Feeling Overwhelmed About A Brand Session? Start Here

Most people are more afraid of the planning part of brand photography than of the photos themselves. There is so much to do and it is very easy to overthink it all. What to wear? Where to go? How to not look stiff and weird in front of a camera? Will the whole experience even feel worth it?

If any of that sounds familiar, keep reading.

Start with a brain dump, not a checklist

Most photographers hand you a generic prep guide and call it a day. The problem? Generic prep produces generic photos. 

The biggest differentiator between you and your competition is YOU. Therefore, your brand shouldn’t be based on a formula. Before I plan anything for a session, my clients complete a questionnaire. I ask them to do a brain dump, using talk-to-text if that’s how they think best. I want them to act like they are telling everything to a very nosy friend. OK, that friend is me. I want to know how my clients work, who they’re trying to reach, what makes their brand feel distinctly them, and what they’re nervous about. I want to know who they are when no one’s looking.

That questionnaire becomes the raw material for the entire session strategy. It’s also how I figure out what you actually need — not just what looks good on paper.

If you’re preparing for any brand session (with me or anyone else), start here. Write down — or say out loud — what stories you want to tell within your photos. How do those stories translate into feelings about your brand? Those answers will tell you more than any style quiz.

2-3 outfits per hour.

Variety is the whole game with brand photography. One look means one version of you. It should never look like you had a brand session on one day. Your photos should look like they happened over time. 

A good rule of thumb: plan at least 2-3 outfits per hour of session time and/or wear layers. Start with your more polished, professional looks and move toward casual as the session goes on. Swap accessories. Change your hair. These small shifts create a gallery filled with variety that will be usable over time.

As for what to wear? You probably don’t need a new blazer. Don’t wear what you think people might expect to see. Just wear what you’d wear to meet with a client you want to impress. Yes, there’s a difference.

One note: iron everything. Check for lint. Skip any pilling fabrics. Tidy up your nails. This might sound obvious, but the details show up in photos in ways you don’t always notice in the mirror.

Your stuff brings context to your story.

Props aren’t cheesy, but bad props are. The right objects in your photos are visual shorthand for what you do and how you do it.

Bring the tools you actually use: your sketchbook, the bobblehead from your desk, the coaster stating you don’t give a f***. Bring samples of your work if it’s something physical. Bring your client welcome materials, your planner, the three pens you rotate through because you’re like that. Bring flowers in your brand colors, if that’s your vibe.

The goal is a visual world that looks like you live and work there — not a stock photo set that happens to include your face.

On that note, most people use a laptop for work. While this can be a photo you’d like for your gallery, let’s not make it a star photo. That’s overdone and incredibly boring. You’re not a boring person. I know that already.

choose a location that’s an extension of you.

Don’t worry about light. That’s my job. When you’re looking for locations, think about spaces that feel on-brand for you. Variety matters here too. A single corner gives you a single backdrop. Multiple spaces will give you a visual library.

One option is always to mix up the locations. We can do a mini-road trip with 5-minute drives/walks in between. Start in a studio, make a stop at the local coffee joint, then head to the museum. A two-hour business brand session offers a lot of time when we plan accordingly. And that’s 50% of the work.

Sometimes that location question can be a tough one. Once I know more about you, this is something that I can and do help with too. If you want to start dreaming of spaces now, I love to rent studios through Peerspace.

Here’s the part most prep guides leave out

All of this — the outfits, the props, the location — it’s useful. But it’s not what actually makes people walk away from a session feeling like the photos really got them.

What makes it all come together is our 1:1 Strategy Call that happens usually a week before our session date.

After you fill out my questionnaire, I take all of that information and build a session plan — individualized styling tips, a curated what-to-bring list, and a shot list based on who you are and what your brand actually needs. Then we get on a call and talk through it together. That’s where things click into place. When two brains mesh, quirky and fun ideas form. I might be the art director, but you’re the guide to YOU.

Clients tell me this call lowers their anxiety tenfold. They gain a sense of clarity and understand that I value their thoughts and ideas too. Clients stop focusing on making a “good brand photo” and start thinking about what their story looks like. That shift makes everything else easier.

This is why I limit the number of sessions I take on. The prep work I do before your session takes time and creative energy.

Ready to start planning?

If you’re feeling the pull toward “I want someone to help me think this through,” I’m here for you. I’m not going to sell to you. If it’s the right fit, we’ll both know it.

My welcome guide walks through exactly how my process works from the moment you book through the day of your session. And if you’re ready to talk, I’d love to hear what you’re building.