Building a brand during a pandemic had its challenges. We had to get creative.
Turns out, the results are virtually amazing.
When my brand strategy clients needed new photos for their social media and websites, we decided to get creative, really creative.
I decided to do Virtual Photoshoots!
It turns out, virtual photoshoots are a pretty ingenious way to create content, comfortably & quickly. The end result is always gorgeous. Portraits are fun and can be great to experiment with and also easily taken into the conceptual and surreal, perfect for your creative social media content.
Beautiful Photos, Photogenic not required.
Know what type of brand photos you need before you shoot.
I like to have a vision strategy consult with my clients a week before the shoot. We discuss the types of images they need and where they plan to use them (ie. social media, website, blog).
It also is helpful for clients to send a video of the shoot location so we can prep lighting needs in advance of the shoot.
Next we collaborate in Pinterest using a shared mood board so we are very clear on the vision & shotlist prior to shoot day. This is also a great way to select poses, styling, and the overall feel of brand shoot. On shoot day I will guide you where to position the phone and yourself and away we go!
We will meet 15 minutes before the shoot to walk through your location, this can be booked via the link below.
If you feel comfortable, it will show in your photos.
Portraits can be intimate. They capture a moment between you and the photographer.. This kind of intimacy can be intimidating making you feel very awkward or self conscious. That is perfectly normal! It is my job to put you at ease during the shoot.
All of this advance planning ensures my clients have an average of 40-50 edited beautiful (and useable!) shots for each session. It also allows my clients to get to know me so they feel comfortable and trust my direction during the photoshoot. When I am shooting someone for the first time I'll take a few minutes to ask about their day and find a way to keep the conversation flowing. I usually keep talking during the shoot so they start to forget that the camera is even there and it makes you feel like you are with somebody you already know.
Check your tech
The best images are taken with the forward facing lens of your iPhone or iPad. The selfie cameras are generally as high quality. You'll also need an adjustable tripod to hold your device. This makes it easy to adjust the depth and frame of the images during the shoot.
Since you won't be able to see yourself during the shoot it is handy to have a miser nearby to help adjust your poses or a laptop with a camera.
If you're an android user or Zoom shoots are also fun & yield gorgeous photos. All of the images you see here were taken over Zoom using screenshots & editing.
If you have an an iPhone, FaceTime also takes beautiful images. The trick is to enable FaceTime Live Photos first.
How to incorporate vision & visuals into your brand photoshoot
Gather your props
Props are my favorite way to create unique photos while giving my clients something else to think about besides the camera. Props can be anything from a coffee cup to a phone to a pair of sunglasses in someones hand, to a hat, absolutely anything that adds something to the brand shoot and the location. I love a seated shot with a client's head leaning into their hand, or playing with their hair. I am also a HUGE fan of food as a prop and people genuinely seem to have more fun knowing they can then eat the food after!
Find your light
I love using natural light. It is softer than light boxes and ring lights and therefore more flattering to the subject. Locating a window with natural light and sitting directly across from it makes a beautiful image. It can also be fun to play with shadows by sitting directly in front of a window, at an angle like the photo below.
