The #1 Thing I Do For All My Brand Photography Clients

It always starts with a conversation.

I know, I know...you're totally rolling your eyes at me right now. Trust me, I did too when I thought up that sentence.

But it's true!

As creatives, it's easy to get an idea and start running with it. We get excited about the possibilities and immediately start pitching.

Which often times leads to blank stares. They don't see the vision, they don't feel connected to it. Your client feels stiff and awkward during the shoot. And then those goooorgeous images that you spent hours editing never see the light of day.

Oof. That one hurts the most.

So how do we stop that from happening???

How do we dream big brand photography dreams without leaving our clients in the dust?

I'm in a mastermind cohort right now (shout out to Elevate!) and our last meeting we started inspecting our client life cycle. So I've been really sitting with that for a bit.

And all of the little train of thought rabbit holes I follow come back to one thing:

It all starts with a conversation.

Before I put together a brand photography proposal, before I start dreaming up ideas or flipping through my mental rolodex of locations, I need to spend time with my client and learn about them.

Because let's face it, even my most beautiful or creative ideas will be mediocre at best if I don't understand my client.

I want to have a natural curiosity about my client's brand while also making sure I hit key points that will lead to a successful brand photography photoshoot (aka fun shoot time, beautiful images and clients who are thrilled with their images)

Let's break it down on how I approach this:

1) Be prepared - I do a quick cruise through all of their existing platforms

• Their website

• Alllll the social media

• Quick Google search

This helps me get a feel for where they currently are and helps me think through what questions I want to ask.

2) Where the images are going to be used

• Website or Social Media?

• Headshots?

• Storefront?

• Sharing it for print?

This helps understand the formatting needs and image orientation

3) How do they want to use the images

• Is this a profile pic? Or are they using it to create informative content?

• Do they need additional images to support their existing visual presence or is this a total brand refresh?

This helps me visualize the scope of the shoot and what kind of images they need

4) How do they want their brand photography to feel

• What do they love about their current images? What do they wish they could change?

• If they're doing a brand refresh, do they have any mood boards they can share?

• Who is a brand that they follow that feels cool to them?

This gives me a peek into their preferences and helps me to dial in on the direction they want to go aaaand what I should avoid

5) What are their business goals

• Who is their Ideal Client?

• What kind of client experience are they hoping to achieve?

• What are the products are services they are wanting to promote?

This helps me figure out what to highlight during the shoot because beyond looking beautiful, these images need to work for my clients

Lastly,

6) How did you dream up your business?

This helps me see the Heart of a brand

And that's THAT is the most important thing right there.

The Heart of the brand.

Getting to see someone's passion for their business is what makes us want to work with them. In a world where we have sooooo many options, the HEART of a business is what people really connect with.

And as a brand photographer, it is my role to help my clients share their passion with the outside world. It is my job to create a space where they feel comfortable sharing that bright shiny light.

By having a conversation, I'm able to build the trust with my client that I get it.

That I see them.

It's what lets me infuse their personality into the images and strengthen their brand's identity. And that makes it FUN.

Then I get to work and start dreamin about this photoshoot!

I start building a creative vision that will tick all of the functionality boxes my client needs as well as give them depth and breadth in their gallery. I'm talkin vision boards, color palettes, outfit ideas, posing ideas...allll that awesome framework that will give us space to play within during the photoshoot.

Which ultimately leads to a gallery full of beautiful, functional images that share my client's story.

And that is super neat.

What are your go-to questions for your clients? The one that helps you have a new perspective? I'd love to hear them!

And if you're ready to have a fun conversation about your brand and take some awesome pics, let's connect! Coffee is on me :)