What does it take to Plan the Perfect Brand Shoot?

Planning and executing a perfect personal brand shoot is something that takes time, energy and attention to detail. There’s nothing worse than leaving your dream shot behind because you ran out of time or forgot an essential prop. I’ve broken it down into three categories: Direction + Reflection, Planning and Execution. Keep reading for my top tips on how to prep for your next photoshoot moment.

Direction + Reflection

Deciding your creative direction is an important first step. What is creative direction? This is where design meets strategy and ensures a strong foundation for your ideas to become reality. Cast your vision and start to form themes, concepts, and ideas that will be transformed into the final product on shoot day. It’s important to add that creative direction is more than fluffy, fun and cute ideas, it takes vision, grit and strong leadership to achieve the aura that everyone is striving for and investing in.

Reflecting on what your mission and guiding principles of the brand shoot are is an important place to start. Here are some thought starters to ask yourself:

• What does your brand stand for? What does it say? How does it make people feel? Remember this feeling when you are planning the location and type of shots you would like to achieve.

• What are the guiding principles of your brand? Identify what they are and find ways to incorporate them into the planning and execution stages.

Planning

Once you have your vision and creative direction locked in, the planning stage begins!

Create a breakdown of what it takes to achieve the vibe outlined in the moodboards. This way it’s easy to stay on track and on time to ensure no shot gets left behind.

Important aspects to map out:

• Location

  • Scope out the perfect location or book a studio for a couple of hours.

• Team

  • Communicate your objective to your team, photographer, or whoever is helping you out.

• Props

  • Take note of what items you notice in the shots pictured on your moodboard. Add these to your list for shoot day!

• Outfits

  • Write down all the components of the outfits you are looking to wear so you don’t miss a thing.

• Hair + Makeup

  • Whether you’re doing it yourself or outsourcing this aspect, ensure you are feeling the best version of yourself on shoot day.

• Poses

  • Take note of what poses you notice in the shots pictured on your moodboard and coordinate what look will work with what pose.

• Gear

  • Do you need cameras, a tripod, or additional lighting sources? Bring a variety of options to shoot on: film, iPhone or a DSLR.

Sol Atelier Studio - Toronto

Execution

The execution stage of nailing a brand shoot would not be possible without the Direction + Reflection and Planning discussed. Do not overlook how crucial these steps are to the successful result of your brand shoot. What you gain from a strong execution of your shoot is diverse, on-brand content that will last you for months. When you invest your time and resources towards the important tasks that will set you up for success, your brand stays winning.

CCurate Brand Shoot, 2021