05 Jun 10 TYPES OF BRANDING & BUSINESS PHOTOGRAPHY
It is essential to make sure that your branding images tell a visual story that will illustrate the entire experience a client or customer will have when they work with you or purchase products from your business.
Let me introduce you to some of the most common types of branding photos with examples from Yahra – a yoga studio in Broadway.
#1 HEADSHOT
A simple, clean portrait of an individual – usually shot from the chest up. This is the #1 most essential shot to have in your branding image library. Your headshot can be used as a professional profile photo on your website, social media profiles, business cards, for your speaking engagements & more….
#2 LIFESTYLE
Lifestyle portraits are somewhat similar to headshots but with a more stylised look & feel. These types of portraits place an emphasis on expressing a little more of your unique style & personality. They give you a chance to show off who you are. Include your favourite props, experiment with interesting backgrounds etc.
#3 TEAM
If you have employees &/or a business partner, group photographs of you & your team are essential to have to hand. People enjoy seeing who they will be working with or buying from.
#4 LOCATION
These photos show off the environment that your product/services is created in. These types of photos are most useful for retail shops, salons, restaurants etc. For owners who work remotely, simple location photos are still valuable to have – they just need a little more prepping.
#5 PRODUCTS
These photos highlight your product or service so that potential clients can see exactly what they’re getting. In my branding packages products are most often photographed in the situation. If you wanted something more stylised such as flat lays or a studio set up a second shoot can always be added on.
#6 ACTION
When creating your interaction and action shots it can be helpful to think about each aspect of your client’s journey. They may often require an extra person to come along and model as the “client” – many of my clients will ask for a friend to come and help in return for a freebie.
#7 DETAIL
Close-up angles & details photos of every step of the way. They show a closer look at your product/service and are perfect for filler images on your website or socials. For service based businesses, focus on creating images that show close up details of your process & your service as it’s being provided.
#8 PERSONAL
Get to know me! Photos showing who you are outside of your immediate work environment & are very important when it comes to being relatable and creating new opportunities for a client to connect with you on a personal level. Showing off your personality helps you to stand out from your competition.
#9 BEHIND THE SCENES
Behind the Scenes present an opportunity for you to share exclusive content that shows a more in the moment look at your process. It tends to be a little more informal and less staged and can be arranged for when you are with a real client if you would prefer.
#10 ADVERTISEMENTS
The most compelling type of advertising materials is more lifestyle imagery – allowing a potential client to easily imagine themselves using a product or experiencing a service. These types of lifestyle shoot are separate to my branding packages as quite often involve full or at least half-day shooting on their own, different locations and a few models.