The 10 Types Of Branding Photos You Need For Your Business
“What types of branding photos do I really need for my business?”
If you’ve ever asked yourself this question, you’ve come to the right place!
As a Personal Branding Photographer, I spend a substantial amount of time asking my clients detailed questions about their businesses in order to find out exactly what type of content they need. Every client has a different set of needs, & a discussion about exactly what types of images would be most useful for them is an essential part of the consultation process. Whether you’re working with a professional photographer or you’re planning out & creating visual content for your business on your own, it’s essential to make sure that your branding images illustrate the entire experience a client or customer will have when they choose to work with you or decide to purchase products from your business.
It can be a little overwhelming to come up with a list of all of the different types of images you may need, so I’ve created this blog post to introduce you to some of the most common types of branding photos. Read on to learn more & to see some examples!
You may also like: How To Create A Shot List For Your Personal Branding Photoshoot
#1. Basic Headshots
By definition, a Headshot is a simple, clean portrait of an individual - usually shot from the chest up & on a plain background. I always tell my clients that this is the #1, most essential, can’t-live-without-it shot to have in your branding image library, no matter what your industry is or where you’re at in your business. If you have a limited budget or are just getting started with your brand & aren’t 100% sure what type of content you need or want just yet, an updated headshot is a simple & easy place to start. Not only are headshots easy to create quickly, they are without a doubt one of the most valuable pieces of content you can have. Your headshot can be used as a professional profile photo on your website, social media profiles, business cards, for your speaking engagements & more…
#2. Lifestyle Portraits
Lifestyle Portraits are somewhat similar to Headshots, but have a more stylized look & feel. These types of portraits place an emphasis on expressing a little more of your unique style & personality. While headshots are more traditional & reserved, stylized portraits give you the freedom to have a little more fun! With these types of images, you can incorporate your favorite props, experiment with interesting backgrounds, try out some different poses, etc. Lifestyle Portraits give you the chance to really show off who you are & to create something eye-catching & unique. Images that show a person’s face in an engaging environment create curiosity & cause a potential client or customer to stop & take notice as they scroll through their social media feeds. Lifestyle Portraits are most commonly used as profile & about photos, for “get-to-know-me” posts, & as imagery for products you may be creating such as ebooks, downloadable guides, online workshops, etc.
#3. Team &/or Business Partner Photos
If you have employees &/or a business partner, group photographs of you & your team are essential to have on hand as well! People enjoy seeing who they will be working with or buying from, & having images of your team really helps customers get to know both you & who you work with. Team or Business Partner photos often include formal group shots, relaxed photos of you & your team members working together in your place of business, shots of your team engaged in group activities, etc. These photos are commonly used on about pages, as “get to know us” posts on social media, & on websites as a way to put faces to the names of all the different people who help you run your business. Seeing photos of you & your team together will create a sense of trust for potential clients & customers - think of these types of images as a way to virtually introduce all of the members of your business to your audience.
Client: Hodge Western Corp.
#4. Location Photos
If you conduct your business out of a storefront or in a specific office space, these photos show off the environment that your product &/or service are created & sold in. These types of photos are most useful for Retail shops, Salons, Restaurants, Bars, Office spaces, etc. - really, for any business that operates out of a physical space. Showing off the atmosphere that a client or customer can expect when they visit your business creates a sense of curiosity & excitement for a potential visitor! Location photos can be used in so many different ways - on your website, in your ads & print marketing, as social media posts, etc. For business owners who work remotely or from home, simple location photos are still valuable to have - I’ve created many a little office setup in a photo studio or in a living room corner so that someone who works from home can still have images of them at work in a space that represents their brand.
Client: Peters & Milam Insurance Services
#5. Product & Service Photos
This is where you get to show off the main objective of your business - we all need images of our services or products! These types of images can be ultra-styled, ultra-simple, or both - it all depends on what best represents your style. These photos highlight your product or service so that potential clients & customers can see exactly what they’re getting out of their choice to purchase from or work with you. Products are most commonly photographed as flatlays, knockout images, in super-stylized environments, or in a combination of all of these. For service-based businesses, stylized photos that depict your service being delivered by you or your team work quite well to fulfill this category. Obviously, these types of photos are indispensable for commerce pages, social media posts, catalogs, etc. - & every time you add a product or service, you’ll need new images showing off your latest creation or offering!
Client: Feather & Bell Apothecary
#6. Action & Interaction Photos
When creating action & interaction photos, it can be helpful to think about each aspect of your client’s journey as they experience your service or use your product. For example, imagine a hairstylist is looking to create this type of branding imagery - this individual could benefit from creating photos that show the entire experience a client would have at a salon: a relaxing shampoo, the client enjoying some tea or wine as their hair is getting cut, the client getting a glamorous blowout, the finished hairstyle, etc. These types of images often require an extra person to come along and model as the “client” - many of my clients ask a friend to come along to the shoot & will offer them complimentary services in exchange for having their photos taken & used as marketing images. Any image that shows you providing a service experience or showing how product can be used can fall into this category. When a client has an in-depth understanding of how your service or product works & will be delivered, it instills confidence that they will experience the same level of service should they choose to work with you.
#7. Detail Photos
When creating a new set of branding imagery, it’s important to remember to take some close-up angles & detail photos every step of the way. Detail photos not only show a closer look at your product, but also create visual variety - these types of shots are perfect for filler imagery on your website, as content for your social media posts, to mix in with your product photos on your commerce pages, etc. If you’re someone who creates a physical product, detail photos are essential in order to accurately show a full view to anyone interested in purchasing your product. For service-based businesses, focus on creating images that show close-ups and details of your process & your service as it’s being provided.
#8. personal &/or Get-To-Know Me photos
There is so much room for creativity here! Personal photos are all about showing who you are outside of your immediate work environment, & are a great way to create opportunities for a new client or customer to connect with you on a personal level. Showing off your personality really helps you to stand out from your competition, & this can be a deciding factor for a client when they are deciding whether or not to work with you. For these types of photos, my clients often choose to create images of them engaging in a favorite hobby (yoga, cooking, etc.), hanging out with their pets, spending time with their family, etc. People love seeing personal posts on social media, especially - it makes you seem friendly and more down-to-earth. These photos are not only useful for marketing purposes, but are always great to have for personal use as well - my clients have used their get-to-know me photos as Christmas cards, as prints to hang in their homes, etc.
#9. Behind the Scenes photos
These types of images present an opportunity for you to take people behind-the-scenes & share exclusive content that shows a more in-the-moment look at your process! For example, I often share photos & videos that are taken by my assistant as I photograph a client. This way, a potential future client can watch a video of me as I photograph a client, & can then better understand what type of experience they will have if they choose to book a session with me. BTS content tends to be a little more informal & less staged, as it is often taken during work with a real client & not with a model. Photos of you gathering inspiration for a new painting, working on your computer as you write a new blog, etc. are other great examples of engaging BTS imagery. These types of images are very useful for about pages on a website, as social media posts, & on any website page or promotional document where you want to share a more in-depth look at your process.
#10. Promotional & Advertising Photos
Advertising photography consists of multiple types of imagery - campaigns, lookbooks, lifestyle imagery, & more. Obviously, the main objective of advertising imagery is to sell your product or service, & one of the biggest challenges when marketing your business is to create original, memorable, engaging concepts that will attract ideal customers & convert existing leads. Lifestyle imagery is one of the most popular types of advertising imagery to create, & when done well, it works to sell a product or service by placing it in an environment that highlights a certain lifestyle &/or event that appeals to your ideal customer. The most compelling lifestyle imagery allows a potential client to easily imagine themselves using a product or experiencing a service in a similar manner to the models in the ad, & also allows them to imagine how their own lives would improve by using said product or service. Ad imagery is used anywhere & everywhere you can imagine - on websites, social media, catalogs, shop signs, etc.!
Client: Santa Barbara Picnic Co.
What types of personal branding photos have you found to be most useful in your business?
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Meet miranda
Hello! I’m a Portrait, Headshot, & Personal Branding Photographer based in Bend, Oregon.