First up, take a deep breath and relax! This is going to be fun, we promise :)
Robyn developed her head shot technique in Los Angeles, where she spent the whole of 2013 and 2014 - it was a big learning curve, and totally worth it! On her return to Joburg in early 2015, she started up her associate program, mentoring and training young photographers in her photographic style.
These amazing photographers work for us under our brand - and their brilliant work is indistinguishable from Robyn's.
WHAT IS THIS?
But first up, what is a personal branding session?
A personal branding photo shoot is a type of photography session that's designed to capture images of an individual that reflect their personal brand or professional image. It's an opportunity for the person being photographed to showcase their personality, style, and values, and to create a set of images that they can use for various purposes, such as on their website, social media profiles, business cards, or marketing materials.
THE LIGHT:
Taking photographs is all about the light. The most magical pictures happen when the light is soft and delicious - during the hour of sunrise or sunset.
We use only natural lighting for my photo shoots - in the early morning or late afternoon when the light is gentle and flattering.
"LOOKS":
Looks are wardrobe changes - so if your package includes three looks, we'll be shooting you in three different outfits - always be sure to have a couple of additional options available in case one of the three doesn't translate well on camera. We may also change the background and lighting for each look.
WARDROBE:
Please bring a few different options for us to work with - plain bright colours are ideal (blues, greens, pinks, reds etc, with little to no patterns), as well as a neutral option or two (creams, charcoals etc). Mostly t-shirts are going to work best, but a great fitted shirt (with either a blazer or cardigan), can make for an awesome student/business pic.
Try and avoid the following:
- visible wording or branding
- patterns that are very bold or harsh
- clothing that is too tight, or too loose
- lumo colours
- items with a lot of black or white in them
HAIR & MAKE-UP:
For the ladies - please arrive with your hair and make-up done for the first shot (unless we are using a make-up artist) - we'll start with something quite natural, so just a light layering of make-up to start with, but please be sure to bring your make-up bag along with you, especially mascara, blush, an eye pencil, and some natural lip colours.
If we are using a make-up artist please arrive with a clean, moisturised face with no make-up on.
It is a great idea to drink lots of water in the week/days leading up to the shoot to give your skin a nice healthy glow, and exfoliate well the day before.
Should you wish to book a make-up artist, please let us know via email.
PROPS:
Let us know what exactly it is that your brand or business does and we'll chat through the options on props. Good standard items are - a laptop, tablet or phone, a notepad and pen, a few options on coffee/tea cups and any other accessories or items that you use on a daily basis to run your business.
We also find flowers and fresh fruit add a nice pop to the images.
LOCATION:
If what you do is very much based in a certain spot/office we will try and utilise that particular spot for the photo session. We do however need a space that is flooded with natural light, so big windows are great.
An ideal shooting space also has a lot of clutter-free open areas, with a variety of different rooms and areas we could shoot in. Chat to us about our recommendations for locations.
PREP:
It's a really good idea to spend a few hours about a week before your shoot working on a plan of action. Things to work out are:
1. What is your brand vision and mission? (i.e. how do you want to portray your business/brand?)
2. How would you like your brand to be portrayed? (i.e. are you more on the casual side of things, and would like more images of you on a couch drinking coffee; or would you consider your brand more serious and would therefore like more images in a formal setting, typing on your computer for example)
3. How do these choices tie into your wardrobe options? (i.e. will you go more formal with lots of suit jackets, or would you like a more casual vibe? If you have budget let me know and I can recommend a wardrobe stylist for this)
4. Would you like to up your game even more by booking a make-up artist? I highly recommend this. Let me know and I can organise one.
5. What would your ideal shoot setting be? At the office, in your work space, at a coffee shop, etc etc?
6. What would you like to use the images for? Are they primarily for your website, or more so for social media? Do you need images to have negative space for wording? Would you like more portrait or landscape images? (We usually try and shoot a variety of both, but depending on the platform you'd like to use the pics for, you may require more landscape images for example, and this is good for us to know from the beginning)
POSING:
We have a heap of experience being on your side of the camera, and we know how nerve-wracking it can be! But it shouldn't be! We're here to have fun, so take a deep breath and relax. We'll give you hints and tips throughout the session - we want to make you look good!
SCHEDULING:
Please note that our time is valuable!
If we've scheduled this shoot with you, it means we've turned down other shoots for that time period. We understand that life happens, and sometimes gets in the way, but we do require a full 24 hours cancellation/rescheduling notice, and will add an additional small onto your shoot fee every time you cancel/reschedule within less than 24 hours.
