How do I plan a brand shoot?
I am a firm believer that planning is one of the key elements of success. Now, it could be my former military days, or the fact that I grew up in a super organised household…but I am a master organiser…and it’s something I bring to my shoot preparation…and guide my clients through too!
Planning a branding shoot is probably 75% of the work that goes into getting those beautiful shots (although remind me of this when I’m editing, as I’m sure that often feels like 75%!) and it’s something we can control! On the day we might have many things that we can’t control (hello weather), BUT, if we can plan 75% of the day BEFORE the shoot, then we are onto a winner, and it all rolls smoothly from there 😊
So, once you have taken the first step and sent me an enquiry, I’ve invited you to a creative call, and we’ve squared away the contract and payment…then the fun begins!
And when I say fun, I mean it! Planning a shoot with my clients is one of the most fun things I get to do in my business and I know you will feel it too…the excitement, the ideas, the possibilities, the ‘crazy’ (not my word, a client said it to me recently!) ideas that we can play with and turn into something real (and still a little crazy), the buzz and satisfaction of knowing already that not only are these photos going to tell your brands story, but it’s going to be an amazing experience for us both too…
So, let me talk you through the process!
First off, the questionnaire…
I want to know ALLLLLL about your brand. I want to know your story, who you serve, how you carry out your work, what you’d like to use these images for, your brand palette.
I want to know your expectations of the shoot – what do you want your brand photos to have - what's the vibe, what types of outfits do you lean towards (that represent your brand AND you are comfortable in), shooting inside/outside – your preferences…or maybe you want photos that have a certain ‘feel’ to them and want to take advantage of the soft golden hour light just before sunset.
There’s far more…but I could fill a whole blog with just the questionnaire…moving on!
Pinterest mood board
I LOVE Pinterest and have been known to let the bathwater get cold as I’ve been nosing around at ideas on there…at the same time as sending out the questionnaire to you, I will also ask you to start saving pins and sharing them with me on a shared board. I want to know what ‘floats your boat’, what pulls you in, what draws you to a photo. Maybe it’s the light in the photo, maybe it’s the colours or tones…maybe it’s the smiles/moodiness…the emotional tone…don’t worry about figuring out WHAT is drawing you to it, just save the pin in the board and we will go from there!
The planning call!
I get so excited when I have a planning call booked in with a client…because by that point, I know their brand inside out…I have their questionnaire answers, and I have been ‘stalking’ our shared mood board on Pinterest…so already I have started to think about the shoot and what we could put on the shot list…ah yes, the shot list!
So, in this planning call, we will go through your questionnaire and mood board and talk about what you want to use the images for, outfits, props, specific ideas…and most importantly, how you want your ideal audience to FEEL when they first see your brands visual identity. One of my favourite quotes is this one by Maya Angelou:
“I’ve learned that…
People will forget what you said,
People will forget what you did,
But people will never forget how you made them feel”
How my clients feel, and the whole customer experience is what I base my whole business around…and now I get to show you how impactful those shots that draw out emotion can be. How your clients FEEL, all starts with your brand identity and the images we produce...together.
Location scouting…
From the conversations we have, I will source you the BEST locations to tell your brand story. It might be a luxury house with the most perfect backdrop, a cool side street that gives the texture and colour we are looking for, or a café that has your brand colours down to a T and we can stop to get some shots (and also potentially…coffee!). Once I’ve done the scouting, while you focus on getting excited to shoot, I’ll send you over my suggested locations for you to choose…because even though I’m guiding you, this is YOUR shoot, your voice and direction matters to me!
Personalised plan coming your way!
Once we have all the details nailed down, I will send you out your personalised shoot plan. It has in it the shot list, your outfits, props, locations for the day, and a copy of your mood board so that you can feel the vibe as you start to get ready. This list will have everything you need…I’ll even remind you to bring comfy shoes if we are moving around locations, water…and snacks!
The day before…
I check the weather, I check in with you, I pack my kit (double and triple check…it’s that organised streak again!)…and then I have a bath and get an early night (I’ll also be suggesting you do the same when we check in!)…ready for an exciting day bringing your brand to life.
So, let me ask you….are you ready to plan your brand shoot with me?
Fill out the enquiry form and let’s get going!
With kindness,
Zoe x
