I love the creative process of planning a branding photography session with women entrepreneurs. I work closely with them to brainstorm on styles and messages we can create together. I feel that it’s a lot about building relationships and understanding their thinking and passion for their businesses. Let me quickly walk you through the process by peeking into a recent shoot I did for Lana Kitcher from LK Consultants.

I met Lana through a women’s networking group that brings together female professionals across the rivertowns. She’s a productivity strategist and small business consultant. She helps clients identify and set goals, create a structured plan to implement them, and coach them throughout the entire process. Doesn’t it sound like something we all need?! She already had a gorgeous website and a great blog but was looking to refresh her images. And we started talking right away!

So just like I did with Lana, here are a couple of basic (but important) things that I pay attention to in planning a successful branding photo session.

1. Brainstorming

We start with a pre-photoshoot brainstorming. For these personal branding shoots, it’s so important for me to understand not just the business but about her personality and style. I make sure to talk about:

- Marketing goals

- Clients & target audience

- Blog pipeline

- Brand colors & styles

- Outfits & Props

These discussions give me a better sense of the content she is looking for and also help visualize the kind of images we can plan for. This becomes my base for building a visual mood board that I can share with the client ahead of every shoot. Pinterest works great for mood boards that we can build together.

2. Locations, locations, locations

One of the critical things I plan ahead is location. Luckily, Lana wanted her shoot at her beautiful co-work space with a lot of window lighting. It was also a beautiful sunny day so it worked out great!

But since you can’t always plan for the weather, I make sure to ask or check for spots that have great lighting and backgrounds that would match the brand colors and vibe. At the co-working space, I immediately spotted the brick wall and started shooting using that. It fit the modern, crisp, urban feel perfectly!

2. Creating a shoot list

My goal is to create a diverse and balanced mix of images from a single shoot. This is to make sure that the client has a stock of photos she can choose to fit their specific business needs and social content calendar. It’s always different for every client, but my basic go-to list looks like this:

- Professional vs lifestyle

- Headshot

- In-action shots

- With team or clients

- In the space

- Natural light & outdoor locations

So in Lana’s case, I knew she runs an awesome business book club, so I made sure she brought her favorite books so that I could include them in the shots.

3. Relax & have FUN!

This is my mantra throughout any shoot. My favorite moments are when my client is totally immersed in something, or just being their lovely selves. So as much as you can spend a lot of time planning and prepping, my biggest mission is to create moments that are authentic and beautiful. It could be a little (pathetic) joke but sometimes a burst of laughter can create some of the most genuine images that draw people right in.

Figuring out how to plan a brand photoshoot can be overwhelming, especially if you’re going about it for the first time. Thinking ahead to develop ideas can make a huge difference. Questions? Leave them in the comments or send me an email!

Planning a Branding Session