Branding Photo Shoot Series: Schedule + Execution on the Day of Your Shoot
The day has finally come for you to do your branding photo shoot, and if you’ve done everything I told you to do to prepare for a branding photoshoot in this post, then you are ready! Here are my tips on how to schedule and execute this day so you are as efficient as possible and leave the day with all the content you need and want!
Scheduling Your Branding Photoshoot
The best thing you can do to get the most out of your branding session is to have a FULL day of shooting. You want to get as much content as possible, so the better scheduled you are, the more content you’ll be able to produce. I had four shoots set up throughout the day when I did my branding photoshoot.
I found it most effective to do hair and makeup all at once in the morning, which took about two hours. Then I had all four of my locations planned and mapped out and figured out the most efficient route to get between the four locations to save on travel time.
Another thing to keep in mind is that if you are working with different photographers at different locations, you will need to be able to give them an estimated time of when you will be at each location. For this reason, I found it was helpful to give myself a time limit at each location so I didn’t get swept up in the moment and use too much time in one spot. The amount of time you allot at each location will depend on how many total spots you are shooting at.
Executing Your Branding Photoshoot
The best way to execute your branding photoshoot so it is efficient and produces a large quantity and quality of content is to make sure you’ve prepared locations, outfits, poses, props, and design ahead of time. There are more tips on how to do all this here. Keep in mind that you are trying to get as much content as possible (I got a year’s worth!) so you want to be as prepared as possible on the day of. You don’t want to find yourself held up trying to handle last-minute details that could have been taken care of ahead of time.
You’ll also want to make sure your locations are timeless so they can be posted online in any season. I picked locations that could offer a variety of styles and looks from comfy/casual in a home décor store to edgy city slicker in a downtown area. The goal is to appeal to all audiences and show your range of talent. I got the most content in the photo studio where I was able to do tons of outfit changes for different looks.
Another thing to keep in mind during your shoots is that you have a defined brand and that the other photographers understand your vision. Pick photographers that you have confidence in and that have a similar style so your photos are cohesive. Make sure during your shoot that you stick to a cohesive color, not only in the outfits but in the locations and props. You want your photos to be cohesive and have a style specific to you. For example, don’t have your models wear dark colors if your style is light and open and airy. If you want a cohesive website and social media feed but don’t have the clothing that matches your colors, just opt for white and neutrals. Those work for any season and look good with any colors, which is great if you change your brand colors at any point.
Lastly, make sure you have lots of outfit changes at each location. I had at least 5 outfit changes at each of my 4 locations and that gave me 20 outfits to work with, which is so much content and has been so great for my social media feed. Also, within those outfit changes, be sure you are photographing a variety of different backdrops, even within the same location. Photograph them from the other direction, move to a different spot, change your angle, get a different building in the background, use a different backdrop or prop. Just make sure you are changing things up within each photoshoot location.
Executing a branding photoshoot is one of the best decisions you can make as a photographer to build your business and book clients. Yes, they are a lot of work and a financial commitment, but I promise you it will be worth it when you have a year’s worth of beautiful online content and are booked solid because of it!