Introduction
If you've ever had to build your own business, you know how overwhelming it can be. There's a billion things to do, and (unless you've got a mentor) no real map to tell you what's most important. You simply have to start with one obvious thing that makes the most sense to you and build from there.
Kim, the mother of a wedding client I shot last year, is a new children's author. She was at a point where she had already written some books and was actively working to get them published. While working on that, the obvious next item for her to cross of her list was headshots. Every author needs headshots. Makes sense, right?
This is where our story starts.
While anyone reading this blog would know I'm a photographer, many of you may not know that I spent a decade doing brand and customer marketing before I started this business. And, if those years of working for Corporate America taught me anything, it's that your brand is literally you're whole business. It's where who you are, what sets you apart, and the way in which you interact with customers comes together into one blended identity. Over time consistent branding builds interest, loyalty, and recognition.
When Kim reached out to me, our conversation began with headshots and quickly evolved. The more we chatted, the more marketing touchpoints she realized she needed photos for. Her website, social media, book covers, blog banners... It was at this point that I suggested a full branding photography session.
Kimpy Writes (IG: @kimpywrites), Kim's book company, wasn't at the point where it had set visual branding elements yet. Therefore, before we did any session planning, I scheduled a call with Kim to chat about branding and better establish the foundations of what Kimpy Writes' visual branding should look like.
The Project Onboarding Call
Before the launch of any commercial or creative project, I ask all of my clients to do a pre-planning call to ensure we are on the same page. To prepare for this call, I did some recon, checking out her website and blog articles. I put together a deck using that information, along with some general marketing stuff, that we talked through together. By the end of our hour-long call, we had nailed down a color palette, the Kimpy Writes brand personality, and defined her target audience.
Pre-Photoshoot Preparation
Once we were on the same page, every element of her shoot fell seamlessly into place.
The first thing I did was source some local libraries and bookstores that were open to letting us use for our shoot. After reviewing, we decided to split the session between the Manassas Park City Library and a travel studio I would set up in her basement. Next, we used the newly-founded brand color palette to decide on her wardrobe. Ultimately, we decided to go with two different looks: Warm Casual and Soft Professional. The last items to figure out were what props we wanted to include and then we were all set.
Kimpy Writes Branding Photoshoot Day
The branding keywords that Kim chose for Kimpy writes were cozy, heartfelt, gentle, and uplifting/hopeful. While at the library, I really wanted us to tap into gentle, cozy, and uplifting, specifically. To do this, there were several factors that I brought into play in this setting.
- Factor 1: Wardrobe
To channel that warm and authentic energy, having her in an outfit that felt approachable and soft was essential. With that in mind, we elected to have her wear her more casual look here, which consisted of a comfy sweater, cotton tee shirt, and medium wash jeans.
- Factor 2: Rooms and decor
Being in a public space, we obviously only had so much sway over what we could bring in. Instead of focusing on that, I found spaces that were already primed for what we were trying to achieve. The four main areas of the library we focused on were: The kids section, a small study room, a boardroom, and an adult section with taller shelves.
- The kids section allowed us to help reinforce her branding as a children's author in a playful and relatable way
- The small study room that we found had fun, orange accents that added a positive and optimistic backdrop
- The boardroom's wall map provided an undertone of openness and acceptance to these brand photos
- The taller shelves allowed us to get shots that highlighted that she isn't just an author. She is a reader who loves to write.
Once we were done there, we headed back to her house where we took some shots of her at her desk before I quickly set up my travel studio.
The goal of the lifestyle photos we got of Kim at her desk was to give her audience insight into her personal life, including her love for both her family and her craft. Thus, viewers are given what feels like an intimate peek into a heartful writing area where they can see a bevy of children's books, family photos on her desk and adorning her walls, her ideas notebook, and the laptop she uses to type up each of her stories. This setting was a bit darker than the rest of the shoot, so to make it feel a bit more on-brand from a color perspective we changed out the curtains to bring in a pop of the Kimpy Writes orange.
For the studio space, we took shots with two different back drops.
- The first backdrop was plain white and it allowed us to capture some of the more traditional branding shots, so that she can easily change out the background (or make it transparent) and throw her image on whatever she wants. We chose to split her outfits here, taking some photos with the more casual outfit and then having her change into her more sophisticated look for a few more.
- The second backdrop was one that had white bookshelves with teal and orange books. This, combined with her soft corporate look, gave gentle office energy, ensuring she looked like both a professional as well as someone you could have a cup of coffee with. It was with this background that we also took some photos of her with her dogs as well as a few with her daughter for a few shots that allow people to feel a bit more connected to her.
There were many photos taken of Kim during this session, but I also captured images meant to serve as branded stock photos for various marketing purposes such as blog headers, email banners, and more. While it might not seem important at first, having stock photos that are color-graded and edited the same as your others ensure that no matter the medium, your branding stays strong.
Conclusion
Kim's dream of getting her heartfelt children's book brand off the ground is coming to fruition with Kimpy Writes. Completing this step, she is now able to visually communicate the company she is working to grow. Not to mention that when her books are ready to publish, her author headshot is primed and ready!
Whether you are just starting you business like Kim and need a photographer who can help you fill in some of the branding basics or you're established look for a photographer partner who can bring your brand campaigns to life, I'm happy to help. Everything starts with that next obvious step, and you can easily take yours by telling me a little bit about yourself and your project.
Are you a ready to show the world what sets your
business apart?
You know you're the best at what you do, but to the everyday customer your business looks the same as all the others. If you're ready to fix that, I'm here to help.
