How to Prepare for a Personal Branding Photoshoot in Seattle

A good branding shoot is mostly decided before the camera comes out. This is the prep I walk every client through, in the order it happens.

The short version

• Know where the photos will be used.
• Choose a place that looks like your work.
• Plan 2 to 4 outfits.
• Decide on hair and makeup.
• Bring the tools and objects you work with.
• Arrive rested, fed and a little early.

1. Start with where the photos will live

Before outfits or locations, list every place the photos need to work: your website’s home and about pages, LinkedIn, a press kit, speaker bios, social. Each one needs a different shape, wide for a website banner, tall for a phone screen, tight for a profile picture, so this list becomes the shot list.

Then answer three questions:

• What should someone understand about my work in one look?
• Who am I trying to reach?
• What do I actually do all day that people never see?

2. Choose a location that looks like your work

Shoot where the work happens when you can: your studio, office, kitchen or workshop. It explains what you do better than any backdrop. For outdoor portraits, Seattle has plenty: industrial at Gas Works, concrete and green at Freeway Park, the skyline from Kerry Park. See 10 Seattle locations for branding photos. In spring, the cherry blossoms are hard to beat.

Rain is part of shooting in Seattle. Outdoor shoots move to a new date at no charge, at my call, and an indoor location makes a good backup.

3. Plan 2 to 4 outfits

Most clients bring two to four outfit changes. A few rules that hold up:

• Wear colors that sit well with your brand colors.
• Solid colors and texture photograph better than busy patterns.
• Skip large logos unless they’re yours.
• Bring layers and accessories: a jacket, glasses, a watch you actually wear.
• Steam everything the night before.

4. Decide on hair and makeup

You can do your own, or I can arrange a hair and makeup artist, and models if the shoot needs them. Either way, keep it close to how you look on a good day, so people recognize you when they meet you.

5. Bring the things you work with

Tools, products, sketchbooks, the mug that’s always on your desk. Objects give your hands something to do and tell the story without a caption. See how process and product shots work in the Alex Roby Designs case study.

6. How the session runs

• Discovery call. What the photos are for, and when you need them.
• Consultation. We build a shot list and a mood board together.
• Shoot day. Usually 2 to 4 hours, with several setups and outfit changes.
• Delivery. Usually 1 to 3 weeks, depending on scope. 24 to 48 hour rush is available.

Teams too: group shots and individual portraits. See the Harkov Lewis Team.

7. If you don’t like being photographed

Most people don’t. You don’t need to know how to pose. The consultation is there so shoot day feels natural: by the time you arrive, the shot list, the locations and the mood are already decided, and you can just be yourself.

8. After the shoot

Put the new photos everywhere at once: website, LinkedIn, social, press kit. A consistent set does more than one great photo. Your license covers your website, social, press and awards. Ads are licensed separately.

Book a branding shoot in Seattle

Rates vary from project to project, and each one is quoted on its scope. See personal branding photography in Seattle, or book a call.