Why Personal Brand Photography is important!
You know there are some individuals that still find it difficult to understand the importance of Brand Photography, I mean, they really dont get it!
If you are reading this, perhaps you may be struggling to justify paying money for an ‘Image Bank’ (That’s what I tend to call it! ) I get you, I really do! And I also know you are asking these questions….
“If you are reading this, perhaps you may be struggling to justify paying money for an ‘Image Bank’ (That’s what I tend to call it! ) I get you, I really do! ”
”Can I not just keep posting selfies?” Or “What about using Stock Photography?” Or “My friend is good with her Camera, can she not take a handful of shots?” Or “My Phone has a brilliant Camera, can I not take some images using that!?”
Yep….I have heard all of the above and more besides….I actually understand where you are coming from!
But have you really understood the concept of a Personal Brand Shoot?
Yes, I really want you to think about the question for a while….and ask yourself, what it would be like to have an ‘Image Bank’ and I dont mean a whole load of images just sat there looking pretty on your laptop!
A Personal Brand Shoot is where you work along side your Photographer….
You, have an actual conversation about your Brand, your core values….
Now, you also need to get your personality across too. So not only showcasing your service or product but actually your likes, interests, hobbies. Your personality needs to shine, it needs to connect with your ideal Client, dont you think? Your Ideal Client needs to resonate with you. We all already know ‘People by from people.’ Its the Photographers ability to photograph you at work and also capture your interests and perhaps your ‘fun side’ or ‘caring nature’, depending on your profession of course, that will ultimately sell your offerings.
“A Personal Brand Shoot is where you work along side your Photographer. You, have an actual conversation about your Brand, your core values…”
When you invest in a Professional Photographer, you are investing in your business, you are also investing in YOU! And that’s the most important thing to remember.
Lets look at some of the above questions;
”Can I not just keep posting selfies?” Ok…..well the answer is no!
To put it simply, is posting selfies all the time going to sell your service or product? Now I want you to think about the answer, really look at it from the view point of your Customer or Client. Ok, so its great to post images of your ‘face’! Everyone wants to get to know YOU! But a selfie is never going to take the place of a properly composed photograph of YOU. Whether that’s you at work, in your office or You with family and friends. Yes, there is always a place for a selfie, god knows I love a good selfie! But, I wouldnt always use one all of the time…it just wouldnt work!
Another popular question is this one;
“My Phone has a brilliant Camera, can I not take some images using that!?”
There is a reason why Professional Photographers use a DSLR….It enables us to change a lens, it enables us to photograph using a Wide Aperture (Sorry Photography Jargon!). In other words we can create imagery that takes parts of the composition out of focus! Trust me there is a heck of a lot to understand when it comes to Photography, its not just a case of pressing a button on a Camera! For those of you that dont know, I teach Photography too and my Students have that sentence ingrained in their brain!!! (That’s a whole other subject, I promise I wont go into that here! :) ).
But above all the Photographer should really showcase you…
.I tend to break my Brand Shoots down, obviously depending on your business and how long your shoot is, spending allocated time blocks photographing different areas of your business…
This may include an hour photographing you at work or an hour photographing your lifestyle and capturing your personality, also capturing those small details, often missed by many Photographers.
Perhaps you are an Artist, and have loads of interesting items in your Studio. Paint pots, pencils, sketch pads, easel…etc. I would also photograph some of those, so I am building a ‘STORY’ about YOU an YOUR business…
Then onto you at work, perhaps in the middle of a Painting or on the phone to a Client…
And of course images that capture your personality, essentially building you an ‘Image Bank’.
“But above all the Photographer should really showcase you…”
These images are there for you to use for your marketing; Social Media content, Website design and other off-line marketing you may want to do. All aligned to your business and to YOU!
And by getting in front of your competitors using images that stand out from the crowd! Also means more potential Clients, ultimately making you more money in the long run!
Having my Degree in Photography, also means YOU are getting a true professional. I know how to pose an individual in a flattering way, I see so many images taken by other Photographers, with so many mistakes being made. Often wishing the business owner would of done some research first….
Posing someone in exactly the same way, in exactly the same place, isn’t how you do a Brand Photography shoot! Not leaving space around the subject, to allow for cropping from Website designers or to allow for the Business owner to add their own text, again is a mistake I see and hear about far too often!
So please do your research first! And find a Photographer that not only has a qualification in the subject but also ‘gets you!’ is so important!
There is so much to a Personal Brand Photography Shoot, I really hope I have answered some of your questions. If you would love to book a free Discovery Call, to find out how I can work with you, then please fill in a contact form.
I cant wait to WORK WITH YOU!
Thank you from the bottom of my Camera,
Emzy x