5 Ways to Elevate your Branding Photography for your Business

Welcome! I’m glad you are here and ready to upgrade your visual marketing. I know as a business owner, I am always SO busy, so I will be brief and get right to the point. Here’s my 5 suggestions to start upgrading your branding photography:

Step One: Research and make some decisions.

If you are in the exploration phase of your business, or maybe you are rebranding, research can help you see what you like and what you don’t like. Start a folder on your phone or computer and screenshot anything you are drawn to (you can organize next). The mood of the photos, the lighting, the colors… this will help you narrow down your ideal brand, and make it YOU. The next step is to make some tough decisions on which directions to go: pick a few colors and fonts and stick to them! Pick out your favorite 5-10 photos of inspiration and put them on your wall or your computer background! Start aiming for these visuals with all your might.

Step Two: What do you have, what do you need?

The next step I recommend is to see what media you already have that will fit into your new brand. Do you have cool behind-the-scenes videos of a product you think your clients will love? Do you have beautiful photos of your shop? Start organizing these in a way that works for you (and in a way that you will actually USE). Next, pinpoint what visuals you NEED. Do you need a headshot or yourself or your employees? Do you need simple studio photos of your products or services? How about photos of you interacting with a client? Keep a list of photo and video goals so you can start checking them off your list and be more prepared.

Step Three: Execute!

Whether you are hiring a photographer or you ARE the photographer, now is the time to look for opportunities. Look at your business with visual marketing in mind, and be playful about it. If you have a festive event coming up, consider taking photos then. If you have a product that clients are always asking “how do you make that??” consider filming a behind-the-scenes video. Play around and see what sticks. And you can always work with your photographer to find more opportunities. As always, keep your branding colors and mood in mind.

Step Four: Share!

Photos and videos of your business are only worthwhile if you SHARE them! So come up with a plan to update your website, Facebook, Instagram, or whatever platform your clients hang out on. Take the most striking images and use them across all your platforms, this will really tie together your branding. Mix your new content in with any previous stuff that made the branding cut. Have fun sharing your passion projects with your clients and be proud of yourself that you took the steps to refresh your visual marketing!

Step Five: Repeat.

I’m putting this step in here to remind you of a little secret: it's YOUR business, and you have the power to change it at your will. Branding consistency is very important, but I also believe in doing what works best for you and learning from your past. Be confident that you have more clients and customers out there waiting for you, and keep on evaluating your branding visuals. If you see an opportunity for a great content creation moment: capture and share it! Marketing should be fresh and exciting, so keep on searching for those visuals that excite you.

I hope this was a helpful list to get you started! If you are in the greater Seattle area, I would love to be your photographer. I also offer visual marketing consultation! We meet about once a month and I help you reach your marketing goals by assisting you in branding exploration, content creation, social media calendars, website optimization and MUCH more. Best of luck to you!

-Courtney

5 tricks to a successful Business Headshot Photography Session

Are you FINALLY getting around to updating your business headshot, and want to make the most out of your session? Let me tell you a few easy tricks to get you started!

If you think you're the only one with an outdated business headshot, think again. On average, most of my business headshot clients are rocking a photo from 10 to 15 years ago, sometimes longer! I get it. Life is busy, and especially if you're a business owner, you have a million other things to worry about. But let's think about this: if your headshot looks like an outdated version of your current self, what does that say about you? That you're stuck in the past? That you're not confident of who you are today? That you don't value transparency? Maybe. There's a lot of assumptions a potential client (or hiring manager) could make once they see the difference between your old head shot and who you are in real life, but the important thing is this: when you choose to value your current self and celebrate where you are, people notice and get excited to connect with you!

As always, if you are in the Greater Seattle area, hit me up to chat about what a business headshot would look like for you!

1. How to choose an outfit for your business headshot photography session:

   A lot goes into picking out an outfit that will define you, and it can feel like a lot of pressure to land on something, but I like to break it down into categories - Colors, informal/formal, season, and flair.

   • Let’s start with colors! Ask yourself, “what are my signature colors? What colors am I most likely to gravitate towards on a daily basis? What colors do people tell me I look good in? What colors make me happy?” Oftentimes, these colors can be referred to as your “Branding Colors”. Entrepreneurs and business owners usually pick out a few signature colors to use in their marketing, but sometimes these are helpful for dressing up yourself as well! Even if you’re applying to an office job, or another type of career that you may not be visible to the general public, it’s fun to know what your personal color style palate is. My only requirement for my clients is that they steer clear of wild patterns and logos, and try to pick complementary colors to the background we’re using (for example: if you’re shooting in front of trees, maybe bring color options other than green? If you’re shooting in front of a black background, try colors that will pop!).

   • Next, let’s break down the informal to formal spectrum: this usually can be solved by thinking of that old saying “Dress for the job that you want, not the one that you have”. But use your best judgement! Think about where you want to be in five years - what job does future you have?. Think about people in your line of work who you admire - how do they dress? It’s important to be comfortable at your photo shoot, but its also important to look like you have a firm grasp on who you are and where you’re heading. Plus, pick something you are going to be proud of in five years! Nothing too trendy, steer towards classic. Unless you want to update your headshot every year (which would be super fun for me, the photographer! But it’s up to you.) Also be mindful and avoid pet hair, wrinkles, and deodorant marks on your clothing. If you are wearing a bra or undershirt under your main item of clothing, make sure it lays smooth and isn’t poking out. It’s the small details that really dress up an outfit!

   • Seasons! We love seasons here in the PNW. If you are a professional who works outside, maybe you want to show that off! Think about what season you want to book your photoshoot in, and dress accordingly. If you’re a chef who forages for plants and mushrooms and that’s what makes you unique, maybe you want your branding shoot to showcase that! If you’re a yoga instructor, maybe summer is your jam!

   • Flair can be what you want it to be: a piece of jewelry you love, wearing your hear in a way that makes you confident, a beautiful tie or silk scarf... As I mentioned above, make sure you aren’t leaning too heavily into trends, because you might find your styles change quickly and next year you’ll look at your headshot session as passé. But when you have some fun and bring along a few unique items, your headshot session will really start to look like YOU.

2. Stay hydrated, feed yourself, and B R E A T H E.

I KNOW you might be nervous, but one of the most important parts of your session is to make sure you feel good physically and mentally! Your body will thank you by looking its best, your skin will be clearer, and your smiles will be more genuine. The days leading up to your session, treat yourself well. Take the extra steps to make sure you are getting enough to eat and drink, extra points for getting active and sleeping well. I know that this life is wild and hectic, but you are paying for this session to document you at your best, and I want to encourage you to prioritize your inner self too. Showing up to a session out of breath from errands, faint from forgetting to eat lunch, and tired eyes is just… not fun. Especially for you! I am a professional photographer with tons of Photoshop experience, I will make you look great no matter what, but I also want you to have a great photoshoot experience. Value yourself, my dears!

3. Know thyself.

I always start a brainstorming session asking my clients some rather… personal questions. Do you want your teeth whitened in Photoshop? How do you feel about facial hair? Are there any piercings or scars you would like edited out? These tiny little details give me an idea of how you like to see yourself in your head. The fact of the matter is that cameras are incredibly detailed, and will pick up the tiniest things. But by starting out our session asking about your preferences, I can have a list to refer to while editing! Plus, it can take the pressure off of you to be obsessively whitening your teeth the night before!

4. Are you booking a basic head-and-shoulders headshot? Don’t stress about the background too much.

One of my favorite things about the classic headshot is that you don’t need an elaborate location. In fact! Some of my most successful portraits have been done in a parking lot! If the outdoor vibe is your jam, I have great news: we can pretty much find any tree and be GOOD. The only stipulation to an outdoor portrait is that you be standing in shade, or that we shoot on an overcast day (this keeps harsh shadows away from your face, and keeps you from squinting). I recently did a headshot session for a business in Issaquah, they needed staff headshots but were stressed about location. Getting the employees in and out of the workplace on the same day while not interrupting their workflow was a challenge. So I went scouting the day before the session and found a lovely corner of the parking lot which was shaded with trees, and voila! The employees could walk a short distance, get their headshots done quickly, and head back to work. The business owner didn’t have to worry about schedules at all!

If you wanted a backdrop headshot session, the world is your oyster! You can pretty much choose any color you want (keep those branding colors in mind), and even switch it up to black and white if you’re feeling classic.

5. Think outside the box!!!

Want to be different? Just do you!! If you are in a field or profession that allows you to show off a little more personality, think how fun it would be to shoot on-location at a cool piece of architecture? Or maybe use some weird props in front of a wild colored background? Or maybe do the photoshoot in your artists’ studio, workplace, or showing off your craft? Adding in more elements can be really cool for the viewer, and add more depth and personality to your session. If you’re opting for a full branding session, I would highly encourage this step! During the brainstorming session, let the ideas fly and see what you can come up with.