Why you need personal brand photos & how to plan your personal brand shoot.

Photos of me by MadelEine Sophie Zürcher & Maja Lossau (aufgenommene momente), edited by me

In today's digital age, your online presence is more important than ever. Whether you're a photographer yourself, (creative) entrepreneur, or small business owner, having a strong personal brand can make all the difference in standing out from the crowd. And at the heart of a compelling personal brand? Personal brand photos. Why? It’s simple: Your clients want to know who they’re buying from, especially if you offer very personal services, such as (wedding) photography.

How to plan a personal brand shoot that reflects you and your brand? Let’s break it down.

Why you need photos that reflect who you are?

Your brand is as unique as you are. So, show your unique personality! I don’t mean you need to incorporate every hobby you love or just show just what you do. Yes, I am a photographer myself, but decided to be just me in my brand photos. No camera for the typical photographer cliché brand photo, no macbook, no Pantone Color Guide, no pencil, no Moleskine sketchbook to show I am a designer as well. I decided to go for a black and white, clean studio styled shoot for my personal brand photos. I love how the photos transport a professional, filmy vibe and show my sensible, thinking, quiet personality. I can really see myself in these images.

That is what a professional brand photo session should do. Personal brand photos help you convey your personality to your audience. In a world where first impressions are often made online, having professional photos that authentically represent who you are can instantly connect you with potential clients or customers. From the clothes you wear to the locations you choose, every aspect of your photos can communicate something about your personality and values.

Create a Moodboard

I love to create visual inspiration boards aka moodboards and I would definitely recommend to create one yourself for your personal brand shoots. This board serves as a source of inspiration, shows not only the selection of props, ideas for styling and locations for the shoot but also visualizes the desired energy and overall look and feel that you want to achieve.

Pinterest is the perfect tool to create your moodboard.

Here's a helpful Pinterest tip: pin whatever captures your attention to your board, then organize your pins later. This approach enables you to review all your pins in one location, identify common themes among your favorites, and develop your own distinctive approach to your brand photography photoshoot. You can also remove photos later.

Choose your color Palette

Selecting the right color palette for your personal brand shoot is a crucial step in ensuring visual harmony and consistency. By curating a cohesive palette, you ensure that every element of your photoshoot, from wardrobe to props and locations aligns with your brand identity. You already have a color palette within your brand design? Perfect! Let’s choose colors you already use. You want to keep it professional and clean, yet classy – plan to include black and white images.

My brand colors are beige, dark brown, black and a very active red, but I often use grainy black and white images on these colorful backgrounds. So I intentionally planned to edit all the images black and white, which is also a nice option, if it aligns with your brand.

Outfits

Wear what you love and feel comfortable in. This is so important! We tend to think we need to buy new outfits for shoots like this and yes, shopping is fun, but it’s not neccesary. I believe you will feel much more you while wearing your favorite outfit rather than a completely new one, that you never wore before and may not wear again because you shopped for your “ideal self”. Personal brand shoots should reflect your personality, so wear an outfit you love to wear, you feel comfortable in and that gives you energy and confidence.

Also, it’s good to find pieces that mix & match in different variations. For example, I brought two black tailored trousers, a belt, a white top, a vest, a blue striped blouse, a black jacket, a blazer, sneaker and loafer. We only shot 2 different outfits, but it is always nice to mix it up and decide on location what fits the vibe.

Hire the right photographer

Once you've identified the look and feel you want to go for, whether it leans towards being light and airy, editorial, moody, or artsy you’ll need to find the right photographer, who specializes in your preferred aesthetic. If you want go for the editorial, filmy and creative artsy direction – hey, here I am. :)

Investing in professional personal brand photos demonstrates that you take yourself and your business seriously. It builds trust and credibility with your audience, showing them that you're someone worth doing business with.

I'm here to help you plan your personal brand shoot and create images that represent your authentic self – feel free to reach out to me anytime.