It took 5-hours + 58-minutes | Headshot Photographers

Professional Headshot Photographers show, versus tell. And today I’m showing you the behind-the-scene pieces of my brand photo shoot to save you a lot of time.

Or determine if you need to hire a personal brand photographer.

First, the set-up…Who knew getting all gussied up, moving a few pieces of furniture, setting up my studio + remote camera gear could take SIX-HOURS of a day to shoot a Personal Story Brand Session?

And I wanted to give you a show, instead of a tell to help you decide which is the best path for you + your business right now.

Headshot photographers know the time that goes into preparing every detail before clients arrive.

And then, there is the photoshoot itself + curating the images after.

If you have an entire day to put your branding photoshoot together for your business + add in all the prep time on yourself {and have your camera skills perfected}, then you might want to shoot your own business images + headshots.

You might. But keep reading to make sure.

What to Gather for your Branding Shoot::

1\ Make a shot list

• Write down all the images you need for your website, different headshots, social media images, the angled shots, working shots…
• Think about which images you need taken in portrait or landscape {i.e. the hero image on your website should be landscape}

2\ Once you have your shot list, get all visual pieces to include around you that speak to your business?

• What are your brand colors
• Where do you spend most of your business day day
• What pieces represent your business…Add these elements into your images

3\ Clear a space/office where you won’t be interrupted

• Turn off your phone, email etc so that you can focus on all the shots you need

If you’re taking a full day to get a batch of images for your social media, website etc, make sure you go into it prepared. You’re busy, and the last thing you want to do is realize you didn’t get any horizontal images that work on your website.

Try and have a little fun in the day too! Sitting alone in my studio was less fun than shooting with another photographer, but adding in my Spotify playlist helped. Even if I was dancing alone. Life really is more fun with others right?

It took me from 11:40am to 5:38pm to shoot my brand photoshoot solo.

BUT WAIT! Not finished yet!

The images still needed to be downloaded, culled + edited.

The gallery of 68 images that I chose to edit took another 3-hours and 12-minutes.

If you’re still thinking about taking an entire day to shoot your own personal brand story make a Spotify playlist of your favorites to add pep to your step for the long day.

It’s not as easy, as hiring a headshot photographer but if you’re feeling inspired…

I did this full day experiment to show you it can be done. But remember to ask yourself, “Will this be the best use of my business time?”

Whenever possible I don’t do my headshots + branding photos. The time alone should tell you why, but working with headshot photographers adds so many other benefits::

• I can’t devote two days every quarter to my brand shoot {prep + shoot + edit + clean-up}
• “Two heads are better than one” — Working with another always brings more creativity to the shoot
• Procrastination — I’ve been putting this off for months because, “it’s just my shoot”
• I run a photography business so I can pull this off, but can you run your BEST business if you didn’t outsource the parts you’re not an expert in?
• Time or money — both cost a business
• Personal brand photography sessions need to be planned out in detail
• Planning the location, wardrobe, props, colors, lighting, composition all play into your brand story

It’s in the details!

Clients say they come back to SMP because I focus on the small details.

I didn’t have anyone in the studio helping me adjust the fine details so I was constantly going to the mirror checking my hair, clothes, lipstick… So each piece fit my story.

Think of a kid on a teeter-totter going up-down-up-down and you’ll have a picture of what I looked like getting up-n-down checking the back of my camera to make sure I got the shot.

Business BRANDING IS A BIG DEAL!

Hiring professional headshot photographers is a big deal!

It’s our business, it’s what we build, stress over, get psyched about, but it also needs to share who we are behind the brand.

Why Do You Need a Brand Photoshoot?

Customers today want a brand that shares their HUMAN SIDE and knowing how to represent that through your images means the difference between a successful or struggling business. You need images for your website, social media, blog, profile pictures, and print materials.

Brand photography is an investment in YOU and your business!

We use images everywhere to tell a story.

• They’re used on website ‘About Page’ to introduce ourselves and begin to build trust in our business.
• Social media channels because an image gains faster attention than words alone
• Professional images should be used in your newsletters + email correspondence
• Blog posts + Marketing

Sharing pieces of ourselves + our business in a story gives potential customers a chance to get to know us BEFORE they trust us with their money.

A few more fast facts::

• Blog posts with photo’s get 2x more shares
• Visual content is shared 40% more on social media than anything else
• Your brain processes images 60,000x faster than text

Do you have 5-hours and 58-minutes to spend creating your visual story in a world that flashes by faster than you can read “5-hours and 58-minutes”?

You should spend more time dancing than trying to figure out the headshot photographers skills for a day.

How about one more piece of headshot research for you? Curious about the 3-Second Scan?

Time or money?

Do you have an entire day to try your headshot + brand photoshoot {and hope they work}?

I’m here to help you with other professional tips if you do. You can join my SMP Newsletter that is sent out once-a-month + follow me on your favorite social platform { Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn | Pinterest} so you don’t miss any shiny detail.

I’m here every Wednesday with guidance, tips, and ideas relating to headshots + personal branding, and high school senior photography, and Mom life. Always a mom first with the small business owner to follow.

Cheers to your professional goals! Professional Brand Photographer

P.S. If you have a friend wondering where to start with their headshots or personal brand, pass this post along.

Originally published at https://www.shiningmomentsphotography.com on May 26, 2021.