Preparing for your branding session
A lot of clients wonder how to prepare for their personal branding session. I’m not going to lie, it’s a lot of work and I’ve heard some clients compare it too their wedding day. I am here to make it as successful, organized and as stress free as possible! What I can tell you, is these sessions are well worth the investment and the effort you put in to them. Besides, its no surprise that the photos that represent your brand and yourself, are the ones that tend to get the most hits on social media, and it is these images that catch attention and draw in your potential clients!
Wardrobe:
- Keep it simple. If you session includes 2 looks, we found a really easy way to do that. Start with a base layer of a nice shirt & pants (or jeans) OR a dress. Then you add a jacket, or a cardigan on top. Boom, you have 2 looks once you remove that extra layer. (Photos below to help you:)
- Bring an extra look if it’s included the session type you have chosen. Even if your end goal is just one or two photos it’s best to have options. Please don’t bring your whole wardrobe as we’ll end up using up shooting time trying to sort through your clothes. But if you aren’t quite sure, I’m more than happy to take a look and if we need to make a quick change at our session, it’s no problem.
- Clothes that fit close or slightly float away from your body are more flattering in photos. Clothes that are too large or too tight will not be flattering in your photos.
- Bring colours that compliment your skin tones. opt for colours that compliment and bring out your eyes, skin tone or hair are best. If you like, you can also bring your brand colours into your outfit. Whether it be a cardigan with the buttery yellow from your logo or that mint green you can add with your favourite necklace.
- Avoid flashy / busy patterns that will distract from YOU. The main focus of these photos should be your eyes and the connection we feel with your personality.
- If you can wear a light tank under tops, it allows for quick changes outside, and therefore more photography time.
- Jewelry; as mentioned above, you can add a pop of colour if you happen to find some interesting jewelry for your shoot. If you’re not too sure, I recommend that you keep the jewelry very simple. I’m here to give you hand if you aren’t sure what looks right.
- TRY ON your wardrobe items before you bring them. Check that items still fit well. Hopefully this will remind you to pack outfit specific undergarments (i.e. avoid striped undershirts/black bras under light shirts, etc.). If you are wearing a light shirt, please wear a white or nude colour bra and bring any undershirts you might need.
- Please launder, iron, de-lint your wardrobe as needed (as we don’t want to have add-on retouching fees.)
MORE TIPS TO PREPARE FOR YOUR BRANDING SESSION:
Think of this as you would preparing for an interview…
Stay hydrated and get plenty of rest in the days leading up to your session. This will help keep your skin clear and eyes bright! Don’t stress if you wake up with blemishes the day of your session (and don’t mess with them as it will generally make them worse — let photoshop do the magic there!)
Eyebrows / Nails / Facial Hair: clean up / trim / etc. as necessary. Please paint your nails if you choose a session type where your hands will be in your photos.
Hair: Bring a brush/comb and any products necessary to control static/flyaways (or to keep in place if there’s a light breeze). Please DO NOT try out a brand new haircut/style the week before your session (take it from clients who have learned this lesson the hard way) It’s best too have your hair trimmed a couple weeks before your shoot! For the men- we recommend you get your haircut 4 to 5 days prior to the shoot so it doesn’t have that “freshly cut” look.
NAILS: It’s a good idea to clean up your nails before your session even if you prefer not to wear nail polish. Make sure to moisturize your hands for a few days before your session. This is for closeup shots of hands typing or if we do a pose with your hands near your face.
Makeup:
If you do your makeup yourself, do your makeup how you usually wear it for an average day, or possibly a nice dinner. Do not wear heavy makeup; a close headshot will show clumps of mascara or dark lipstick. Choose light to medium eyeliners, eye shadows, and lipsticks that are only a shade or two darker than your skin tones. This brings your features out in a subtle manner without making it look like you’re wearing lots of makeup. Avoid caking on heavy (or shiny) foundation, or wearing shiny eye shadows or lip gloss: too much shine is distracting on camera and looks wet. Skin blemishes, pimples, and even wrinkles can be retouched It’s not cheating. I promise. We also work with a number of professional make-up artists and stylist who we are happy to recommend.
*** If you wear foundation, please make sure it matches your skin tone of your neck. This can quickly turn into additional retouching fees if its not matched correctly. So let’s do the best we can to avoid that!***
Men: a bit of lip balm or chapstick can be your best friend to avoid cracked lips (especially with these cold winters!)
Beards: If you have a beard, trim it evenly so it’s nicely groomed. If you’re going clean-shaven, get a good shave the day of your headshot. Darker colored beards tend to be accentuated in photos- trim it well so it’s not too thick.
Glasses:
If you normally wear glasses and have a strong prescription, or glasses with no anti reflection coating, we do advise that you visit your opticians and either borrow a pair of blank frames or or get them to remove your lenses for the shoot. As we can have problems with reflection and refraction. We often shoot some shots with and some without glasses. You might like to bring along a couple of pairs of frames.
BE ON TIME: Please familiarize yourself with directions to our meeting place and leave yourself time to negotiate traffic and parking. Session times are chosen around flattering light. Nothing worse than arriving frazzled, except arriving late when light is changing (AND there might be a session scheduled after yours).
When you first arrive, we’ll chat about your wardrobe for a few minutes, and then you’ll have time to relax into the session.
Here’s a little cheat sheet of things that you should have on hand at your session:
- a couple extra outfit options if you’re not sure about your choice
- hairbrush
- hair product ie: hairspray (to keep flyaways away)
- face powder or blot sheets (shine happens!)
- the lipgloss or lipstick you’re wearing for touch-ups
- appropriate colour undergarments for your chosen outfits (nude bra for white and light tops!)
And remember to have fun and not take it too seriously! We know that’s a little difficult after all these do’s and don’ts, but we promise to make the experience as relaxing as possible. You’ve got this. 🙂
Some of the basic props that clients like to bring to their branding session:
- coffee/tea mug
- day planner/notebook
- laptop
- notebook
- fancy pen
- products, if applicable
- cellphone
- Business cards, or any items with your logo (for a flatlay shot)
I know you might feel overwhelmed but I’m here for you and I’ve never had a client leave their session and NOT say “OMG, that was so much FUN!”