3 Important Things to Consider Before Booking Your Brand Photoshoot | Boston Brand Photographer
A brand photoshoot is an exciting opportunity to capture professional, high-quality images that showcase your business, personality, and brand story. But before you book your session, there are a few key things to consider to ensure you get the most out of your investment. Here are the top three things to think about before scheduling your shoot.
1. Define Your Brand and Vision Goals
Before booking a brand photoshoot, take some time to clarify what you want from it. Ask yourself:
How will I use these photos? (Website, social media, marketing materials, press features, etc.) Which of these do you put the most focus on?
Who am I talking to? (Is your client another business? A consumer? What type of person are you speaking to with your marketing materials?
What message do I want to convey? (Professional, approachable, creative, luxurious, etc.)
What emotions do I want my audience to feel when they see my images?
Having a clear vision will help guide the entire process—from choosing the right location and outfits to selecting props and poses. If you’re unsure, don’t worry! I can help you refine your vision and ensure your brand shines in every shot. I will have you start with filling out a helpful questionnaire that can help you gain some clarity.
2. Where will we shoot?
The location is our backdrop, the foundation for creating the vibe, for telling your brand story. I love to make suggestions, but at the end of the day it comes down to what is right for YOUR brand. You want it to feel authentic and cohesive.
My favorite starting points:
Your workspace, for the personal touch behind your business
The photo studio - for a clean backdrop to show off products or services
Outdoors - when and if this makes sense for your brand vibe, the possibilities are endless
A rented space - let’s get specific! If you’re looking for THE location, sometimes renting a space to nail the look is what you need!
More info on choosing the location that’s going to be the best for your individual experience!
3. Choose the Right Photographer
HI! That’s where we come in! Pick us, pick us! Just kidding, honestly, every business owner should choose the photographer that is the best fit for them. Not all photographers specialize in brand photography, so it’s important to choose someone who understands how to capture your business in a way that connects with your audience. When selecting a photographer, consider:
Their portfolio—does their style match your vision?
Their experience with brand photography and working with small businesses.
How comfortable you feel communicating with them. This is a big one, if you don’t vibe with them in that first conversation, you may not feel comfortable working with them. No matter how great the photographer is, if you’re not comfortable, you’re not going to love your photos.
A great brand photographer will not only take beautiful images but also guide you through the process, from planning to posing.
Booking a brand photoshoot is an exciting step for your business, and a little preparation can go a long way in ensuring a successful session. By clarifying your brand vision, planning your location, and choosing the right photographer, you’ll set yourself up for a seamless experience with photos that truly represent your brand.
📸 Ready to book your brand photoshoot? Let’s create stunning images that showcase your business!
How to Pose Your Hands in Photos, No More Awkwardness! | Boston Brand Photographer
What do I do with my hands?! Is prob the most common question when anyone steps in front of the camera. When we FEEL comfortable, we LOOK comfortable. There are a million things you could do with your hands, but what to do and how to make small adjustments makes all the difference between a rigid pose, and a relaxed, natural one. Here are my tried and true, most used things to do with your hands during headshots, lifestyle, or a full brand shoot:
Hold something.
Hold anything that would make sense for you to be holding. It is a misconception that incorporating props into your brand photoshoot will look staged. Subtle prop placement can show off our brand colors, hint at personality traits, or just make you look more relaxed, as if you’re not just standing there posing. We don’t have to hold up a prop in front of the camera for it to be effective or send a message. (photos of subtle props - pen, notebook, coffee, etc)
2. Show your hands.
Did you know that body language experts say that showing our hands makes us more trustworthy? It’s not always easy to use our hands and make it look natural, but often if we talk with our hands, that is the best place to start (photo of someone talking with hands). Even just a hand on your hair or under your chin can be very effective in showing a little vulnerability.
3. Lean on something
You can lean using your hands or your body. Leaning allows our body to look at ease, and if we look at ease, we will often feel that way too. Clients will often hear me say “lean forward”, which comes off as engaged and present, “I’m ready to listen to you”.
4. Hands in pockets.
Tried and true, a very simple, yet effective solution to making our whole body look and feel more relaxed.
Ultimately, the key to natural, effortless photos is to feel comfortable—and your hands play a big role in that! Try out these tips and notice how much more relaxed and confident you feel. With a little guidance, your hands will enhance your photos rather than feel like a challenge!
My Best of 2024 Brand Photos: The Art of Storytelling | Boston Brand Photographer
What I love about brand photography is the power of the collection of images. Brand sessions are about telling the story of the brand, and all of those images together are what make a branding session successful. But often there are one or two hero images that stand out. An image that tells a powerful story by itself, or that sums up a brand in one image.
2024 was a really great year where I got to work with so many different brands, and while a few of them were bigger or corporate brands, most of them were Boston and Massachusetts local small businesses! Working with creators, makers, independent artists, and service providers, is really where our creative process shone in 2024. Here are our top 10 branding images in 2024:
Photo Shoots in Amazing Locations: Martha’s Vineyard Spotlight with Jill | Boston photographer
The first time I chatted with Jill, she opened up to me about her passions, her business, her life. She wanted to plan her personal brand shoot where she lived, in Martha’s Vineyard, and she had already put more thought and planning into this session than any other client I’ve had. She was working on her brand with Jordan Duvall from Ignite Your Soul Brand and her art direction guide was 20 pages long. 20 pages. Now this could have made me run in the other direction, but it was perfect. Strategic, intentional, and very very well thought out. She had a vision for her images, and I couldn’t wait to help her bring the vision to life.
We had an amazing location and A LOT on our shot list the day of the shoot, so we set up a strict timeline to help us stay organized. It certainly takes a village sometimes and I was so grateful to our team of amazing women - My assistant Gwen, Paula with hair and makeup, as well as styling, and Jill’s two best friends for being an extra set of hands wherever they could (and the perfect hype women as needed).
It was important for us to show Jill’s spiritual side. She offers intuitive healing and guidance to help women become their authentic selves. Her clients choose her because of her open, nurturing, and compassionate nature, so that was an element that we had to make sure we captured throughout the day. She also does akashic record readings (which I had to google it after our first conversation!)
We ended at the beach at sunset - our grand finale after a long day of shooting. It was the perfect magic to wrap a full day. Beautiful sunset, wind in our hair, waves crashing. All said and done, it was a 14 hour day (which I don’t do many of anymore with two toddlers at home), but so worth it.
