Why schedule a branding session?
Scheduling a branding session is so important as a business owner or business professional for many reasons! Real estate agents for example may just need to update their headshots for promotional materials like business cards, yard signs, or even billboards. Tattoo artists, hair stylists, and other artistic professionals can benefit from showing their process as they're working with really neat artistic images that they can use for their website and social media accounts!
What kind of professionals can benefit from a branding session?
- Hair Stylists, Barbers, & Salon Owners
- Tattoo Artists
- Bar/Restaurant Owners
- Auto Mechanics & Auto Body Technicians
- Welders
- Artists (painters, graphic designers, animators, fashion designers, etc)
- Construction Trades
- Landscapers
- Dog Groomers
- Horse Trainers
Literally almost anyone!
Even other photographers, it can be tricky to do your own!
““The best marketing doesn’t feel like marketing.””
JENNIFER MADELEY a real estate agent for Coldwell Banker Select in Edinboro Pennsylvania leaning against a pretty barn wall for her branding headshots.
Where should your branding session take place?
That all depends on the type of profession you are in!
If you're a real estate agent or something similar, you may want to do your headshots in a studio, or you may want to do some outdoor portraits in a nice neighborhood. If you own a brick-and-mortar studio, shop, or office - you'd likely want to use this as the backdrop so that you can showcase your space.
First you want to decide which parts of your business, products, or service you'd like to feature.
Chat with your photographer if you're unsure!
Kayla of KRAESTUDIO in ERIE PA working on set of custom nails for a client while I captured her in action.
What should my branding session consist of?
This will be all about you, your services, your products, your shop - whatever you've got to offer!
Sometimes this answer will be obvious, but if you're going to be travelling to a studio for your branding session, you should consider bringing props that will help communicate what you do and how you do it.
For example, I have seen hair stylists do their branding session right in their salon for more of an "action" type session, and I have seen them go into a photography studio for more of a "portrait" type session while taking props like their shears, blow dryers, hand mirrors, color brushes (is there a name for those? forgive me, I'm a photographer, not a hair stylist, lol).
KAIYA, a real estate agent utilizing a local studio with some props like a cell phone (the prompt was to pretend she was closing a huge deal with a client!)
We moved over to a plain white wall to capture a more professional headshot to use on promotional material.
We went a little more artistic for this shot using a giant old school key prop.
How should I use my branding session images?
You should use the heck outta them!! No but seriously, your headshots can be used on business cards and other promotional materials, you can use them on your social media accounts, your website, and any other place you can think of that will help promote your business and tell your story.