With the ever-changing business landscape having a personal brand is becoming more and more important. So when working with a photographer on creating branding images what should you know? As you probably already have encountered, branding can be a tedious task and never-ending. From colors to fonts, and moods, and feelings. It all can play a role in how your branding portraits are created. Don’t worry, if you feel completely lost when it comes to branding that is ok. We actually touch on this process with clients to help them refine their brand and use those elements to create their photoshoot.
“People don’t buy what you do they buy why you do it”
– Simon Sinek
For some people, they have a very specific idea of what their brand is and what its purpose is. For others, it is this enigma that seems to just morph and change and you don’t really know what is happening. The main reason for that could be because you haven’t actually sat down and figure out your brand. I don’t mean fonts, colors, a website that sort of thing… yet. Those are design elements that support your brand. The more important work is how you want your customers to feel when they experience your brand. To me, that is what branding is really about and based around you and your core values, beliefs, and deeper why. From there all the other things, including the imagery, will be easier to make a decision on.
I’d start with the following things first and then spin-off from there.
Lost in your branding? Start here
- What do you sell? Go beyond the physical and obvious and figure out why you sell what you sell. (ex. I want people to experience reconnecting with their Art and see themselves in as their truest self through a portrait photoshoot experience.) This is often tied to your core values and beliefs and is probably the toughest part.
- What is feeling you want people to feel when they experience your services, products, brand? Ask past clients, friends, strangers.
- How do you want them to describe your brand to other people? (This is important for word of mouth referrals and growing your brand)
These things are the core of your brand and
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Knowing the mood and feeling, and especially the why, of your branding is important and will set you apart. A common thread that will be applied to your wording, the colors you choose, and the images used for marketing and designs. It will all tie back to your core beliefs and values.
If you are rebranding or wanting to update your visuals. I recommend taking some time to really evaluate what your core values as a person are and then see if your business is aligning with those. For example, if you are eco-conscious but everything you do in your business and sell is disposable or meant to be used once then you have some more work to do. Once the core values and beliefs are aligned then the magic begins and the images will truly show what you are all about.
We do a brief overview of your brand before we design your photo session but I am not a branding agency. I do highly recommend seeking those professionals who can help you with that on a deeper level. I highly recommend Might & Main here in Portland, Maine.
Translating Your Brand Into Branding Portraits and Imagery
No that you have a good sense of what your brand means and feels like you can now make decisions on the other stuff; the visual stuff. From Branding Portraits to custom social media imagery there is a lot that can be done. Knowing what you need is the next step and where the fun starts. Here are some ideas that can be brought into the imagery
- Branding colors – Can be brought into the background or into the wardrobe to give a cohesive look to the images.
- The mood and feeling you want your brand to give clients – Posing, expressions, and overall vibe of images.
- Quotes that resonate with you – These can help with inspiration for expressions and also posing.
- Your personality and aesthetic – An important component that will set your brand/business apart from others.
All of these things make your brand and we sit down at a Design Consultation before the shoot happens so we can construct the photoshoot from clothing to locations, to vibe and posing. We look at sample images for inspiration, go through color and clothing options and figure out specifically what the images will be used for. Whether it is header images and a bio photo for a new website, or images for ads with space for text. We cover it all and start to create the big picture for the images we are going to create. This ensures the final images are “on brand” as they say and you get the images you need.
From here, Wohler & Co., meaning me the photographer, and maybe a hair and makeup artist, will come up with a plan and sketch ideas for poses and specific shots for the branding portraits and other imagery we plan to create. Then all you have to do the day of the shoot is show up. Show up as you, your brand for the camera. Here are some sample images for personal branding that clients have used.
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Kate Bathras is a life and leadership coach and was diving into creating a new website and branding for her practice when we worked together. We talked through colors and I even talked with her and the website designer so we got images that would fit perfectly for the layout.
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Aaron Robinson, award-winning American composer, conductor, musicologist and best-selling author is not a typical classical musician so we had a little fun with his set to show is personality but also keep it within a classic look and feel. All those props; the little piano and composer busts he brought himself.
Investing the time, money, and energy in your brand will ultimately yield more sales and a cohesive brand image that customers will know and trust. It is highly worth the investment.
