Create a branded look for your images.
Next time you plan a photoshoot, think about creating a branded look and establishing a framework that can unite your images visually and emotionally. Hire an art director if you can. They will collect references and talk with your photographer about why certain elements are important. The photographer will get excited about the challenge of working within parameters and want to push the limits to give you even more ways to build on that vision and strengthen your brand voice.
This is more than creating a look or adding a filter. It’s strategic. Who is the customer? What are you promoting? How are you different and better than your competitors? Say your company is a non-profit that offers after-school programs for young people and needs to increase donations. You want to show the valuable services you provide. You want to show the young people benefitting from those services and you want to connect emotionally with the prospective donors.
You could say we need to show our after-school programs at facilities A B and C and schedule your photographer.
Or, you could go further and say these photos need to be warm, active and fun. The talent needs to represent the diverse population we serve. The lighting needs to be bright and energetic. The images will be used in a variety of social media and also half page horizontal print ads, so they need to work as squares and as horizontals. The emotion of the people is more important than the specific facilities, so use shallow depth of field. We need to show our coaches and mentors in action because we have an expert team that sets us apart. The ads will focus on tight crops of faces. We want them wearing our program t-shirts. We want more candid editorial style than portrait style. etc.
When you consider a wide range of parameters like talent, locations, lighting, depth of field, tone, how the images will be used, crop, composition, smiles, wardrobe, color, posing, eye contact, props, etc. then you’re able to set up a framework that can guide you through the shoot from planning to shooting to editing and give you more intentional results that fit your strategic goals. It also gives you a template you can build on for future shoots. Best of all, it makes your business look unique and presents a consistent and more identifiable look and feel to your marketing materials. This can be done in the context of a standalone campaign or it could be expanded to inform your entire library of photography.
