Happy Friday, y’all! I don’t know about you, but I’m very ready for the weekend. I have a lot going on over the next two weeks – a comedy show, a concert, and an anniversary trip with my husband to one of my absolute favorite places in Arkansas, not to mention a baby shower and three birthday parties! Like I said, I have a lot going on. Don’t worry, I’ll have a travel journal update on our anniversary trip up on the blog next month!
Today’s blog post, however, is a branding photo session guide for all you small business owners out there who are wondering just how photos can make or break your brand. Sooo … keep scrolling!
What is a branding photo session?
Branding sessions are for business owners who want to elevate their brand visuals. Sessions can include any combination of business owner, employees, products, models, customers, or storefront/venue. Maybe you want to put headshots of you and your team on your website and social media – this is a branding session! Or maybe you have a new line of products coming out and you need photos – this is a branding session! Maybe you’re moving into a new space and you want to show it off – this is also a branding session!
I offer three different packages for branding sessions, all of which yield fully edited, high resolution photos delivered via online gallery:
One Time Session – $200/hour
This option includes, as the name suggests, just one session. There is no “average” time that these run, and I charge by the hour. Some businesses hire me for a massive four hour shoot with all their inventory/employees, and others just opt for the minimum one hour time slot. You will get all usable photos, which after editing and filtering out the duplicates, awkward facial expressions, etc. usually yields about 50-60 photos/hour of coverage.
Monthly Subscription – $100/month
A one hour photo session once a month and you’ll get 30 photos – that’s one photo to post each day on social media. I love my subscription clients because I really feel like I get to know them and their businesses so well. Also, each session can be tweaked to whatever you’re wanting to post more of that month; it could be a studio session, head shots, behind the scenes … whatever you need it to be!
Combo – $100/first hour + $200/additional hour
This option is for established monthly subscription clients who need more than 30 photos – maybe you’re launching a new website or a new product line – whatever the reason, you need more than just one hour of coverage and want all usable photos. You can either book one hour for the price of a one time session, or you can add on additional hours at the one time session rate, but the first hour will still be at your subscription rate.
Why should I schedule a branding photo session?
Do you scroll through your website or social media and think “there’s nothing tying these photos of my brand together”? Or “these photos don’t feel like a true representation of my business”. Maybe “how will anyone ever recognize my business from just the photo?”
Creating brand recognition and consistency is key to growing your business. You know this. It’s what every business coach teaches from day one. And photos are such a huge part of that! I know from personal experience that if you have a photo ready to go, you are much more likely to post on socials. And if your website has a cohesive aesthetic, you are much more excited to share about it.
One thing that drives me a little bit crazy when I visit a website is seeing photos from more than one photographer right next to each other. It’s pretty easy to tell a difference in shooting and editing style from one photo to the next, and it definitely is a huge distraction for me. That’s why I created my monthly subscription package, so that businesses can have consistent visuals across their website and socials that showcase up to date offerings and products. If this sounds like what your business needs, reach out and we’ll get your first session on my schedule!
How do I prepare for my branding photo session?
After shooting so many branding sessions, one thing that I highly recommend is having a plan for your session. You are the one working in your business every day, and only you know what you need from your session. So have all your products ready and any employees or models prepped at least 15 minutes before your session is to start.
I always send a reminder message several days in advance of the monthly session, because let’s be honest – life is busy, especially as a business owner, and these things can creep up on you. The sessions where everything is ready when I get there vs. the sessions that nothing is ready when I get there go vastly different. All that to say, always have everything prepped and ready to go before the time of the session if you want to see the maximum results in your photo gallery.
Photo sessions are an investment. I don’t take that lightly, and neither should you.
What can I expect from my branding photo session?
Branding photos are different from couples or family photos; while the photo galleries from those other sessions are a representation of my brand, the photos in your branding session gallery will be a representation of your brand. Before I ever even turn on my camera at our first session together, we will talk about your business and how you want your website or your photos to look. Often I will pull up examples of my past work, and we’ll also look at other websites or at photos on Pinterest. I want to know exactly what your vision is for your brand so that I can help you achieve it.
During your session, I encourage you to speak up if something doesn’t feel aligned with your vision. If I am doing a flatlay of your products but you have an idea on how to make it better, I want to know! If you’re standing next to me and I give a direction to one of your models that doesn’t seem right for you, say something! If you have an idea in your head on how you want your headshot to look and I’m going against it, please tell me! I will say that most business owners will kind of step back and let me do my thing, but I do want you to know that I appreciate and welcome your feedback during your session. For my subscription clients, it can take a few sessions for us to be totally in sync, and that’s one of the beautiful things about my subscription program.
After our first session together, and before I leave, I will pull a sampling of photos over to my laptop and quickly edit them so you can have an idea what the finished product will look like. If there are any tweaks or changes you want me to make I can easily do so, and this will help me while I’m editing the rest of your gallery, which will be delivered within two weeks of your session.
Final Thoughts
I know that was a lot of information! If you have any more questions or you are ready to reach out, please send me an inquiry and I’ll get back to you within one business day!
*All my blog posts contain a selection of images that I’ve taken. If you are interested in booking a wedding or session with me, I am more than happy to send you a full gallery upon request!
I’m a wife, a dog mom, a foodie, a wanderer, a registered nurse, and a portraits/elopements/branding photographer … and this blog will cover it all! If you enjoyed this post, first of all thank you, and second of all please follow me on Instagram + Facebook and sign up for my monthly newsletter to get exclusive wedding planning advice and access to all of my new (and old) freebies! If you have any questions about elopement photography, my journey from nursing to photography, or my time spent as a full-time RVer, drop a comment and I just might write a blog post answering your question (but I definitely will)!
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