Dreaming about up-leveling your business with brand photography this year but stuck on the perfect location for your brand shoot?
Not everyone has an on-brand home or office, but that shouldn’t stop you from scheduling a personal branding photo session.
A well thought out location is important for the visual esthetics of your brand images. We want your brand shoot location to really help support your brand story, not work against it!
Luckily, when we work together, the topic of locations will be an important part of our strategy meeting. Give some thought ahead of time so that we can easily get the shoot plans into place.
Locations to consider for your brand photography shoot:
YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS: An obvious choice is to hold your session at your home or business. It lends a layer of authenticity to your brand images. For entrepreneurs who do much of their work in their home office, this is a way for clients to envision you at work in your space. You’ll also have all your props handy, which can make it feel easier the day of your session.
If your home or business is not well lit, is decorated in a way that isn’t cohesive with your brand, or is just a mess, we might consider a different venue. I’ve also had clients tell me it would just be too stressful to be photographed in their own space.
Here are three clients that I photographed in either their home or their business:
A FRIEND’S HOME: You have a friend whose home is bright, clean and you love her style. Why not ask if we can do your shoot there? My client Janelle, a professional organizer, used her sister’s beautiful home for her shoot because Janelle didn’t love the spaces in her own home. Her sister had also used Janelle to organize her spaces, so we were able to showcase some of the closets Janelle had organized. It was a perfect place to shoot!
RENT A STUDIO SPACE: Consider a well lit studio space to rent. Every city has them, and many are bright, cheerful, and perfect for a branding photo session. Look for photography studio rentals, or professional spaces like WeWork or Peerspace. Coworking spaces are also prevalent in communities and are great places to consider. Below are two clients – Becky (top row) was photographed in Brighton Michigan at the Brighton Lighthouse and Kelly (bottom row) was captured at Studio Studio in Ann Arbor Michigan.
USE AN AIRBNB: A common practice is to rent an Airbnb for a branding shoot, assuming the property allows it. You can usually tell online if the venue is well lit and fits with your brand esthetics. A nice thing about Airbnbs is you can take your time bringing your props and clothing there, since you’re probably renting by the night instead of just a certain number of hours. Here are a few images I captured at Airbnbs:
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF MY STUDIO & HOME: I have a photography studio space between Brighton and Howell Michigan. It’s bright, and neutral enough for a brand shoot. Bonus: my own home is only 100 steps away and is also ideal for lifestyle images during your shoot. (You can see images photographed in my home here.) The images below are of a lifestyle blogger. We shot some of her images in my studio and some in my home.
PUBLIC PLACES: Your personal branding photo session might work well in a public space, as long as we plan ahead with the manager there. Consider a coffee shop, a hotel lobby, or a local library (depending on your business, the brand esthetics, of course!).
Check out images of me during a branding shoot in a hotel lobby, and Jama, whom I photographed in an open air coffee shop.
Let’s make your dreams come true with a beautiful branding session at the perfect location. Contact me today to get the ball rolling!
