Personal Branding Photoshoot – Frequently Asked Questions

Having your photo taken can feel uncomfortable for many. However, there are so many benefits to having your face out there for the world to see. It helps your brand become more personal, and furthermore, you can build up a more trusting relationship with your audience. A personal branding photoshoot can really help to create visibility for your business. If you’re still feeling unsure, this blog explores the common questions asked for a personal branding photoshoot.

Being able to pop a professional yet friendly photo of yourself onto your page adds personality. This helps clients searching for your service see the face behind the business. Subsequently, they will feel as though they are communicating with a ‘real’ person.

Are you looking to embark on a personal branding photoshoot? Here are some of the frequently asked questions I get asked before a shoot. These answers will help you to prepare for your exciting shoot, to get the most out of your experience for your brand.

How do you customise photography to fit my brand?

If you know how you want your photos to come across to potential clients, the rest slots nicely into place. How you want your photos to come across will depend entirely on your business. However, try to consider whether you would like to showcase your brand’s colours in the shoot. Do you want it to appear friendly? Or approachable and relaxed? Perhaps you prefer to remain completely professional? If you need some help with this then we can discuss it during our pre-session consultation.

The personal branding shoot should echo the rest of your branding. Do you have a clear idea of your branding and how you want your business to be portrayed? You should ensure this comes across in your photos. Before our shoot, we will have a pre-session call to delve deep into your brand so I can get a good understanding of your business values and personality I can then customise the shoot to fit your brand.

What should I wear?

What you wear should fit in with how you wish your brand to be portrayed. Will you need to be wearing formal or casual wear? I always recommend people to bring more than one choice of outfit, so you aren’t restricted in options. Then you can make sure you feel truly comfortable in whatever your choice of clothing may be. You may want to have something more formal to wear, followed by something more casual to cover more base across your branding.  

You could also combine your branding colours with your outfit choice. This further cements the look of your brand within your photos. Block colours can work better than patterns and I would avoid pictures/logos or big slogans unless, of course, these align with your brand.

You may want to consider a style consultation before your session, personally, I would recommend Alice Nichol from Buddy & Noo who can advise you on what to wear for your session.

Do I need to bring my own props?

Yes please, if you would like to. We are, after all, promoting your business. Therefore, any branded items, props, or signs you wish to use in the photoshoot are more than welcome. I do also bring along props of my own that are very versatile and work alongside a range of different branding shoots. This is something else we can discuss before the session.

How do I find inspiration for the shoot?

Are you stuck for inspiration on how you would like your photos to come across? Research what other people have done. Use search engines, social media, and apps such as Instagram and Pinterest.

You can take inspiration from hundreds of ideas and if there are any that you like, save them. Feel free to send the images to me or print them out to show me. This will give me a clear direction of what we need to do to fulfil your branding needs. Again, we can discuss this prior to your session and I can give you my creative input of ideas you may not have thought of.

If I hate having my photo taken, how do we get around this?

I feel your pain! I honestly get this and you are not alone. If you’re feeling a little nervous, or uncomfortable about having your photo taken, try to relax. I know it’s easier said than done! However, before we begin, I like to get to know you and your business. We will have a little chat, and I will reassure you the photoshoot will represent exactly what you want your branding to portray.

 I promise to make you feel at ease as much as I can. I will talk through each step with you carefully and ensure that we are both aiming for the same result. A lot of my clients don’t even realise I am taking their photographs, as the conversation will flow. Before you know it, the shoot will have happened! Nearly all my reviews say that I put my clients at ease so relax you are in safe hands.

How do you select the best images from my shoot?

We need to find the perfect images to portray your personal brand. Therefore, I will take a variety of photographs from several angles, ranging from headshots to full-length images. I will take a variety of photographs both with and without props and ‘action’ shots of you at work.

I can also do a flat lay image if required at an additional cost. This is an image taken from above featuring props and branded items relating to your business. These are really on-trend and useful to use in your social media posts. Afterwards, you will have access to an online gallery so you can select the images that you prefer or you can choose to buy the whole gallery.

 

Studio or location?

The shoot can include a variety of backgrounds. From being outside at a multitude of settings such as a local park, the beach, the high street or your favourite coffee shop. Or the photoshoot can take place in an office, at your home (if you work from home) or at your work premises elsewhere. I also have access to some great locations to rent for the day or hour. 

We can visit multiple locations if you are undecided or want a variety. However, please be aware travel time between locations is included in your session time so the closer the better. You wouldn’t want to waste valuable photoshoot time!

Alternatively you can come to my home studio. I have a simple desk set up that we can dress with your own props if you need an office look to your photos but feel yours isn’t “photogenic” enough, we can even combine a local location with an office studio set up to add some variety. The two shots below are both taken my the studio with bespoke props.

Still feeling unsure?

If you would like more information or have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I am happy to offer a free consultation to put your mind at ease, You can also get in touch to book a personal branding photoshoot at info@fionamooreyphotography.com.