5 Things I Wish I knew Before Niching to Brand Photography

After over four years in the brand photography business, I have an encyclopedic knowledge of my profession, as well as branding. But it’s all knowledge I’ve acquired through experience. Like any entrepreneur and business owner, I’ve made plenty of mistakes too and that’s when I think to myself, “I wish I knew that before I started!” If you are curious about some of these mistakes or things I’ve had to learn, keep reading to find out the five things I wish I knew before niching to brand photography.

1) Location, Location, Location

I have said it before and I will say it again: location is key when it comes to brand photography. While booking a pretty space is important, you also need to take into account natural light and that it meets the aesthetic of the brand you are shooting. With this, it’s also necessary to educate clients on the resources available. 

Many of my clients do not have a home or office space that matches their brand and so they can feel a little lost when it comes to the age-old question, “where will we shoot?” One thing I didn’t realize before niching to brand photography is how hard it can be to actually find spaces to rent, let alone figure out spaces that will work for each client that is also within their budget. So over the years, I’ve made sure to regularly find new spaces to shoot at. I’ve also made location ideas available as part of my shoot plan process. 

Some of my tried and true places to go nowadays to find locations are Home Studio List (you can grab a deal on your booking using my link here) and Peerspace (save $50 when you reserve your space here) when planning a location for my clients’ shoots. If you’re in the Boston area, you can check out just a few of my favorite shoot locations here!

2) A Shoot Plan Helps Everyone Out

Having a strong shoot plan is not only important for the photographer, but also for the client. This was the case even when I was shooting weddings. There was no way I was going to walk into a wedding without knowing what my clients wanted photographed, and I found the same was the case with brand photography. However, one thing I didn’t realize is how to create a shoot plan process that was streamlined and accessible to my clients. So in addition to helping my clients identify shot lists, outfit ideas, props, and a timeline, I needed to find a way to make the workload easy. I scoured different applications that could create a ‘shoot plan’ and finally landed on Milanote as my go-to platform. My clients love it because they can view their shot list, props and outfit ideas to be well prepared before their session. 

And now, the process starts with our first phone call, then I perform my Image Opportunity Analysis, review their responses to my Client Questionnaire, and I put it all together to ensure we nail a Pinterest-worthy shoot. 

3) What Packages will serve My Clients Best

Having lived in Iowa for my college years, the saying “if you build it, they will come” was a phrase I was all too familiar with. However, when it comes to business, I’m calling BS. Just because you create a package you think they want, doesn’t mean clients will actually book. One thing I wish I knew early on was that it was okay to change up packages to find what worked best for my audience. 

I experimented with several different options before I found what I feel works for my clients as well as for me. In the beginning I was booking a 90-minute session - but that wasn’t enough time when it came to setting up the location and offering my clients the prop and outfit options they needed. So I eliminated that package and now offer a four-hour session, what I call a half-day session. This allows ample time for my clients to get all of the photos they need while including several outfit changes and even different locations. Now that I have several years under my belt and have become more efficient while shooting, I’ve actually recently added a two-hour session for clients that are in need of just social images or photos to update their websites. And I’m finding that I’m regularly booking both session packages, each meeting the direct needs of my audience. If you’re curious about how long a session you would need, you can read more about what a two-hour session versus a half-day session looks like here.

4) A CRM can be Indispensable  

When I started out, I handled everything. I sent out invoices, processed questionnaires, you name it and I took care of it - manually. Which, when you’re trying to build a business, all of the paperwork can take a lot of time away from the service you provide. I was spending too much time running my business and not enough time shooting. 

All of that changed when I started using a CRM (Customer relationship management). Currently, I’m using Honeybook (click here to get 20% off with my link) and it not only keeps track of my client invoices, it automatically sends out my questionnaires and keeps me organized. Even when I’m totally booked out, Honeybook helps me to implement a workflow so stress is kept to a minimum. While I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it for someone who doesn’t have a lot of volume yet in bookings, I wish I implemented mine sooner to make my life so much easier!

5) How to Read the Room

One thing I constantly hear as a branding photographer is that my client gets nervous in front of the camera. And I totally get it! However, one thing I wish I knew before niching to brand photography is HOW many of my clients will experience this. In fact, over 50% of my clients admit in their questionnaire that they are nervous in front of the camera or they are concerned about looking natural. So over the years, I’ve made it a point to read my client’s energy so that I know just how they are feeling about their shoot. When I can tell that they’re not comfortable or haven’t quite relaxed into the groove, sometimes I’ll throw on some music, or I’ll really focus on guiding them with posing so it becomes a more hands-on experience. This can sometimes make the client feel more confident since they don’t have to worry about posing themselves. One of my favorite tactics is to show them the back of the camera to reassure them that they look great. When they can see how they look in that moment, it helps them feel reassured the images are going to come out amazing. 

Now that you know more about branding photography straight from a branding photographer, let’s help you plan your next shoot! Grab my Shoot Planning Guide so you can be ready when you need a website refresh or some new social media material.