So its time for you to prepare for your upcoming photoshoot! Where do you start?
Have a clear vision and well thought out goals for your photoshoot.
What does this mean? Well, like any project it is important to know exactly what you want to accomplish so you can get the most out of your time. Here are some questions to ask yourself while you are planning:
- Where are the photos going to be used? This will help you plan the exact shots you need. Will you need them horizontal, vertical, detailed, wide shot, with lots of white space, etc? Here are some different places you might need branded photos:
- Bio headshots for website
- Photos for website
- Newsletter header
- Newsletter photos
- Pricing guides
- Business-related opt-ins/free resources
- Promotional pamphlets/ flyers
- Business cards
- Advertising
- Blog posts
- Contributor photos (when you’re a guest speaker or guest on a podcast or a guest blog writer)
- Facebook header
- Facebook bio photo
- Facebook Notes
- Facebook group photos
- Facebook video thumbnail
- Facebook posts
- Instagram bio photo
- IGTV video thumbnail
- Instagram highlight button
- Instagram posts
- Twitter header
- YouTube header
- YouTube video thumbnail
- Facebooks Ads
- Instagram Ads
- LinkedIn Ads
- LinkedIn articles
- Pinterest graphics
- Book cover/book bio photo
- Podcast graphics
- What are you trying to achieve with your photoshoot?
Are you going through a rebrand? Re-doing your website? Launching a new product?
Once you know what the main goal of your shoot is you can then start brainstorming how these images will help you market those things.
Brainstorm & Create a Mood Board
Now that you know what your goal and vision are, its time to have some fun. I love to look to Pinterest to find inspiration. I create a secret board and pin everything that catches my eye. From locations to props to poses.
From there I look at Instagram. For me, anytime I see something on Instagram that I think would work for my brand I save it to a collection on my profile. That way when it comes time to plan out my photoshoot I can go back and look at everything I have saved.
I found that having specific images to show my photographer really helped both of us stay on the same page. It also helped us save tons of time! With a branding shoot you usually only have an hour to get it all the photos you want, and you need some time in there for setup, outfit changes and clean up.
Create a Shot List
Now that you have some inspiring images pinned and your goals all lined up its time to create a shot list to share with your photographer. Depending on your business and the goals you’ve decided on you may want some shots of you, some working shots, some product shots, etc…
I like to create a google sheet to house all my ideas and photos. That way when I am at the shoot my photographer and I know exactly what needs to be done and It helps to make sure I have gotten all the shots that I need.
When creating your shot list you also want to think about any promotions, holidays, or launches that you will be having in the next couple of months that might not be tied to your main goal of the shoot. If you think about this in advance you can make sure you have a picture ready when #nationaldonutday rolls around.
Once you have a list of the different ideas you want along with example photos for your photographer its time to think about props. This is the fun part, there are so many different fun ideas to incorporate with your photos. Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Phone
- iPad/Tablet
- Laptop
- Notebook
- Calendar
- Pen/Pencils/Markers
- Your Favorite Drink
- Your Favorite Snacks
- Items Representative of Your Business
- Camera/Keys/Contracts/Essential Oils/ Utensils/Flowers/Scissors/etc.
- Change of Clothes
- Cute shoes
- Bike/Scooter
- Beach bag/picnic basket
- Playful accessories
- Hats ഽSunglasses/glasses
- Wine/wine glasses
- Balloons/confetti/poppers
By creating a detailed shot list with photos it helps me to be prepared and less stressed the night before my shoot.
Overall, the ultimate goal of your photoshoot is to visually tell the story of your brand. Have some fun and start planning.