3 things to keep in mind before your next portrait session

What are some things to keep in mind before your next portrait session?

Here are three…

A branded lifestyle portrait session involves making a lot of conscious choices and dealing with several moving parts. 

It can become a pain in the ass - and that doesn’t even speak to the fact that many folks absolutely hate having their photo taken!

But, if you do your homework and are prepared in advance, your time in front of the camera will be more valuable and produce an array of visual assets that can be immediately implemented into your online presence. 

Here’s 3 tips to prepare for a successful branded lifestyle portrait session:

1 - Pick a location that has multiple places for you to stand, sit, lean against a wall and think to yourself.

For those of you who have had a professional portrait session, you know that the time zooms by very fast between outfit changes, changes in your activity in front of the camera, and the time it takes to settle into a new location. 

As a result, you want to identify a space or place that has a plethora of different nooks and crannies near each other that you can jump to in seconds to be able to cut down on wasted time transitioning from one spot to the next. 

This is why co-working spaces are my default locations for branded lifestyle portrait sessions. In addition to unique decor every which way you turn, they also have ample tables, chairs, living spaces and interesting hallways that offer the sessions a ton of visual variety in the photos, especially since they’re changing outfits in the process. 

Don’t waste your session time jumping in and out of cars to different locations. Identify spaces that have a lot of options under just one roof.

2 - Pack your wardrobe wisely

Since your photo session involves promotional images, such as headshots and wider portraits, and lifestyle images showing your audience how the sausage is made when you’re working alone or with your team, bring outfits that illustrate both of those scenarios. 

For the promotional portraits, wear outfits that you would wear when in a typical client setting, whether that’s on a stage, in front of the room, on a Zoom call, or in a meeting. 

This is how they will see you when you work with them so give them the preview of what that looks like.

For the lifestyle portraits of you working on your computer, brainstorming ideas, doing research, or engaging in downtime and hobbies, wear whatever you’d wear during those times in your day. 

One thing to keep in mind - you are taking pictures in it, so make sure it’s camera appropriate. Don’t bring the house shirt that has 4 holes in it - no one wants to see that shit :) 

3 - Bring your tools of the trade

What does work look like to you? 

Are you strictly on a laptop? Do voice recordings? Work off a tablet? Reference manuals and journals? If so, bring them to the session to be photographed engaging them in the way you do. 

The same thing applies to how you brainstorm ideas. 

Don’t just grab a random pen and pad, if that’s how you brainstorm - use the specific ones that you use on a daily basis. It’s a more genuine approach and, for you, you’re more connected to the shots as it accurately captures what this process looks like for you. 

While these are just three things to keep in mind before your next branded lifestyle portrait session, they will help maximize your time in front of the camera to produce a variety of high-quality visual assets that can be used throughout your entire online presence. 

And that is the goal, after all :)

These three prep tips before a session are part of the pre-session strategy call that I have with every single client that sets foot in front of the camera. 

If you’re curious to learn more about what it’s like to work with me, set up a time to chat and we can dive deep in the weeds.