HOW TO - ACE Any Brand Photoshoot - Annemarie Gruden

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[00:00:02]: Welcome to today's little mini teaching on how to ace any brand photo session. I know it's something that's really daunting to many people and they try to avoid it. In fact, 99% of my clientele, their first words are, their mouths are, I don't look good on photos. You got your, you got your work cut out for you and hope I don't break that lens. And then some people just really love it. But there are some key fundamentals into a great session and how to make that happen. And it can happen for absolutely anybody. A little bit about me.  

[00:00:40]: I'm Annemarie Gruden, a visual storyteller, brand builder and the woman behind the lens helping entrepreneurs show up as their true selves online. I've been capturing humans for decades, families, babies, weddings. But for the last decade or so, I've really entrenched myself into the world of branding and brand photography and design. And there's one truth I want you to know and I want you to take it away with you today. A brand photo shoot isn't just about looking good. It's not looking like, it's not about looking like everybody else. It's about feeling like yourself and how you want to show up in your business, how you want people to perceive you as the business person, as the professional, as the speaker, as the author, as the coach. How do you want them to perceive you? How do you want, what do you want them to feel? Do you want them to feel like you're trustworthy, that you're kind, you're compassionate? Those feelings show up in your photos.  

[00:01:46]: You convey them through a variety of things that I'm going to walk you through today and how to plan the best session. And the more you bring to the table, to your photo shoot, the better it will be. Because to be honest with you, a shoot, a successful shoot, is a collaboration between the photographer and the talent and the person being photographed. What you bring to the table is equally as important as the photographer's talents. A little bit about me these days when I'm not behind the camera, you'll find me knee deep in a forest. My husband and I are, have recently purchased a plot of land and are building an off grid home. It's, it's wild and crazy and we spent last year homesteading and this year is going to be building some walls and, and the actual house. In the past year I've dug trenches to save our road from the spring melt off, mapped out a mini orchard, rebuilt what I call Zen hill and Every time I accomplish something totally outside my comfort zone, I do a little happy dance like Clarkson on his farm and shout out I did a thing.

[00:02:57]: And that's kind of what I want for you. That moment of giddy pride when you see yourself reflected back in your photos that feel just right. They feel like you. Because when we live in a visual, we live in a visual world. And your brand photos, they're your silent business partner. They show up even when you can't. Should we duck in? So like I just mentioned, first impressions, they're like, they, they matter. They're, they're like a one shot espresso, strong and memorable.

[00:03:29]: People don't forget what they first see. And today we're going to focus on the star player in your brand toolkit. Your brand photos. Haha. Just like your logos and color palette or VIPs in your toolkit, brand photos are the showstoppers. Maybe they even steal a bit of the stoplight if you spotlight. If you ask me, they are. You know, you can consider them your digital twin, your doppelganger, the you that mingles when you're off duty, the one that goes in parties with all those people at midnight that are scrolling from across the seas.  

[00:04:05]: And the one big question, when you do a brand photo shoot, just so that you know you pull out the best images when we get going, it's pretty simple actually. When you're current, when do you do a new shoot? When do you consider doing this? Well, the moment that those photos don't represent who you are anymore. They don't represent your vibe, you don't like the outfit. It's not just because you got your hair colored or because your bangs changed because you can still show up with the same personality, the same wardrobe, a little bit of a hair change. That's not when you get your hair, when you get new photos, it's when your vibe has changed. When you're doing a bit of a rebrand or just like fashion's changed, so should your photos. Really. So some people, I have some clients that just come back every once a year and they just get a little mini top up.

[00:04:56]: It's not a complete reshoot anymore. It's just, just to add to the collection because we use them absolutely everywhere. Social media profiles, website banners. It's more than your about page. You can show up all over your website and all the other places too. So let's really dive in. First off, I wanted to talk about because for a while there, branding people, most people know what a brand shoot is. Now, but it's sometimes we'll often get confused with oh yeah, I need new headshots.

[00:05:31]: But a headshot session isn't really quite a brand session and a brand session isn't a headshot session. Yes, we capture headshots in a brand photo shoot, but they're different brand photos. They're your creative playground. They showcase your surroundings, your vibe, your tools, the things you work with, your personality. It's your story, it's your story that gets told through the lens. A headshot is a must have in your arsenal. Whether they're captured during a brand session or not. They shouldn't get confused.  

[00:06:10]: They are, you know, kind of waist up, head and shoulders, they've got a nice smile, they can be on a neutral background and they're just part of your brand kit. And they more often not get used in your thumbnails and like on social media profiles, your about pages. If you're gonna send in an application to talk, speak, present, you need a really good headshot and one that conveys like, you know, you're looking in the camera. It conveys like some kind of happy attitude. Whether it's calm bliss, you know, excited over the top, people want to get your vibe from your headshot. So a brand session will do lots of variety of headshots in them. But it's not just that. So next up, we are talking about how to prepare for or to plan like the very first integral steps of planning a session.  

[00:07:16]: And as much as I love to capture all your brands, I can't be everywhere. I'm in eastern Ontario, Canada. And if you like my work, don't hesitate to look me up. But I'm going to dive into some key points when planning your session and how to find a good photographer. But before you reach out to your photographer, I always like to suggest kind of plan, like think about what it is you want to capture, how you want to capture it, where you want to capture it. Like the look, the feel, the vibe. And you don't want to look like your girlfriend's business. You don't want to look like so and so's business down the street.

[00:07:55]: You really want to hone in and create a set of images that really speak the essence of you and what you do. The images we're looking at here are for a client of mine, registered dietitian. So we tapped into how she wants to appear to her clients she doesn't meet. Sometimes she meets one on one. Sometimes it's zoom, sometimes it's in an office space. So it allowed a lot of flexibility into where we chose the location. We did a little behind the scenes, like how she works with her laptop, obviously cooking and menu prep. And her, her shtick is finding recipes that go with your menu.  

[00:08:41]: So we all get these menu or these things that we can't, can and can't eat from our nutritionists and our dietitians. But, but then how do you make that into a meal? So her shtick is really menu planning. So we really tapped into capturing how to plan menu, which meant kitchen finding a nice kitchen, food, charcuterie board, that kind of thing. So those were storytelling elements that we brought into Karen's session. But it's not all about the wear. It's about your clothes, it's about your props. It's about finding a photographer. When you find your photographer, do a Google search for brand photographers in your neighborhood within, I don't know, 50 to 100 miles kilometers.  

[00:09:32]: And you should get a really good, you should get something that pops up at least. But really go through their portfolios, make sure they don't just shoot. It's not just a little one shoot on a blog roll. Make sure it's like a whole portfolio section of their website that they focus on and they know what branding is. They might be able to take a really great photo, but they might not be able to take a series of images that captures your story because that's really what a brand session is. It's capturing your story, um, and doing that, doing that well and coaching you how to, how to do that. So don't pick it based on budget or price alone because some of the best photographers aren't the most expensive and some of the worst photographers are really, really expensive and they just call themselves branding photographers. So really do your, do your homework online, interview a few and choose the one that you vibe with, the one that you think understands your story offers you lots of feedback, lots of direction because they're going to be your advocate.  

[00:10:43]: They're your, the, they're your cheerleader, they're going to coach you on how on the ward, you, I've Got Tongue Tied. The wardrobe you're going to bring, the locations you're going to book, the props you're going to bring, how to pose you. So also when you're looking at their portfolios, is all their talent or all their images in the same pose? Or is it a variety? Is there standing, sitting, outdoor, indoor, with props, without props, with clients, with other people? Because all of those things have different approaches and different, different, different, different ways of coaching you. And really, that's what you're. You're hiring as well. You're hiring your cheerleader, your coach, your director, and they need to be on your side. So take all of that into account when choosing your photographer. And, yeah, so the fees is the last thing on the list.  

[00:11:51]: And make sure you get what you need out of it as well. So you're going to want lots of storytelling images that you can use unequivocally for the next bazillion years that you don't have to keep coming back or beg for more. Yeah. So book a session that you get the most photos and you feel comfortable with your photographer, and hopefully that all goes swimmingly. And I also wanted to mention the slides that I'm showing here. Here are from a magazine that I wrote that I'm gonna tell you all about at the end and how you can get your hands on it. And there's actually more. More spreads that are missing, but I just.  

[00:12:36]: I tapped into the most relevant ones for this presentation. So let's. Let's continue on. Okay, so you booked your photographer, you found your locations, you got your wardrobe plans, you've got your props. Now what you need to inject your personality. But don't stress. Even if you're starting out and you don't have a full brand kit. Kit yet.

[00:13:02]: No logo, no problem. It'll come together as you grow. In fact, some brand elements overlap. And so some of the ways you can bring your personality into your shoot, obviously, is your. Is your. Your charisma and your personality and your actual personality. Like, you know, how you smile, how you laugh, how you hold your coffee cup, how you do your keyboarding, how you interact with other people, whether you talk with your hands or whether, you know, they're nice and prim and proper and sitting on your lap, those are all things about your personality, and you want to bring them all into your shoot. The best way to do that is to know your story and.

[00:13:44]: And have your photographer help you pull together all the elements so that you can communicate your story. And when you communicate your story, you're bringing your personality. So if you'll take note here, I think there's only one shot on this whole spread that she's looking in the camera. The rest of it is she's interacting with her business partner. They're laughing, they're having a meeting. There's intention. And to me, it looks like a happy, positive vibe. And, oh, yeah, you know, I'd like to work with that person.  

[00:14:19]: And whenever Possible if you know your brand colors, I like to bring those to. I drop subtle brand color hints into my shoots. But you know what? Honestly, if you don't have them yet, don't worry about it, because they're not a make or break kind of thing. Um, it's as simple as. Okay, so if you have, like, blue in your, like, blue hues in your brand kit, wearing a blue blouse, blue coffee cup, blue throw pillows, something like. It's just subtle intonations to your brand. And, and it. It's that old adage, an image says a thousand words, and it's really true.  

[00:15:06]: And people subliminally pick up on all of these things. Okay, a few tips. Next on wardrobe. Okay, choosing the perfect outfit. I don't think there's any perfect outfit, but there are some guidelines when going through your wardrobe. And for a lot of my lady clients, they tend to go do a little tiny bit of shopping. Choose clothing that reflects you, your style, your personality, and your brand energy. That is first and foremost.  

[00:15:39]: And the clothing that you choose. Also, if you're a gardener, you're not going to show up in a. In, in a full formal suit. You're going to show up in clothing that reflects the kind of work that you do, even if it's slightly elevated and you're best going out for dinner. Type of clothes. Clothes. Rules of thumb. When you're choosing the outfits, aim for pieces that fit well.  Annemarie Gruden

[00:16:11]: They're not too baggy, not too tight, so you feel comfortable and confident. Bring in a few brand colors where possible. Like I'd mentioned in the last slide, layers, textures, accessories can be your friends. They add interest and help showcase personality. But don't get hyper focused on it. Because I've had clients, clients show up and they have a whole arsenal of jewelry. And, you know, I've got a big, giant scene and I'm not always seeing the things. If it's for your headshot, yes, absolutely, I will see it.  Annemarie Gruden [00:16:46]: So don't get too hung up on it. Little things to avoid. Clingy fabrics, bulky layers. They opt for structures that feel they can. Often they make you look worse than you are. Like, they make you look in disproportionate to what is really going on for men. Men. For men that are listening.

[00:17:10]: Same thing. The same rules apply above. But make sure your shirts, jackets, are tailored. Ties, if worn clean, intentional. Don't wear a tie if you don't. If you never wear a tie, like, if you never. I've had lawyers. They never wear ties.  Annemarie Gruden

[00:17:25]: They don't show up in a tie because that's not who they are. And then I've had some lawyer legal firms that they want everyone in a suit and jacket because that's the brand that they want. That formal, foundational look where some want to be approachable. So think of how you want people to perceive you. Simple is usually better, but don't be afraid to add a pop of color that's on brand. And yes, this one's a good one. Choose the right undergarments to make your wardrobe pop. They matter more than you think.

[00:18:06]: Lines and lumps. Lump lines and lumps love to show up on camera. And a bonus tip, if you're unsure, take some photographs of yourself in a mirror. Even if it's just a really whacked out, bent out of shape selfie with a mirror. Share them with your girlfriends. I know I often an olive branch to my clients where they will text me photos of their outfits a couple days in advance and I give them a thumbs up or a thumbs down actually. And you know, maybe ask your your photographer that you choose if you can do the same. It really does.
[00:18:45]: The more prep and the more planning you can put into it, the better. So just like wardrobe props tell a story. And you do not need to have a thousand bazillion props. You just need a few key things that help depict your story and they also kind of help with that old prop. What do I do with my hands? Because you know, you could be holding a book, you could be holding your cell phone, you could be keyboarding, you're holding a coffee cup. But do not put a coffee cup in your photos if that is not who you are. Coffee cup shots are those behind the scenes. What you do behind in your waking moments, your journaling moments.  

[00:19:32]: But not everyone journals. Not everyone drinks coffee. So if you don't do those things, don't show up doing them again. Consider your brand colors props in your palette. Help tie visuals together even if you're still building out your brand kit. But use them to add personality, not clutter. Avoid random filler just to have something to hold. So really have intention with all of your props.  

[00:20:02]: Don't. Less is more. Just be. And just because another brand uses fancy florals or style stationing doesn't mean you need to do it. Focus on what's relevant to your business and how you do business. Your props really shouldn't steal the show. They should support your story. I really hope that helped.  Annemarie Gruden [00:20:23]: Okay, I want to dive into this page. I loved this page. The divas in the details. And I created this page in the magazine as a bit of a visual cheat sheet for you. I wanted it to showcase poses, backdrops, details, person like that that really drive your personality and that, you know, given together. If you could envision yourself in every single one of these, you're telling quite the story. So when you're creating your shot list, mix it up. Include that blend of personal life, behind the scenes, client facing shots.  

 [00:21:07]: Vary your poses, be intentional with your locations. So I've got one pro tip here that when you're planning your shot list, I want you to think less about what do I look like and more about what am I showing or saying through this image. Like what? Like really think about the types of images you want to showcase and maybe create a list of the different spaces in your website that need a new, A new uplift. Like, you know, your backgrounds, your overlays, all of those things. And it might be a conversation between your web designer, your photographer, so on and so on, or just with yourself or your business partners. What kind of images and where do I want to place them? So, you know, and some a good place to look to, to get inspiration is your competition. Whether you want to show up like them or whether you want to borrow an idea and then make it your own or, you know, just seeing what's out there and how you can improve and how you can share your story. We don't want to copy, we just want to inspiration.  

[00:22:26]: This next slide is a client spotlight of mine. And it's. Although it's commercial and we're talking about personal branding, I wanted to show you the spotlight. It was a commercial branding session. And I know even though I wanted to just drop this in because it's. It was such a beautiful backdrop. So it's going to give you some inspiration in terms of places to go look if you're not really happy with your own home or office setting as a backdrop. And we set out to capture the spaces as how they were actually used.  

[00:23:02]: So the building became the brand story. And you know, they wanted to capture a good night's day snuggled up and journaling what the window light like, you know, the vibe of the overall vibe of the room and what it would feel like to stay in it. And I brought it in just because, you know, it's kind of nice to when you're planning your shoot, alternate locations and will they support your image creation better than your current space space? Like, does your current space live up to the idea of the brand story you want to showcase so boutique hotels, Airbnbs styled rental spaces really can make incredible backdrops. So keep that in mind when you're looking for locations to shoot. This next client Spotlight was actually for a new vitamin on the market and Anna, she was the owner of Split Science and she became the ambassador, the brand ambassador. So really we wanted to showcase the look, the feel, how you would feel after being on this vitamin for a period of time. The health, the wellness, the energy. So we captured nice portraits, three quarter headshot and happy faces because you know, like I said, the thumbnails, the various places you talk about stuff.  Annemarie Gruden

[00:24:36]: We also wanted to tap into a little bit about her loves and being outdoors in nature, yoga, those are all very things that light Anna up. And then we also wanted some photos of the product and what it looks like and how it can be used. And we did it in a really clean, tasteful manner. So those are some of the things that you ask your question, ask questions of yourself. One time I had a brand that was actually an app. The brand was an app. So how do you photograph an app? You don't you. We photographed how the app interacted with individuals between business like the, the, the user of the app and the one that was saying hey, install this app and you can do X, Y and Z.  

[00:25:31]: So it was an app for nutritionists and dietitians to use with their clients, how to menu plan, how to shop, how to do barcodes. So this app actually went on a walkabout with me and we photographed it in all the different locations that you would actually use it, how you would interact with it, whether it was on a tablet, a la cell phone, etc, etc, etc and it was a lot of fun. So when you think of your brand like that, you can come up with a list of different scenarios and situations and, and, and, and, and, and sometimes your brand needs to interact with the rest of the world. So you know, that might be a second or third shoot down the road, but they are, they are possibilities and things that you need to consider capturing to really tell your story. Yeah, but again, I hope this layout has showcased a little bit about what, what a nice little spread can look like from your brand photos. Who benefits from brand photos? And I probably should have let in with this one, but brand bringing, I'm gonna leave this one a little nugget and please feel free to bring it into all aspects of your brand, not just the photography. Building a personal brand is all about controlling the conversation, intentionally crafting the Persona that's true to you and puts you in the best light. That's pretty much it.  

[00:27:15]: Your brand photos, your brand kit, your brand elements, they're all about crafting that Persona. How you're, how the world views you, how they visualize, how they interact with you. And you need to give it the best possible push that you can so that it really is a true representation of you. I hope that makes sense. So I'm going to leave you here and as I mentioned earlier in this presentation, I'm leaving you with this magazine and, well, I've just kind of walked you through the magazine and for the purpose of the summit that this is in, along with the magazine we've just scrolled through, is included a mini stock toolkit for Magnolia Safe Studio. That's my stock photography business. And it's filled with lifestyle images that help you, will help you start showing up visually. And it's a little kind of cross section of all the different images and whatnot that I capture with Magnolia Sage Studio.  

[00:28:26]: And if you actually picked up a VIP ticket, you get an extra treat and you get my LadyBoss CEO curated collection. And the visuals that are in those stock toolkits are really meant to support your brand photos. So like, you know, dipping the toes in water and whatnot. So they're not meant to take over, they're meant to support. And that's really why I started shooting stock as well, is because brand photo shoots can be expensive and timely and they take up a lot of energy and not everyone has that, that amount of time, cash flow, etc. Etc. Especially when you're starting out. So it's nice to have a little bit of a supporting partner and that's where stock photography comes in.  

[00:29:20]: Yeah. So they, stock photography really should support your brand photos, not take over your brand photos, not become your brand photos. And, and it's so it's okay to use stock and if you feel like sharing, like if you, if you go out, you get your photo shoot done and you want to share what you've been up to, I'd love to see how, how it all kind of came together. So if you want to tag me on Instagram with hashtag magnoliasage Studio, I'd love to cheer you on and see where you're at and, you know, likewise. Check me out on Insta. I believe my details are noted below. Just send me a quick note, tag me, ask me any questions. I'm happy to.  

[00:30:10]: Even if I'm not your photographer, I'm happy to help guide and direct. Yeah. So I hope this has been impactful and helpful and will see you. See you through getting your own brand photos done. We'll chat soon. Bye.