How to capture brand photos that elevate your brand, align with your ideal client, and work successfully on your website

A brand photoshoot is an impressive way to showcase custom content and connect with your viewers. From professional headshots to behind-the-scenes photos that showcase your work process… these images are invaluable.

No matter what service you offer, custom brand photography is key if you want to create a cohesive experience and appeal to high-end clients.

Branding has 3 components:

1. Brand Visuals: the logo designs, color palette, and graphics we create together
2. Brand Voice: your words, tone, and vocabulary in written copy and recorded audio
3. Brand Imagery: photography and videography

All three components are necessary to create a consistent and elevated brand. These three components align to evoke an overall feeling or mood—one that emotionally appeals to your ideal client.

For that reason, I recommend brand photography for all creative entrepreneurs, from hospitality brands and interior designers to floral designers and wellness brands. It’s important to invest in professional, high quality work with someone who specializes in brand photography. It elevates your own portfolio and demonstrates how much you value quality and attention to detail.

Uses for your brand imagery:

– Website Images
– Instagram Posts
– Instagram Reels
– Pinterest Content
– Email Opt-ins
– Welcome Guides
– Email Newsletters
– Email Signature

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Choosing a Photographer

Choosing a photographer is the most important part of a brand photoshoot. Personally, I tend to gravitate toward film photography (or a film-like editing style) for a timeless feel. Consider the aesthetic of your brand—are you looking for bright, playful, inviting vibe? Or perhaps dramatic high-contrast shadows for a striking aesthetic? Think about what type of photographic editing would align with your brand’s keywords, and be very selective about a photographer whose style aligns with your own. Careful consideration of your photographer’s style will ensure that you walk away with an elevated gallery that will serve you well for year to come: the images will be true to you and your brand, which means they will never go out of style.

I also recommend selecting a photographer who specializes in brand photography whenever possible. Brand photography is very different from wedding photography or family sessions. A skilled brand photographer will guide you through selecting a location, curating an inspiration board, and directing your props list. Ultimately, they will tie all these pieces together to produce a gallery that reflects your brand identity. While other photographers may be talented in their own niche, they may not always be able to provide the full client experience or creative direction that a dedicated brand photographer can.

How can you make the most of your brand photography session? I have a few tips from a designer’s perspective that will help capture imagery that connects with your ideal clients and works well on your website…

My top tip for shooting brand photography:

1. Capture a mix of horizontal and vertical images.

Websites generally use images in a horizontal format. Think about it: visit any website, and you’ll often see a full-width slider on the homepage… plus several mid-bar parallax images throughout the page as you scroll. While our phones feature vertical layouts, desktop computer screens are horizontal rectangles—so it makes sense that the imagery needs to complement that space.

If you’re a photographer, it may feel more natural to take portrait-style photos (since that’s usually the preferred format for publication, mobile images, etc.)… but, for brand photoshoots, remind yourself to step back and snap a horizontal variation as often as possible. Your website designer will appreciate you!

2. Get lots of details shots.

Of course, headshots are important. You want to share your face and your personality throughout your website and on your Instagram account. But I would also encourage you to capture as many details as possible.

Keep this in mind: for website imagery, MOST of the brand photos will probably be used as background images of some kind. Your website designer will usually use a few headshots on the home page and about page… but beyond that, the imagery scattered throughout the website will often play a supporting role. It will most often be used as background imagery to support the content.

The most important thing on a website is why and how a potential client should work with you.

The focus on your website should be: your portfolio of recent work (so potential clients can understand what you do), and the services you offer (so potential clients can start working with you!).

Website imagery is there to support that. Not to overshadow it.

3. Capture a variety of angles.

Unlike a wedding or portrait session, your goal is not to preserve a memory—it’s to convey a brand personality. There’s not as much pressure to capture emotion or raw moments as they unfold as there is to provide a useful variety of customized images. Take as much time as you need to style an image, and then capture it at every angle: far away, close up, wide-shot, cropped-in.

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With all of that in mind, here’s a quick shotlist of images to spark your ideas for a brand photoshoot. Feel free to bookmark this if you’re considering a brand photoshoot in the future:

TO CONNECT WITH YOUR CLIENTS:

– Portraits with eyes to camera (psychologically, eye contact is so important, even through a screen!)
– Casual “candid” portraits

TO CONVEY YOUR SERVICES:

– Your workspace
– You working with a client
– Tangible final products
– Screens (you can add digital mockups later)
– Flatlays of your tools or final products

TO SHOWCASE YOUR PROCESS:

– Action shots of you working
– Close-ups of hands working
– Styled shots of your tools (paintbrushes, camera, laptop, etc.)
– Styled shots of your early process (sketches, prep work, etc.)

TO FILL IN THE BLANK:
Keep negative space in mind to snap a few extra details shots. Think about the parallax images scrolling on a website: they shouldn’t be too distracting. They should provide brand color and composition, without looking too busy.

*Final tip: designate a friend or team member to take behind-the-scenes video throughout the day of your brand photo session. They don’t have to be very long—just short clips (3-5 seconds). Be sure to capture both horizontal and vertical formats. These can be used as background videos on your website, or as video clips for reels to increase your engagement on Instagram. Even with just an iPhone, you can capture plenty of dynamic movement to complement your still imagery.

Need a photographer? I am so thankful to have worked with each of these talented ladies and would highly recommend them for your own brand photography:

Gracie Byrd Jones Photography
Laylee Emadi Photography
Angelica Marie Photography