Few things feel better as a creative & business owner than an aligned brand shoot, where you get to translate your vision and the feelings and experiences you serve into images that speak to and inspire your audience and clients.
This time last year I was in the studio with the loveliest team capturing the connective and nourishing experience of Nectar & Bloom and the essence of the transformative floral education for your mind, soul, and body that we serve.
As a poet and writer as well as floral artist, I personally love the experience of translating from one medium to another — and I recommend this for your future brand shoots too — going from words that describe the feeling and experience you serve into the worlds of texture and light and mood that you can create inside the frames of photographs.
If you’re thinking about a brand refresh, here is a little resource I built for you to support, guide, and inspire your next brand shoot:
01 CLARIFY YOUR CORE PURPOSE AS A BRAND
What do you offer, how do you serve, and why do you do what you do?
02 CLARIFY YOUR IDEAL AUDIENCE
Who do you serve? What are they like, and what do they need? How do you serve them?
03 IDENTIFY YOUR BRAND PERSONALITY
Write out the feeling(s) you want your audience to have when experiencing your brand. Translate your brand experience into colors, textures, and sensations. Curate and cull this list to a focused and authentic set of colors and sensations that will guide the inspiration images you choose and the content you will create and capture during your shoot.
04 BUILD MOOD BOARDS WITH RELEVANT INSPIRATION IMAGES
Take your time and have fun searching for imagery that collectively helps to represent the feeling and look you are going for as well as the types of shots and content you want to capture. The saying “a picture is worth a thousand words” applies here completely. When it comes to communicating with your photographer and other shoot teammates, your inspiration board(s) will be immensely helpful.
05 SET YOUR BUDGET
Decide what you can comfortably invest in a brand shoot, knowing that these images will help boost your brand presence and sales over time (so it’s a good investment), and also knowing that you will inevitably need to do another brand shoot down the line again (so it’s not a one-and-done all-in kind of investment). Make sure you plan ahead for the photographer’s fees, any potential photo licensing fees (as these will be commercial photographs), product and prop costs (whether purchased or rented), hair and makeup fee, “craft services” or lunch and snacks for your team during the shoot, and any other supplies or wardrobe materials you might need.
06 ASSEMBLE YOUR TEAM
You will definitely want to research and hire a professional photographer whose work you like and who understands your vision. Hire a hair and makeup artist as well to help you feel supported and photo-ready (even if they are just helping you feel and look natural but visible on camera). As a few additional options, you may want to hire a stylist to help with your wardrobe and props, an art director to help hone your vision for your shots, and/or an assistant to help set up and support the process.
07 PLAN YOUR PROPS, MATERIALS, STYLING NEEDS, AND WARDROBE
Source and organize everything ahead of time so that all is ready on shoot day. You will be so glad giving yourself this preparation and ease. There is enough going on day-of anyway, so knowing what you’ll be wearing, having it set aside, and having all props you will need on hand will make everything flow smoothly. Pay attention to how the natural light moves through your shoot space and what times of day are optimal for the look and lighting you want to capture.
08 CREATE A SHOT LIST
This will help you stay on track and make sure you capture the content you need. Plan to include vertical and horizontal shots to use across a variety of channels, including your website, emails, and marketing channels. Remember to include some behind the scenes shots that show you in your element. Authenticity is hugely important for connecting with your audience. Work with your photographer and share a visual representation of the types of shots you want to make sure to capture. This is like having a visual checklist for shoot day.
09 PREPARE YOUR SPACE FOR YOUR BRAND SHOOT
Clean out your space, clear out any clutter, and create an organized and peaceful place to capture your brand experience. Organize your props and styling materials so they are easily accessible. Think ahead about meals, snacks, and hydration for you and your team so that everyone is supported and feeling good during the shoot. Remember to breathe and relax while you are creating on shoot day. The more natural you feel, the more you will like the photos.
10 PLAN YOUR POST-SHOOT & PHOTO USE
Communicate with your photographer about what kind of editing style you prefer and what kind of timeline you can expect for receiving deliverables. Know and communicate how many images you will need and in what formats (high-res for print, web-size for web and social), and set aside time to update your website and plan the use of the new photos into your blogging, email, and social marketing routine. I recommend using Canva as a helpful graphic design and layout tool for generating your marketing materials.
Have fun planning and creating your refresh and brand shoot! I loved my most recent one, and to be honest, I look forward to planning the next one already.
Keep blooming,
XX
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