Planning your photoshoot – where to start?

So you know you need some professional photographs to elevate your online presence:
“I want to update my website and grab some photos for Facebook and Instagram…”

And you know you’ll have to get in front of the camera:
“Oh and some headshots maybe…”

So what’s the next step?

You’ll need to choose a photographer, book a photoshoot…
And here are a couple of things to think about to help determine how many and what type of photos you’ll need:

MESSAGE

Are you going for polished and professional, relaxed and approachable or somewhere in between (or both even)? The answer to this question filters through the entire photoshoot from location to wardrobe and posing and even the editing style. Share as much information about your brand values and message with your photographer as you can so they can capture it perfectly.

DESTINATION

Where will you be using the images? Do you just need one LinkedIn profile headshot? Plus the cover photo? Or a full set of “custom stock photos” to use on banners, blog headers and business cards plus 3 months of Facebook and Instagram too? The destination impacts image content – you can (and should) reuse your images across multiple platforms (brand consistency) but will you be telling the same story or a different one on each platform?  I like to use my Instagram feed as more of a look book and to prove to the online world I’m legit and exist, whilst my Facebook page is about providing value and building trust so the imagery is not identical.

COMPOSITION

Do you require a certain aspect ratio say, square for insta or long and narrow for a web banners? Do you need some plainish shots you can use as backgrounds with a nice quote over the top? Do you want some pictures that leave a big gap on the side for you to add your logo and text to? Do you need some where you interacting with that imaginary text? The same content with a different layout, a different crop or from a slightly different angle allows it to be used for multiple purposes.

HOW FRESH?

How fresh? How often do you want to post to Facebook and Instagram? Have you recently changed your look or hairstyle (and need to refresh those headshots)? How many months of content do you wish to create at a time? Are you products or services seasonal? These obviously impact how long and how often you schedule a photoshoot.

I hope these ideas help you plan your photoshoot and maximise your content creation!

(And if you want to update your website, grab some photos for Facebook and Instagram and some headshots maybe… contact me and we can chat about the above )