Brand Photography: What is is, Why It's Important, and How to Get It
Kim Brundage Photography, Richmond, VA
Some people I talk to are hesitant to invest in branded portraits because they hate having their picture taken. Some don’t understand the importance. Some think it’s vanity. While others have a million things they’re trying to juggle, getting their picture taken isn’t what they like to do; it hits the bottom of their to-list.
Here’s a comprehensive blog post on What Brand Photography is, Why it’s Important, and How to Get It.
As a business owner, you’ve probably heard of branding and the importance of a visual identity representing your business. You’ve seen your successful entrepreneurs have multiple branded portraits. It’s time to invest in you and your business. You’re the face of your business.
Branding is more than just having a logo, colors, and fonts. It’s about creating a consistent message that resonates with your audience and sets you apart from your competitors. And that’s where brand photography comes in.
Kim Brundage Photography, Detroit, MI
What is Brand Photography?
Brand photography is a purposeful, consistent look and feel of professional images that represent your business visually. Your branded portraits are a strategic fit with your visual identity. This consistently uses your colors, tone, props, and more.
These can include branded portraits of you, your team, your products, your process, your space, and other things that make your business unique.
Maybe you’ve had a headshot taken before for your LinkedIn profile. Congrats on being proactive about your first impression. You took an important step forward, and now you might be ready to have multiple visual assets for your different marketing needs.
To set yourself apart from your competition, you’ll want a range of consistent, well-crafted branded portraits that will keep your business engaging across your marketing materials.
Kim Brundage Photography, Charleston, SC
Why is Brand Photography an investment?
1. We are all Built for Connection
People want to connect with other people, relate to others, and see the face behind the company. When you and/or your team can be seen throughout your marketing, potential clients will be able to see who they would be working with, get a glimpse into the process, and imagine themselves being a part of that experience.
Portraits with humans in them take your products and services from seeming unattainable, conceptual, or hypothetical and bring them into reality as something tangible, achievable, and desirable.
2. You Only Get One Chance to Make a First Impression
Your brain processes images 60,000 X faster than text. That means your potential clients form a first impression in just 50 milliseconds, so everything you share has to WOW and be engaging!
Good quality, consistent, professional brand portraits are going to help capture potential clients in a flash, as they’ll see that you appreciate the attention to detail, high-quality content, consistency, and engagement.
3. Brand Photography Increases Your Engagement
Visual content goes a long way and has a much better engagement than text-only content. Facebook posts from brands that included images earned 87 percent of all engagements; 51% of B2B marketers prioritize creating visual assets as part of their content marketing strategy; tweets with images receive 150% more retweets than tweets without images; articles with an image once every 75-100 words received double the social media shares as articles with fewer images; Facebook posts with images see 2.3X more engagement than those without images.
When you look at a magazine stand, more than 95% of the covers will have someone’s face on it.
4. Consistency Is Key, and Photography Increases your Brand Consistency
Having all of your visual elements work together cohesively is vital in maintaining brand consistency. Brands that are consistently presented are 3 to 4 times more likely to experience brand visibility, and 90% of consumers expect their experience to be consistent across all channels and devices used to interact with brands.
Kim Brundage Photography, Denver, CO
Where Can You Use Brand Photography?
There are so many locations to use your branded portraits. You’re building the know, like, and trust factor. The more familiar people are with you and like what you offer, the more engaged they are.
Google Profile
Email Signature
Social Media Profile Images (they get the most engagement on FB)
Your About Page on your Website (the 2nd highest viewing after your landing page)
Blog Posts
Show Your Process
Business Card
Speaking
Zoom Profile
For a client thank you note
As Podcast Artwork
Your Online Course Content
IG/FB Stories
LinkedIn Banner (Usually unused real estate)
As part of your PR/Media/Press Package, others can write/share about you and your business.
Kim Brundage Photography, Phoenix, AZ
How to Get Brand Photography for Your Business
1. Find a photographer with a corporate marketing and branding background who specializes only in brand photography. A lot of photographers will say they can do branding/lifestyle photography, and they also do family portraits/weddings/headshots/boudoirs.
Select a photographer who specializes in the field you need.
When looking for a photographer, make sure they specialize only in brand photography. You want someone who understands your brand and can work with you to create on-brand images consistent with your overall visual identity.
2. Select a photographer who will do a pre-branding consultation with you. Let’s be real - being photographed is a vulnerable experience. The more you understand how your time will go, what will be achieved, and what you’ll receive, the more comfortable you’ll feel showing up to your appointment.
Before your photo shoot, you should clearly know what you want to achieve with your images. What message do you want your images to convey? What emotions do you want your images to evoke? What props or locations do you want to include in your images? A clear plan will empower you to feel confident on the day of your branding session.
Kim Brundage Photography, New Orleans, LA
3. Select a brand photographer who will help you use the Right Location and Props. Your location and props should be on-brand and consistent with your overall visual identity. For example, if you’re a real estate agent, you’ll want to find a model home or use Peerspace.com to find a home that represents your style.
4. Select a brand photographer who has a Wardrobe Stylist as part of their package. Choosing the right wardrobe can be stressful. Your wardrobe should also be on-brand and consistent with your overall visual identity. And your clothes should complement your body type.
My clients love working with my Wardrobe Stylist ahead of time, so they walk into their branding session confident they have the right clothes, accessories, and shoes.
Plus, it’s the gift that keeps giving - you now have five outfits you can rock when you have important meetings, speaking engagements, etc.
5. Select a brand photographer who uses a Professional Makeup Artist/Hair Stylist as part of their package.
Having camera-ready makeup and hairstyling makes a profound difference. Did you know that the camera and the lights ‘eat up’ 30% of the makeup? My makeup artists make sure you look like yourself, just a little enhanced to account for the 30% factor.
My clients love the results, and helps them feel more confident in front of the camera.
Kim Brundage Photography, Richmond, VA
6. Select a brand photographer based on their Google Reviews.
Reading a photographer’s Google Reviews is insightful and hopefully reassuring. Find someone that has more than 50 5-star Google Reviews.
Look for testimonials that say the photographer helped them feel comfortable and they had a good time.
7. Have fun and be yourself! Remember, the goal of brand photography is to create images that are authentic, relatable, and engaging. Make sure you find a photographer that empowers you to have fun and be yourself during your photoshoot.
Your personality and energy will shine through in your branded images, and that’s what will make them truly unique and memorable.
In conclusion, brand photography is an important part of your brand strategy. It creates a consistent message that resonates with your audience and sets you apart from your competitors.
Let’s chat about your brand vision and goals with my free 15-minute consult. It’s Your Time!