Brand Photography 101- What it is and how to get it right

You may wonder, what’s the biggest misconception when it comes to brand design? Answer- thinking it’s allllll about the logo. 

While unique brand colours, typography and illustrations play their part, the real secret ingredient? Photography!

While professional, custom photography is a no-brainer for businesses with products, I find that many small business founders often overlook the impact personal branding photography can have. 

To me, custom brand photography is the unsung hero of visual communication. It’s one of the most direct ways to communicate who you are as a founder alongside the priorities, values and vision of your niche small business. 

First, what is brand photography?

Brand photography is professional photography that communicates the tone of your business visually. Using components like colour, posing, props and location, these images are able to capture both your likeness as well as hard-to-communicate information like the values of your business or what makes you unique. Pro tip- we delve deep on all of these elements in brand strategy. 

While many of us have that ‘one good photo’ we use across all social profiles (and our website), having a purposeful suite of brand photography offers you the best flexibility and variety when creating content. 

Why are brand photoshoots important?

At its core- brand photography humanises your business. It makes a stellar first impression on potential clients or customers by showing them who you are and what you stand for. Especially for service-based or online businesses, it creates a relatable, trustworthy image that encourages connection and (hopefully) enquiries.  

While I don’t recommend shaping your entire brand strategy around the needs of social media, it’s also worth noting that images of people often lead to higher engagement rates. People love engaging with faces and are far more likely to comment or DM your account if they know who they’re talking to. 

When to plan a personal branding photoshoot

In the early stages of business, I’m all for a ‘done is better than perfect’ approach. Having a couple of DIY images in use is so much better than not sharing anything about you or your business. 

However, if you experience any of these key moments, it may indicate that it’s time to plan a shoot-

• You’re rebranding your business. This is the reason I finally did it! Launching a new brand identity with cohesive brand photography that helps tell your unique brand story is memorable and the perfect ‘clean slate’ a lot of us wait for. 
• You’re launching a new thing. As I mentioned above, a fresh start is the perfect time for new personal branding images. Some of my clients have planned their shoots alongside their launch concept which really builds excitement around the new product, service or sub-brand. 
• You’ve built a team. Realise you’ve got a couple of extra team members that are seemingly ghosts in your brand visuals? Make the time to get the team together and introduce your people to everyone. 
• You’ve changed how you look. Buzzcut? New tattoos? A style overhaul? All good reasons to capture up-to-date images that communicate your authentic self now.  
• Your pictures are a couple of years old. Not only do we look different with time, but our business (and it’s exact focus) can slightly shift. A fresh brand photoshoot is the perfect time to reflect on what you do to ensure your imagery communicates that clearly.
• You’re struggling to post anything. This is a big one I see- my clients feel they’ve shared everything a million times so they just disappear from socials (and beyond). Truthfully- I’ve been a victim of this mentality too. Having new images to share can help inspire content and build consistency. 

But what do I do with these images?

This is a fair question, especially when you’ve been successfully running your business with a handful of images for years. The true benefit of a suite of brand photography images is flexibility and variety. You’re much more likely to post an image of yourself when you haven’t already used it everywhere. A well-planned shoot will provide a variety of on-brand images which will mean you can build brand consistency without just one image. 

Just a few places where your images can be utilised-

• Social media profile imagery
• Email signature
• Podcast artwork 
• Website (beyond the ‘About’ page)
• Document design (think wholesale guides or media kits)
• Presentations (hello, introduction slide!) 

Ready to Get Started?

Start planning! To get the most out of a creative brand photoshoot, I highly recommend brainstorming and planning before engaging a photographer. Check out my comprehensive guide on preparing for your shoot here.