When it Comes to Planning Your Brand Shoot…Whose Job is it, Anyway?
You’re thinking about doing a brand shoot for your business…first of all, great call. Investing in a well-thought out and strategically performed brand photoshoot is hands down one of the best decisions you can make for your business. Cohesive and on-brand imagery is one of the most valuable tools you can rely on when it comes to connecting and communicating with your target audience. A branded photo gallery gives you the ability tell your story, express your vibe, and market your business with ease and intentionality.
Brand Photoshoots are a home run of a marketing idea, and I will always stand behind their importance.
So now you’re ready to do it, but where do you start? How do you gather your ideas and ensure that these photos will be a true representation of who you are, what you offer, and will be well-received by the people you want to know about you? There is no doubt a lot that goes into a shoot that has character, versatility, creativity, and variety. Leaning on inspiration from places like Pinterest and social media can be a great place to start, but the ideas are endless, right? And how do you actually create some of the like-minded things you are seeing on these platforms? What about locations and furniture, outfit styling, props, backdrops, and models?
Is this where the idea gets overwhelming, causing you to put it on the back burner (again!)? But what if you decided that instead of tucking the brand photoshoot away for another time, you instead decided to call in some help to bring your idea to life.
But, who is that person anyway?
Often I talk to photographer friends who run into clients who are under the assumption that they are the ones who are fully developing, planning, and styling the shoots. So, here is the important question to ask: does the photographer want to assume that role? Are they offering this as a part of their service? Will he or she help you find a location, come up with and design the set backdrops, determine a list of styling props needed, create a shot list, a timeline, determine the shots you need for specific marketing goals, and how to best implement the photos once you have them?
It’s important to know that some photographers do, in fact, like to take the creative direction on, and this is part of what they do. It’s also important to know that many don’t particularly have the capacity to take on this large and important part of developing a shoot. In fact, they may just want to do what they do best…capture your brand by taking awesome photos.
In these conversations, I sometimes hear that photographers wish their clients would bring on creative direction for their shoots, because they know that with some really great planning, the shoot could end up being just that much better. Not to mention, more efficient, allowing them to actually shoot for more time since someone else has taken care of the styling, suggested shot list, and more.
The real truth about creative direction: without on-brand locations, sets, backdrops, props, and styling a shoot can fall flat. It can lack character, lose the ability to tell a real story, hence making it more difficult to connect with audience members, and lose its shelf life really quickly.
Your shoot is calling for Creative Direction!
When we work with clients on Brand Photoshoots, there are five main areas we focus:
Discovery: This is where we learn from the client what their vision is for their shoot. What are their short and long term marketing goals? How do they intend to use their photos? What are some of the ideas they have? What are their biggest dreams for a shoot?
Development + Design: This is where we creatively create the concept for the shoot-where would be the perfect location, how can we best convey the client’s brand essence, what elements can we get our hands on to support the vision? What other Creative Partners can we bring on to help solidify the vision?
Plan: This is the nitty gritty…timelines, shot lists, coordinating with Creative Partners…the stuff that when done well makes the actual shoot run so smooth
Styling: Pulling together the list of items needed to support the brand story
Direction: We are there on the day of the shoot to orchestrate and support all parties involved.
As you can tell, this is a whole job in itself, which is why it is so important to know if your photographer is up for it (and they are being paid for it!). If they are not, and you are ready to fully embrace your brand shoot, there are multiple ways to work with us, even regardless of your geographical location! We offer full brand photoshoot development, content creation for smaller, more regularly scheduled shoots, and now Virtual Planning, where we can plan your shoot for you from our office to anywhere! Depending on the scope of your shoot, we can fit your needs with the offering that is the best solution for you and your business.
It’s time to take that brand shoot from a dream to a reality! Trust me…it’s 100% worth it!