I help business owners plan and pull off their brand shoots with confidence and strategy.
Figuring out how to plan a brand photoshoot can feel totally overwhelming. With so many details to get right, from outfits to locations to shot ideas, it’s easy to feel lost. But what if you could approach your shoot with clarity and confidence, knowing exactly what to expect and how to get photos that will work hard for your business?
A brand photoshoot isn’t just about making your business look good. It’s about creating strategic images that serve as powerful marketing tools. The right photos should help you build trust and connection with your audience, reinforce your expertise, and simplify your marketing. But if you’re stressing over what to wear, how to pose, or how to make sure you’ll actually use your photos, you’re not alone!
As a brand photographer, I created a simple 5-step framework for planning a brand photoshoot after years of closely working with my personal branding clients. I use this system to help them reduce stress, feel prepared, and walk away with brand photos better than they could have imagined.
I packed these 5 steps, along with must-have guides, templates, and more into Brand Shoot Essentials, a complete brand photoshoot guide to help you get photos that actually serve your business.
But before I tell you more about that, I’m sharing the exact 5-steps for how to plan a brand photoshoot. A successful brand photoshoot isn’t about just showing up and hoping for the best. It’s about setting yourself up for success before shoot day.
Let’s get to it!
Step 1: Assemble Your Team
A brand photoshoot is a collaboration! Of course, you’ll need a professional brand photographer, but you might also want to hire or involve:
- A hair and makeup artist
- A wardrobe stylist
- A videographer
- Your team members or collaborators
If hiring extra professionals isn’t in your budget, that’s okay! But ask yourself: Is saving a couple of hundred dollars worth the stress of doing my own hair and makeup on the morning of my shoot or choosing my own outfits? If you want to elevate your look, a stylist or artist can be so worth it. Check out this blog post where I chat with a wardrobe stylist about why bringing one on for your shoot is totally worth it!
This step comes first because coordinating schedules is a must and sometimes takes a bit of time. Once your team is locked in, you can set a shoot date and start preparing everything else!
Inside Brand Shoot Essentials, you’ll find a Team Member Hiring Guide to help you find and book the right professionals. If your budget is tight, no worries! This guide will help you plan the details so you can confidently decide what’s best for your shoot.
Step 2: Create Your Strategy
This is the step most people skip, but it’s the most important! Before you even think about how to plan a brand photoshoot with locations, outfits, or props, you need a clear strategy.
The best brand shoots start with clarity around your goals and how your images will support your marketing strategy. Knowing the purpose of your shoot will help you form a shot list and choose the right aesthetic details.
The most successful brand shoots start with a plan for how the images will support the marketing strategy. For example, take a major brand like Lululemon. Do you think they ever invest time, money, and resources into a shoot without knowing exactly how they’ll use those images across their website, ads, and social media? Absolutely not! Take the same approach for your small business brand photoshoot!
To create a strategy and a shot list, you need to:
- Set clear, specific goals for the shoot
- Take inventory of any specific images you need (like a horizontal banner image for your home page with space for text on the right, for example. Check out this post for 5 brand photos you need on your website).
- Create a mood board for inspiration
This mindset shift, from just getting photos to thinking like a strategist, will change everything. If you need help, grab my free guides: the Brand Photoshoot Shot List: 7 Must-Have Photos for Any Industry and 18 Brand Photoshoot Ideas. If you’re looking for a more customized, business-specific approach, Brand Shoot Essentials includes a comprehensive guide to building your shot list, complete with 50+ ideas and a detailed shot list template.
Step 3: Style Your Shoot
Now for the aesthetics! Your brand photos should feel like your brand personified. Here are the key styling elements you need to plan:
- Color Scheme: Stick to your brand colors with some neutrals mixed in for balance.
- Locations: Whether it’s your workspace, a rented space, or an outdoor setting, your backdrops should align with your brand vibe.
- Wardrobe: Choose outfits that make you feel comfortable and confident. You should feel like yourself, but a little elevated. You are doing a photoshoot after all! Ask yourself: If my brand were a person, would they wear this?
- Props: Use tools of your trade, personal items, or even printed materials (like documents or packaging) to visually tell your story.
When all these elements work together, your photos will feel cohesive, on-brand, and instantly recognizable.
If you’re feeling stuck with styling, Brand Shoot Essentials has guides for color schemes, locations, wardrobe, and props. My favorite? The Wardrobe Guide, which has 8 photoshoot outfit formulas, answers to the most common photoshoot outfit FAQ’s, and tips for achieving variety in your photos through wardrobe choices. No more stressing about what to wear for your brand photoshoot! You’ll get everything you need to create photos that reflect your brand perfectly.
Step 4: Perfect Your Plan
The difference between a good shoot and an amazing one? Organization and preparation!
Map out every detail in one central place, just like you might for a big international trip. Finalize your shot list, make a checklist of props to bring, gather all of your team members’ contact info, and compile your inspiration so everyone is on the same page.
And don’t forget to practice some personal brand photography poses! Running through a few poses ahead of time helps ease nerves and gives you a set of go-to poses for shoot day. It’s better to feel a little silly practicing poses in your bedroom than to feel awkward figuring them out for the first time on camera!
And don’t forget the small details:
- Schedule a nail appointment if needed
- Pack an essentials kit (touch-up makeup, water, etc.)
- Plan snacks or meals for the day
No detail is too small. The more prepared you are, the smoother your shoot will go!
Step 4 is all about prep, and Brand Shoot Essentials has you covered with a Shoot Organizer template to map out very detail of your plan and shot list. Plus, the Posing Guide gives you 30+ flattering pose ideas and instructions (no more wondering what to do with your hands!).
Step 5: Maximize Your Photos
Now that you’ve nailed your brand shoot, make sure you’re getting the most out of your images!
- Back them up and organize them for easy access
- Update your website
- Plan your social media content using your new images
- Incorporate them into email newsletters, lead magnets, and marketing materials (P.S. I rounded up some ideas in this post!)
The more you use your photos, the more value you’ll get from them! Inside Brand Shoot Essentials, you’ll find a guide on 25 creative ways to use your photos, plus my top tips for staying organized with your images.
Your All-in-One Brand Shoot Planning Resource
If this feels like a lot to figure out on your own and you’re tired of Googling “How to plan a brand photoshoot” (feel you!), I’ve got you covered!
Brand Shoot Essentials is my complete roadmap to planning a stress-free, strategic brand shoot so you can walk in prepared and walk away with photos you actually use.
Inside, you’ll get:
- Shoot Organizer template to map out your shoot plan and shot list so your shoot day runs smoothly
- Team Member Hiring Guide to help you hire the right photographer, hair and makeup artist, and more
- Canva Brand Guidelines Template so your photos align with your brand’s identity and messaging
- How to Build Your Shot List Guide with 50+ shot ideas and shot list template
- Styling Guides, including:
- Color Schemes Guide to weave your brand colors into your photos
- Locations Guide to help you find the perfect backdrops
- Wardrobe Guide with answers to wardrobe FAQ’s, 8 photoshoot outfit formulas, and examples for creating variety in your shots using your outfits
- 100+ Prop Ideas Guide categorized by theme and industry
- Posing Guide with 30+ flattering pose ideas and examples
- Confidence-boosting Spotify playlist
- 25 Creative Ways to Use Your Photos guide to help you make the most of your photos after your shoot
- Workbook and checklist to guide you through the 5 steps and help you brainstorm and plan every detail along the way
If you want to feel confident going into your shoot (and actually love the results!) click here to check out Brand Shoot Essentials!
How to Plan a Brand Photoshoot: Final Thoughts
Planning a brand photoshoot can feel like a lot, but with the right approach, it can be fun, empowering, and deliver a serious ROI for your business. With this 5-step framework, you’ll walk into your shoot with clarity and confidence, knowing exactly what you need and how to get it.
And if you want a complete system to simplify your planning, Brand Shoot Essentials is here to help. Click here to get all the details!
READ MORE
+ SHOW comments
Add a comment