always start with
Branding
Picking the right location for your brand shoot is essential to getting the images you need.
Each location provides context for the story you want to tell and structures the focus of your deeper message.
The most important thing to consider before booking a location is being crystal clear on your brand identity. Your personal brand is not just about what you do - it's about who you are. Consumers are no longer interested in just buying the right product or service. We want to buy the product or service from the right person. We're looking for someone who embodies the result (deeper emotional feeling) we're looking for. When a business' brand clearly displays who they are, we feel safe investing our time and money.
Starting with your branding means you know why you're in business, you know the tone of your brand (expressed with brand colors, typography, voice, keywords), and most importantly, you know WHO you're talking to. You really want to know how you want your audience to feel when they see your images. Connect this with what you personally value and you will begin to craft the foundation of a compelling storyline grounded in authenticity that reflects who you really are and what your clients can expect from you. Once your branding is in place, it's just a matter of putting the pieces together.
KNOW YOUR VIBE
Location sets the mood for what your audience can expect to feel from you and are great tools to exude that vibe.
Pick 3-4 brand keywords or pillars that will be the thread that weaves through all the photos. This will help shape a cohesive narrative.
Example: Light, Warm, Freedom, Spiritual
In this case, we want indoor and outdoor locations that offer plenty of light, cozy areas, clean spaces to showcase and interact with spiritual tools, and open nature settings that garner that sense of freedom.
Sometimes you may find you shoot in a location you don't live in. Be aware of the local flora and the overall vibe of the area.
If boho island living is your vibe but you're in a city, it's best to steer clear of city-scapes, hard edges, and cold, overcast vibes. Instead, search for indoor spaces you can rent on airbnb or peerspace. You can always create the look you're going for with a little creativity.
INDOORS
If your home is on-brand this can be a really powerful way to connect with your ideal audience. People get to see a peek into your real life and I find my clients feel very relaxed and inspired in this setting. You get to grab your favorite coffee mug, scan books on your bookshelf, interact with your pets and loved ones, and more.
Not everyone has a home that is on-brand and so renting a space from airbnb or peerspace can be a really great way to capture the behind-the-scenes lifestyle in the context you're looking for.
When choosing an indoor location you want to make sure the space has a lot of natural light (big windows) and is spacious enough to get a variety of angles with different lenses.
Look at the light available. Are there skylights above key scene areas like the living room or large windows facing the kitchen? Large white walls are also very important because they bounce off natural light beautifully and provide a neutral background for your branding colors.
Also consider the furniture and decor in the rental space. I see clients sometimes gravitate to rentals that have a lot of their branding colors throughout the home. While that may seem helpful, it actually can create a sense of overwhelm if you're already wearing your brand colors and bringing color-branded props. Of course this is different with every brand but generally you want to think about the indoor location as the blank canvas for you to proudly display your unique branding.
OUTDOORS
Depending on your brand, you may or may not want to shoot outdoors. I have worked with clients that wanted the entirety of their photoshoot outdoors while others have opted for completely indoors. Most clients fall somewhere in the middle.
This is another factor to consider when choosing a rental home. What does the property look like outside? You want to consider the landscaping and keep an eye out for a variety of options when choosing different scenes.
If you're going off the rental property, you may find yourself at a botanic garden, a cafe, cute town shopping areas, photogenic residential areas, or a beautiful nature trail nearby.
With each of these locations, you want to consider how busy they are and what time is best for the right light and traffic (especially in tourist-heavy areas). Choose locations that are nearby each other and be on the lookout for cute corners to stop en-route to the next location.
You also want to make sure there are plenty of shaded areas if you are going somewhere at the brightest time of day in order to avoid direct sunlight.
LIFESTYLE LOCATIONS
Sometimes staying in one location provides all the context you need to share the story you want to tell. Other times, it's a great idea to add one 1-2 more locations to give a wider context to your message.
Think about what you do often and where you frequent.
As an example, let's say one values of your brand identity is fun. And, one way that you love having fun is shopping. If so, having images of you walking around with shopping bags, hanging out in the town square, sipping coffee as you charge up for more - those are going to be important to have for your personal brand.
Now, we can take this a step further and consider which shopping areas to choose that are on-brand for you. Think about the vibe and colors of the area. If your brand is eccentric and bright you may want to think about a shopping area that has a lot of flowers, colorful tiled fountains, and bringing bags that are on-brand colors. But if your brand is more luxury sleek with tailored suits and high-heels, you want the shopping center to reflect a more bold power-vibe, walking past luxury stores and city-scapes, muted landscaping, and black and white bags. Same idea, different branding.
DIG DEEPER
When you know why you like a photo or location, you can easily find locations that come together seamlessly because they follow the same aesthetic principles you value.
To do this, take stock of what inspires you around the digital platforms you frequent. Look at your saved posts from places like pinterest and instagram and see if you can find common threads. Maybe you see that you've saved a lot of images with a studio-like feel. That would be a location that's important for you to secure for your photoshoot.
And then continue from there. Why a studio look? Perhaps you like the polished, professional feel to it. That will help guide you in choosing an on-brand rental or cafe. Try to follow those values as you choose your locations for a cohesive look that still offers variety!
