inspiration for your branding photography, you can create a fancy Pinterest board or keep it simple with a written list or spreadsheet with the following information:

• Number of Photos
• Shot Description
• Framing
• Props/Styling
• Notes

This is your chance to get specific with each shot. Talk to your photographer about how everything all works together. Make sure you’re including a variety of shots all while allowing the photographer some creative room.

You Are Ready to Take Your Brilliant Corporate Lifestyle Branding Photos!

Although many people do not feel creative especially when it comes to visual business branding, photographers and other creatives will be crucial and important relationships to build for your business growth.

Finding the right photographer is a big deal. I hope that this article helps you find someone amazing to work with.

Using your good sense, your unique brand and a few pointers from yours truly, should point you in the right direction to hire the photographer you want, and deserve!

We are an open book so if you are looking for a photographer to talk to you can contact us any time.

We work in Las Vegas and specialize in lifestyle and business branding photography. Our team knows how to create photos that help you stand out from the competition.

Let’s create images that let your clients know you offer something different – and that difference is YOU.

Make sure to connect so we can Business Lifestyle Branding Photography Session Together!