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Preparing for your Personal Brand Session

A FEW SOLID TIPS TO HELP YOU IN ADVANCE OF YOUR PERSONAL BRAND SESSION

I have created the following article to help you prepare for your personal branding photo shoot; what to wear to what shots to include.

1. Brand Clarity

2. Visual Mood Board

3. The Shot List

Ideally you will have a clear understanding of your brand; the end product or service, its purpose and non-monetary value, your ethos, location and your ideal client.

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Prior to the PB session, I will provide you with a questionnaire to help me understand about your business. On the shoot I will create images to help convey the key values of you, what you do, your values and ideal client, for example.

Whilst not essential, compiling a mood board really does help us to formulate where and how to carry yout your Brand Shoot with regard to appropriate location, colour scheme, props and of course outfit/s.

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Pinterest is fantastic for bringing together a Mood Board as it has a vast amount of inspiration. However, you may wish to pull together a mood board off line using magazine.

It is benefical to have the end product in mind i.e. if you are wanting to use the images on your website. Are there specific areas on your website or online platform that you want your new images to go. do you want a new header for your social media account/s? 

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If you require a banner across your website, and if you want text across the images, it's important to include your thoughts on this prior to the shoot.

4. The Shoot Location

Choosing the location for your Personal Brand Shoot is one of the most exciting and important aspects. It will help to convey your story in an instance.

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For a garden creative, holding the shoot in their garden for example would be the obvious and appropriate choice, just as an artistic painter holding their shoot in their studio/work space.

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There are so many other locations to choose from. Some cafes are super friendly and accommodating, if you wanted to have captures of you on the phone, with your laptop etc.

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Professionals in the Wedding Industry, for example, often hold their PB shoots in a hotel lobby. The possibilities are endless.

5. What to wear

What you wear speaks volumes about your brand and style, and makes a huge impression on potential clients.

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Colours are also important. Colours that suit you, and resonate with your brand/what you do make a huge impression.

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If you are a quirky artist, then items of clothing from your wardrobe that help to project this will work best. If your brand is sophisticated and subtle, then this will dictate your wardrobe style and colour choices. I tend to recommend clothing that is not too busy/patterned too.

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Oh yes, and I always recommend clothing that fits you well, not to big or too small/tight.

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You may wish to have your hair and makeup done professionally too.​​

6. Shoot Props

Props to help convey your story through your images from the shoot are so important too. If shooting at home or at your personal work space, then we can easily use props that are readily at hand, but when holding a shoot offsite, then planning props is integral to the success of your photos from the shoot.

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I recommend that you consider the props that help to tell the essence of your story. These do not necessarily need to be all business related. If you love books or a plants, bring one of your favourite books, or a small potted Cactus plant for example. Bring along your dog or cat if possible. Having your pet with you helps you to get into the shoot more easily as you can hug them naturally as you would at home. Pets in brand images help audiences to form a connection with the person in a photo too.

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