WHAT IS BRAND PHOTOGRAPHY?
USEFUL TIPS ON HOW TO GET THE MOST FROM A BRAND PHOTOGRAPHY SHOOT
Brand Photography might also be referred to as Corporate Photography, Agency Photography, Office Photography or Company Photography – or even Lifestyle Photography.
Essentially what we are talking about is creating a bespoke suite of images to represent a business or individual, that supports their brand and culture and helps them create a strong visual identity.
Below, I’ve included a broad selection of work that I have created for various businesses over the years, for them to use to market themselves. And from my experiences I wanted to share some tips to think about if you are looking to commission photography for your brand or business.
Style
Have a think about what kind of photography is going to be the best fit for your brand. Whether it’s more structured brand photography with specific scenarios set up beforehand or a more candid and relaxed-style lifestyle photography shoot. Find some examples of work you’ve seen that you like and that feels right for you and use this as a moodboard to discuss with your photographer when planning a shoot.
What do you want the photographs to say?
How will the photography work with your brand? Are there core values you want to represent? For example: collaborative working, staff wellbeing, your work culture, creative brainstorming sessions or even your dog-friendly office policy. Often attempting to convey what the business actually does can be tricky (or even unnecessary) so your brand photography could instead focus on the people and the culture – or show off your amazing facilities.
Clarifying some of the core messages that you want the photography to communicate is really helpful to guide the shot list and ensure consistency and relevance.
Shot List
A shot list doesn’t need to be exhaustive or rigid, but it’s a good idea to develop one, if only to ensure that nothing crucial is missed. You may have some plans for where you want to use the photographs and this will probably dictate specific requirements. For example, you may be commissioning photography to populate your website. In which case you would know which pages need shots and what the context or content of these photos needs to be to support the information on that page. Include this information in your shot list.
You may work in an amazing building, that’s situated in an enviable location, in which case you might want shots of the exterior and the locality to showcase these USPs. I’m always more than happy to help develop a shot list with a client if help is needed.
Other shots will no doubt just happen naturally on the day, depending on what’s going on at the time or from ideas that quickly come to mind. And that’s absolutely fine. But having that core checklist is still crucial to getting the best value from your photoshoot.
Planning / Preparation
Nominate someone in the team to manage the photoshoot from your side (or if it’s just you, then sorry but it’s down to you). They can then be the point of contact for the photographer if they have any questions or need assistance with something during the shoot. But also, they can act as an internal liaison for you and your team, ensuring the right people are ready and in the right place for shots. Also making sure that everyone in the business knows that a shoot is happening so they don’t arrange for clients to come in that day, or to ensure desks and spaces are tidy and that people are dressed appropriately etc.
Thinking through little details like these will again help the shoot run smoothly and ensure the photographs are absolutely on point for your requirements.
Finally, here’s a quick list of some ideas or points to consider when planning a photoshoot for your brand or business (again not exhaustive):
- Where will the photographs be used? Website, social media, pitch docs, marketing materials
- Specific formats required - landscape, portait, letterbox etc.
- Do you want head shots of everyone?
- Who do you want in the shots?
- Do you need to “dress” the space for the shoot? Whether it’s tidying or moving plants around – just having a think about how the space will look on shots is a good idea.
- Do you want to include branding in the background, or examples of your work?
- Do you have photography guidelines in your brand kit that you can share with the photographer?
- If you make products, do you want product shots too?
- How many final photographs do you expect to receive from the shoot?
Getting your head around a lot of this stuff beforehand will undoubtedly help you create a clearer plan for commissioning photography – and choosing the right photographer. Having good experience of working in and with creative agencies, I’m always more than happy to help pull a photography brief together. In fact I find it beneficial to get involved at this stage because I then go into a shoot knowing I’m aligned with a client’s vision and with a clearer understanding of what is required.
Get in touch if you’re looking for photography for your brand or business, or even if you’re still in the ‘thinking about it’ stage. I’d love to help.
Thanks to Mossoo, Rogue Rentals, SLG, Basilico, Refinery, Queen Bee and EXP. whose shots I have included as examples.
