We recently did a branding photoshoot of ourselves. Something we had been talking about doing for quite a while but neither of us wanted to bite the bullet. Investing in some great photos of yourself is something we are always advising our clients to do. But, being the subject of a photoshoot, rather than directing it, is a whole different ballgame.
Having a lens pointed at you can trigger all sorts of insecurities – we get that now. The happy outcome is we are delighted with our new gallery of photos and the whole experience was nowhere near as painful as we thought it would be.
Why are photos important
If you need product shots the answer seems quite obvious. But why take photos of yourself? Possibly you are the service on offer. But even if you are not it’s a great idea to put a face to your business. It’s all part of telling the story of what you do. It backs up your content marketing (yep, this decade’s digital buzzword is definitely storytelling), encourages affiliation and breeds loyalty. Why? Because it makes you real. Us humans love that.
Here’s what we learned
I have run shoots with celebrities, pop stars, radio presenters… but none of those were anything like having my own photo taken. It was so easy to direct people who already had an instinctive knowledge of making the best of themselves. Two nervous (middle-aged) women, with some lighting in a kitchen, was a different matter completely.
If you are feeling apprehensive about having a photoshoot we thought it might be helpful for you if we share some of the things we learned and the great tips given to us by our fabulous photographer.
- Select your photographer carefully
We have been so lucky. Beth Mitchell from Floss & Bea Photography specialises in personal branding and was a perfect fit for us. Expect your photographer to have a chat with you before the shoot. We did ours over zoom (with a cat). That way she could have a good look at us and we could explain what we want to get across visually.
2. Think location
We work from home so we wanted to reflect this. Luckily Natalie has just had her kitchen renovated and it’s looking pretty fine (wowser) so we decided that would be our spot. Frankly, we do a lot of work from there – it’s like a posh office with easy access to tea and food. There was plenty of space which gave us options to shoot from different angles. But if you are not sure about location try asking your photographer. Beth had some great ideas for locations near us that could be hired for a shoot. We are most definitely using one of those suggestions next time.
Inside or outside? Shooting in a windy February kind of made the decision for us. The whole hat and scarf outside look can be lovely but is probably going to seem a bit strange for someone viewing your images in, say, July.
3. Branding
What do you need the photos for? Whatever it is they need to match your branding. A photo taken with a nod to your brand colours will embed really well on your website or your social platforms. Our brand colour palette is primarily greens but with accent shades of purple. So, we decided to have some green in our outfits and little colourful splashes around – a lilac notepad, a vase of flowers in the background. You get the picture.
4. What to wear for your photoshoot?
Beth suggested dressing in muted colours – like pastels – and she was bang on. Everything in this photo just seems to tie in. Don’t you think? I ended up staying in the same outfit but Natalie had a couple of costume changes (diva!) which worked really well. If you have a favourite outfit that works with your branding colour then wear that as opposed to buying something new that you might end up not feeling as confident in.
Will you be having some full length shots? Then don’t wear your pink crocs. I wore high heels to try and even out the height difference between us (me being the midget). Also, I don’t know why but a casual blazer seemed to really work.
Before I forget, make sure your nails are neat. I am aiming this at men as well as women. Time to remember what nail clippers are for. Mine are hopeless so I chucked a bit of clear polish on them. If you have lovely nails your hands could feature in a close up – holding a pen or a mug.
5. Props are a great idea
Mostly because they give you something useful to do with your hands. Arms can feel very dangly and unnecessary if you are feeling a tad self-conscious. We used our Lime mugs (thanks Prontaprint), the above-mentioned notebook, our computers and Beth brought some rather delish pastries from The Steamhouse. Still amazes me we managed to leave those alone until the end.
Final point – remember to keep your mind on what the photos are for. It is SO easy to get carried away in your catwalk moment and stray from your mission. A good photographer (cue Beth) will ask at the end if there is anything else. Remember to get some photos as fillers for your website. Beth took some great close-ups of mugs and hands.
You know what, just when we thought it was over, we had a think and decided on a slightly different approach and those final few clicks have ended up as our profile photos. Check them out.
Lime Communications is a partnership between a skilled marketer and an experienced journalist and copywriter. Services include branding, digital marketing and copywriting. Limecomms.co.uk
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