Location or Studio?
Choosing where to shoot is important. There are pros and cons to shooting on location. The two greatest hurdles when it comes to shooting on location are weather and the general public.
You may plan to shoot at a great location but then the shoot gets called due to rain so if you want to shoot on location always have an alternative date in place just incase there is a bout of bad weather.
The other main issue is that if you get to a popular location too late in the day it can become over crowded resulting in busy backgrounds that take away from the intended focus. One way to avoid this issue is to shoot early in the day before too many people get there and to get creative with camera angles.cv I once visited the Palace of Versailles just outside of Paris and despite the palace gardens being overcrowded with tourists I was able to minimize the appearance of this by shooting at strategic camera angles.
Shooting in studio can be a great way to create consistent imagery in a controlled environment. Indoor spaces can be much more convenient to shoot in during the winter.
Wardrobe and Styling
When selecting your wardrobe for your shoot try to stick to a colour palette that is reflective of your personal brand. General rule of thumb is to avoid bold or trendy prints and patterns as they can be visually distracting and trends are more temporary and don't make for the most versatile or long lasting (ever green) content. Choosing outfits that feel cohesive as a wardrobe can be visually strong. It is also important to consider the accessories you will be pairing with each outfit. Thoughtfully paired footwear, jewellery and other accessories such as belts, hats and hair accessories can pull a look together and strengthen the communication of your brand aesthetics.
Props
Props are another component of personal branding shoots that are worth considering. What props are relevant to your personal brand? Are you a personal trainer? Perhaps bringing weights, a medicine ball or other fitness equipment is a good idea. Thinking about what props might help visually communicate your brand can be an important part of personal branding shoots. Sometimes it can be as simple as considering if there is a specific piece of furniture or style of stool you want to pose on.
How will you be using this content?
It’s important to consider how you will be using the imagery from your shoot ahead of time. Thinking about the context in which these images will be utilized. Will you need the images to be shot horizontally so that they can be used for Facebook or advertising banners? Do you require extra space for text in a web layout? Perhaps the image will be cropped square for Instagram posts. All of this is helpful to communicate to your photographer ahead of time so that they can ensure you receive your assets in the correct format.
References and Inspiration
Finding visual references and mood boarding can be a great way to prepare for your shoot ahead of time and tools like Pinterest make it easy to keep organized and collaborate with creative team members such as Hair, Makeup, Styling and Photography. It can also be helpful to find visual references and inspiration for posing so that when you feel you may have exhausted all your own ideas, you can draw from a library of inspiration that allows you to work efficiently and without having to take much pause.
To book your personal branding shoot please contact Megan at megantoriglia@gmail.com today.