From clothes to hair to posing to props, preparing for your branding photo session can be stressful! It's time to get a little advice from the pros. We had the pleasure of collaborating with two awesome branding photographers for this article: Angelina from Big Pixel Creations (Tampa, FL) and Denise from Denise Van Photography (Chantilly, VA). Below, you'll find 4 Do's and 4 Do Not's for preparing for your next branding photo session.
"Do's"
1. Wear well-fitted clothes "Ensure clothes are well-fitting and ironed for the best and most flattering look."
-Angelina
2. Know where you'll use the photos "Try to plan ahead and list (possible) use cases for the images. Discuss those with your photographer so that they can keep that in mind when framing and cropping the images." -Angelina
3. Narrow down your purpose and vision
"First and foremost, figure out your purpose for investing in brand photography. It isn't cheap so why do you need it? Think it through. Create a vision board to help you figure out what you want in terms of both content and style/vibe of photos." -Denise
4. Trust, practice, and communicate
"Trust your photographer to capture you in your best light and do communicate, communicate, communicate. You can also do the one thing that might feel silly but can be fun; plop yourself in front of a mirror and practice some posing. Pull up IG or Pinterest and find poses to try out! It might just make you feel more at ease quicker during your session as your photographer asks you to do different poses!" -Denise
"Do Not's"
1. Visit the Salon or Spa for Something New
"Don't get a new haircut (style) or facial right before the session. It's not the time to experiment and if you don't like the cut or have an allergic reaction you most likely will have to reschedule."
-Angelina
2. Slack on Sleep & Water "Don't come to your session overtired and dehydrated. Try to get plenty of rest the days leading up to the session and hydrate well for better looking skin." -Angelina
3. Get a Quick Tan "Don't self-tan. Go to a professional tanning salon instead and do this a few weeks prior to let the color settle into your skin. And honestly, if you weren't a regular at the tanning salon before, now is not the time to start nor is it "you" and your brand is YOU! :)" -Denise
4. Come Empty-Handed "Bring those personal touches and brand elements that will connect you to your audience and drive home your brand name. Bring out your brand colors in statement jewelry, blazers, shoes, etc." -Denise
Angelina is the owner of Big Pixel Creations, based in Tampa, Florida. She specializes in Branding, Headshot, and Maternity Photography. You can find her Happily Ever Photo profile here and her website here.
