Personal Brand Shoot: What to expect

Maybe it’s just me (though I doubt it) but before I was a photographer, I never knew what went into booking and planning a photoshoot, never mind what comes after the photoshoot actually happens. While every photographer has their own system for taking care of their clients, I wanted to break down my process so that you know exactly what to expect when you book a brand shoot with your truly…me!

Step 1: Inquiry

This part is primarily up to you – you have to let me know you are interested in a brand shoot (personal brand or product)! But trust me, when you do this step, I’m always SO excited. The best way reach out to me is through filling out the contact form on my website. The second your inquiry lands in my inbox, you’re going to hear from me. I’m going to set you up with my investment guide which is full of just about everything you need to know. And if you’re not sure which package suits what you need best, you’re going to hear from me again soon after this initial email eager to help you figure out just what your goals are and how I can help you accomplish them! To put it simply, we’re going to become email pen pals during the inquiry process 🙂  

Step 2: Onboarding

After we’ve found just what package fits your needs (for more information on my packages, click here), then comes the onboarding step! Also, if there isn’t a package I already offer that meets exactly what you need, we’re going to make one that does. During the onboarding, you’ll receive another email (told you we were going to be email pen pals) with your custom proposal which will include both your contract and invoice. The contract makes it clear what both of our roles and responsibilities are in this partnership and the invoice includes the non-refundable retainer which secures your shoot date. And now, it’s 100% official – yay!

Step 3: Planning

This is the FUN part! Everyone who books a brand shoot with me gets my “Style Guide” which will give you ALL my best tips and tricks for choosing out outfit, accessories, and all the little details to have you feeling your best during your shoot. Also, if you book my “Full” package, you also receive my “Personal Brand Workbook” which walks you through nailing down your goals, location, props, and more for your brand shoot so that nothing gets missed. With the latter also comes a pre-shoot planning call via Zoom with me to get to know each other better and put our minds together on all the details in a converstaion.

A few days before your session, you’ll also receive another questionnaire from me (yes, via email ha!) to jot down any other ideas you’ve thought of in the meantime. This way we have a comprehensive shot list to make sure we capture all your “must-have” photos for all your business needs!

Step 4: Photoshoot

Now this part – it’s one of my favorites (for obvious reasons)! This is where we get to meet in real life (if we haven’t already) and hang out while accomplishing all the goals, hopes, and dreams we’ve mapped out beforehand for your brand shoot! The planning process is carefully laid out so that when it comes photoshoot day, all you have to do is show up (with your outfits, accessories, and props) and be ready to have some fun!

Step 5: Post-delivery 

The excitement continues with post-delivery. After a shoot, I’m always so eager to look back through all the brand photo magic we created. And, I know my Clients are excited to see too. So, I love to surprise my Clients with a sneak preview from their session within 48 hours of their shoot (yup – just 48 hours!!). I absolutely love sending sneak peeks because it’s when my clients get to see how the vision came to life. And from there they start dreaming up all their uses for their images before they even see their full gallery. And one of the best parts about this sneak preview is that you can get started using your brand images within 48 hours of them being taken which means, the photos can start working for you in less than 2 days!

The second part of post-delivery is getting your full gallery. A gallery link comes to your email inbox in an easy to follow format and with a video from me explaining just how to save and use your brand photos. I make this as step as simple as possible because I don’t want there to be any barriers to you actually using your photos (they don’t really do any good just sitting in the online gallery) because this is why you got them taken – to use!

Step 6: After it all…

Post-delivery is not the last step, there’s one more… Throughout steps 1-5, we’ve got to know each other and I’m now fully invested in your business which means you get a personal cheerleader long after you receive your final gallery. It’s funny because the cheering coach at my high school always used to try to get me to join the cheerleading team but it wasn’t for me but now I realize, THIS is my kind of cheerleading: Cheering on the amazing business owners and entrepreneurs that I get to photograph!

If you’re a past or recurring client of mine, I’d love for you to comment which part (inquiry, planning, photoshoot, or post-delivery) was/is YOUR favorite part and WHY! And if we haven’t worked together yet and you’re feeling more ready than ever now, send me a message and let’s make it happen!

While you’re working on Step 1, is your brain already excited and in step 3? If so, check out my Pinterest for some posing inspo and peek at my blog posts on choosing your location and outfits! And in the meantime, be sure to check out my stock photo freebie to get started with your next post because we’re not wasting any time here!!