I know the work that goes into building a personal brand. It’s a lot of putting yourself out there with a giant dose of courage.
When you know you need a personal branding photoshoot, there are decisions to make that go beyond which photographer you’re working with. It’s an impactful decision: the shot list. This list is part of the larger shoot plan. Every photographer works a little differently, so this is what it looks like for my personal branding clients.
What is a shot list?
It’s a set of images that you want to take during your shoot. A shot list usually isn’t a single-lined bullet-pointed list, and it’s not the same for every client. Big commercial shoots will have everything for each shot planned out: models’ info, composition, props, schedule, set, and on and on. Personal branding shoots tend to be smaller in production size and less detailed, which is not a bad thing; it’s a different way of working.
A shot list by itself doesn’t do much. When it’s guided by strategy and has a mood board, ideas for poses/props, and locations, then it begins to make more sense. You, the client, and I, the photographer, are on the same wavelength about which shots to prioritize and which are nice to have if there’s time.
What are custom brand stock photos?
Stock photos are evergreen—can be used whenever, like how evergreen trees are green year-round—and support the more detailed, brand photos you have. Custom brand stock photos are created for you.
Let’s say you want to post a quote about finding your creative drive. What people usually do is find the quote, go to Unsplash or use something like Canva’s stock photo library, and stick that photo behind the quote. If you do this long enough, you begin to see the same stock photos on other business sites in your industry. They don’t make you stand out from the crowd or help clients easily identify your brand.
Some examples of custom brand stock photos I've taken for clients
Custom brand stock photos, on the other hand, are deliberately created with your brand in mind. The strategy, the photo editing, the composition: all of that will look like your brand. When you go and look for a photo to pair with the inspirational quote, you aren’t digging through Unsplash. You’re going to your stock photo library and finding the photo that best matches the quote. No one else will have this photo but you.
If you need more convincing about the benefits of custom personal branding stock photos, here are six more:
1. Professional brand photos give you a cohesive look
Professional personal branding photos give you the cohesive look that your brand needs.
Photos will help you define your brand and scream professionalism. Without telling the website visitor, you show that you’re serious about your business. A cohesive look across all of your photos looks much better to potential clients than a mix of phone photos, random stock photos, and selfies.
If you saw that hodge-podge on someone’s website, would you want to be their client?
The ultimate goal is to have someone see your photos before any words and instantly know it’s your brand. It takes some time and effort to get there, but that instant brand recognition is worth it.
An example of how a personal branding client used her custom brand stock photo on her website
2. Custom stock photos make you stand out from the crowd
On-brand photos give you an edge over your competitors. You'll stand out from the crowd with professional photos that reflect your brand. As I mentioned earlier, using popular stock photos only makes you blend in with your competitors. Having custom stock photos on hand shows you’re invested in your business.
3. A professional personal branding photoshoot produces an on-brand asset library
Custom-branded stock photos give you a library of images for your content. No more digging around! That motivational quote you want to post? There’s a photo that matches the sentiment (if you’ve done the stock photos correctly). Need a header image for your email newsletter? There's another photo that works for you.
4. Brand Photos help customers understand a product or service that is difficult to describe in writing
Do you have a product or service that you find yourself writing paragraphs about, but still aren’t sure the words are getting through to clients? Perhaps photos that illustrate this process or the inspiration that drives it will be more relatable!
5. Brand photos Give customers someone to relate to
People connect with people, not logos! And this is especially important when you’re doing personal branding. Showing what it looks like to run your business, or the parts that clients don’t get to see, humanizes you and your brand. In this age of AI, this human connection is especially valuable.
6. Custom Brand Stock photos Add and contextualize your brand’s services or products
We don’t need to see your face in every photo on your website. In fact, if every photo is you laughing into the camera, then it feels a little strange for the website visitor! Does this person not do anything else? Add and contextualize your brand’s services or products
Custom stock photos do NOT have to include your face, and I strongly recommend having around 20% of your personal brand photos be like this. Who or what inspires you? What do you do outside of your work life that might be a mutual interest with your clients? What neighborhood or region do you serve?
Okay, that’s six big reasons why custom personal brand photos benefit you, and perhaps you’re now wondering exactly what to shoot in the photos. Fear not! I’ve assembled a guide with nine ideas and supporting questions to help you generate on-brand, no-face shots.
Schedule a San Francisco personal branding photo session consult
If you want to skip the DIY and go for a more collaborative approach, my personal branding photo clients input their brand and goals, and I create a shoot plan with custom stock shots that match their brand. You’ll receive guidance and ideas from me that will likely spark your own!
With the personal branding photo session, you leave with a variety of environmental portraits and customized stock photos you can use on your website, social media pages, marketing collateral, press kits, and more.
We're not creating generic stock photos here: you want photos that accurately communicate your brand and story. And I'm here to make it all happen.
