If you’re a small business owner, solo entrepreneur, or influencer with a personal brand, don’t book a branding photography shoot until you read this article.

As a professional branding photographer, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard someone say that they’ve had a branding shoot but they either can’t use any of the photos, or there’s only 2 or 3 that they end up using… They walk away feeling like it was a waste of time and money, and they’re weary to invest in it again.

I don’t blame them!

But the reason this happens is because most brand photographers think that it’s just another photoshoot – a lifestyle session – with the goal to capture pretty photos of the person in front of them.

That’s NOT the case.

There’s so much more that goes into a high-quality branding photography shoot that creates assets for your business and brand, which is exactly what this article covers. Here are the top mistakes I see most branding photographers make to help you avoid a bad shoot.

Top 5 Mistakes in Branding Photography

1. Shooting Portrait (aka Vertically)

Branding photography is not just about shooting Portrait (aka vertically). Many photographers treat a branding session like a Senior photography session, where the majority of the final images are all Portrait or vertically shot. But in branding photography, at least 75% of your images should be shot landscape, or horizontal.

This is the most common mistake I see, and one of the biggest things you can ask your photographer for during your branding photography shoot. Many photographers treat a branding photography session like a Senior portrait session, where the majority of the final images are all Portrait, or vertically shot. However, most businesses and brands who use their images online and in-print will need to create and fill banners, website pages, and ads with their photos – social banners, website banners, email newsletter banners, etc. – in which vertically shot photos will be unusable for these purposes. In order to properly provide you with usable photos from your branding photography session, at least 75% of your images need to be shot Landscape, or horizontally. Ideally, the branding photographer should shoot landscape and even a bit wider than normal because this will leave the space needed to properly crop the image into the necessary banners and dimensions business owners will need. This is a key point that I always make sure to discuss with my clients – what are the various places and platforms they plan to use their branding photos for, and the necessary dimensions needed so that I can shoot the photos to fit everything they actually need. This is what makes the images usable.

Branding Photography Tip #1

Make sure the branding photographer you choose to work with understands what you need to use your photos for and ask them to shoot horizontally for the majority of the images or for the specific dimensions you will need. You can also create a Branding Photography Shot List and add these notes to each of the specific photos you need.

Get my Free Marketing Photo Checklist to help you understand the exact types of photos you need to effectively market your business, why they matter, and how they help increase your revenue!

2. Low Resolution & Quality

I encourage you, don’t try to save money on your branding photography by going with a cheaper or amateur photographer. You will lose quality and resolution, which is something you can’t afford to do when it comes to your branding photography. There are so many business owners I have talked to over the years who couldn’t use their branding photos they invested in because of the terrible quality. This meant that their branding photography images were either blurry, grainy, the resolution was low resulting in their photos becoming pixelated when they tried to use them on their website or print them, or a mixture of all of the above. Also, while the iPhone cameras nowadays are much better than they’ve ever been, when it comes to using your branding photography the way you will need to effectively market your business, a cell phone picture or selfie is not going to cut it. Especially when it comes to the quality of your business and brand that you want to illustrate through your branding photography, a phone camera just cannot do it. Most likely, you’re going to want to use your branding photography on your website, social channels, email marketing, brochures, flyers, ads, and not to mention pull them into Canva to make various other assets to market your business and deliver information to your clients. In order to do this, you have to have high-quality, high-resolution images to use them as you need to, let alone illustrate the quality of your business, services, and products.

Branding Photography Tip #2

Did you know, statistically, people will look at a photo first before they read text? Also, when text is presented with an image it increases a person’s ability to remember the information from 10% to 65%? The quality of your branding photography matters!

3. No Attention to Detail

While this is true for any type of photography session, it is crucial in your branding photography that your photographer must have attention to detail. How many times have you looked at a picture and noticed something that distracted you? Maybe someone’s hand position looks weird, a shirt collar was flipped up, a necklace was twisted or backwards, or heaven forbid someone’s fly was down! There are so many little details that will make or break any image. In branding photography, every detail matters because it sets the tone for your brand as well as your products or services, it portrays professionalism, and every single detail can help to tell more about the brand or the person behind the business (personal branding) that helps potential clients to connect with them, want to reach out, and hire them.

Branding Photography Tip #3

Think about small details you can incorporate in your branding photography that help showcase your personality and brand identity, or help tell your brand story. Use small details intentionally in branding photography to give off the right information about your brand.

Which leads me to the next mistake…

4. Not Actually Understanding Branding

What actually is Branding Photography? This is probably the most important point. Most photographers, professional or amateur, do not truly understand branding. If a branding photographer doesn’t understand branding and the elements that need to be presented in the imagery or how to use photography to help you effectively market your business, products, services, or your expertise as a professional, then your branding photos are not going to be the best marketing asset or investment for your brand that they could be. Personally, I specialize in branding and marketing photography because of my unique background in business (B.A. and Masters in Business, and Entrepreneurship for over a decade). That’s what makes me a great branding photographer, not just that I’m a professional photographer.

A great branding photographer will take time to understand your branding – brand elements, color pallet, tone, brand story, and most importantly, your target market and products/services. This way your whole branding photography session can be designed to specifically fit your brand so that your photos actually appeal to your target market of potential clients and provide visual assets of your products/services so they can picture themselves working with you. When this is done properly, your branding photos actually help attract your clients to hire you, which is what you want!

Branding Photography Tip #4

Many photographers may choose their favorite location, or simply choose the location based on what their clients say they want. But a great branding photographer will consult with their client to understand their brand in order to best recommend which type of location will fit their brand. It’s also typical for a person to want to wear their favorite clothes in their photos, like a red dress that they feel is most flattering on them. But a great branding photographer who understands your branding color palette would advise you to wear purple and teal colors to match your color palette, since red isn’t included and will clash with your branding colors.

For example, if you own a landscaping business, then you shouldn’t be doing your branding photos in a studio wearing a suit and tie – instead, you should be outside by a finished landscaping project in the attire that matches your brand and what you do. Every element of your branding photography session should uniquely fit your brand.

5. Just a Pretty Picture

Last but certainly not least, most photographers fall into the trap thinking that the goal of every session is to create a pretty picture. While this might be fine for a family portrait session, it’s not going to be enough when it comes to a branding photography session. The whole point about branding photography is to help set your business and brand apart, to stand out, and to appeal to the right type of clients so they hire you. If your branding photos end up looking like everyone else’s photos, then what’s the point? A pretty picture isn’t going to help market your business effectively or tell your potential clients why they should choose you. Your branding photography must do both, and your photographer should know how to achieve that.

Branding Photography Tip #5

When you are searching for a branding photographer, go to their website or instagram and look at examples of their branding photography portfolio. Do all the pictures look pretty much the same? Do they all look like they’re in the same or similar location? Do you see various photos of someone with a laptop and a coffee cup smiling at the camera? Think of this as your red flag. You want to notice a distinct difference between branding photos that help set each brand apart and uniquely fit that brand. While the editing style will probably be similar, the other elements in the photos should be distinct to fit each brand.

Tips for a Successful Branding Photography Shoot

As I’ve continued to stress, great branding photography is so much more than just a pretty picture. An everyday vertical, lifestyle image with your laptop isn’t going to cut it. More importantly, it’s not going to be a high-quality and effective marketing asset for your business. Great branding photography should give you ROI (return on investment).

When searching for a great branding photographer, I encourage you to use these top 5 mistakes as key points to ask questions about before deciding which photographer to hire.

Also, check out my other blog post: Tips for a Successful Branding Photoshoot

Ready to Book Your Branding Photography Session?

If you’re ready to book a Branding photography session, let’s chat!

I have had the honor to travel to and had clients fly to work with me from Las Vegas, Chicago, Los Angeles, Iowa, Florida, Canada, Finland, and more!

Whether you’re near Denver, Colorado, traveling in, or interested in flying me in, I’d love to chat with you!

The best way to do a shoot — make a Mini Business Retreat out of it!

My out-of-state/country clients will take a weekend or few days to fly into Denver, have their photoshoot, and spend an extra day workshopping their business making the trip into a business retreat! (Plus, it’s a write off!)

I have a professional Hair & Makeup Artist and location recommendations to design your Branding Photography Session. In addition, before your session, I send you a questionnaire to design your session and we book a Zoom consultation call to discuss wardrobe and prop options, details for your shoot, and answer any questions you have.

Closing Notes

Great branding photography is so much more than just a pretty picture. An everyday vertical, lifestyle image with your laptop isn’t going to cut it. More importantly, it’s not going to be a high-quality and effective marketing asset for your business. Great branding photography should give you ROI (return on investment). When searching for a great branding photographer, I encourage you to use these top 5 mistakes as key points to ask questions about before deciding which photographer to hire.

Underexposed® is proud to be an LGBTQ Ally and Foster Friendly Business, so all identities, cultures, abilities & genders are welcome and supported.

Start designing your Branding Photography session today!

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