After my recent brand photoshoot I wanted to bring you behind the scenes to give you a glimpse into the creative process that went into it. From the penny drop moment that inspired the shoot to my checklist of essentials to pack, I've covered it all for you to delve into.

TIME FOR A REFRESH

Brand photography has the power to influence the perception that people have of our business. Whether we're intentional with our visual identity or not, we're always communicating something that our audience is going to form a first impression from. When I took some time to reflect on my brand identity I realised how much it have evolved since my last brand photoshoot. Everything from my style to the clients I was attracting had shifted behind the scenes but I wasn't communicating that to the outside world through my visuals.

I realised that my creativity and inspiration were feeling stifled because I wasn't aligned with the brand I was putting out into the world and it was holding me back from putting my best foot forward for new opportunities.

It was time for a shake up and for my brand to reflect the business owner I am today and the vision I have for supporting creative business owners in reaching their full potential through strategic, intentional marketing.

CULTIVATING THE VISION

The first thing I did was create a Pinterest board where I could begin to add inspiration for outfits, poses, and colours to inspire the shoot. Very quickly I began to see my style shine through and I could now visualise the photography style that was going to best reflect my brand. It didn't take me long to decide that Phoebe from The May Studio was the perfect photographer to bring my vision to life and once I booked in the shoot it was time for the prep to begin.

GETTING ORGANISED

Working with a photographer who had a seamless process from start to finish made the shoot prep so much easier. There were simple time-savers that Phoebe shared with me that I would have never thought of and it made everything run a lot smoother. The first thing we did was lock in the venue for the shoot and I chose to go with the Three Rooms Sydney designer apartments as having a shoot location that was thoughtfully designed in a way that reflected my brand aesthetic was really important to me.

Then it was time for the fun (and sometimes stressful) part of shopping for the outfits. I went with four outfit options for the shoot with a mix of sophisticated to more relaxed yet refined looks in my brand colour palette. I knew that the style of photography I wanted to capture had a lot of motion shots, so I chose a few outfits that had softer, flowy fabrics that would photograph well.

DAY OF THE SHOOT

We arrived at the shoot location and it was so beautiful. It was such an exciting feeling to realise that we were about to bring to life what was once just an idea. We got to work right away to make the most of the lighting in each room and any nerves I had about nailing the poses were immediately dissolved as Phoebe guided me through everything with her expert eye for detail.

With ABBA music playing in the background we grooved through the shot list and it was so much fun to spend the day in total creative flow. Once the shoot was wrapped up we decided that the next obvious adventure was to head for pizza and I can't think of a better way to end a shoot day.

WHAT I PACKED

When it comes to packing for a brand photoshoot I always find that the things that seem the most simple are also the easiest to forget. So, here's a list of everything I packed and wished I packed so that you can be organised for your next brand photoshoot.

• Tripod to capture behind the scenes reel content
• Four outfits with a few options you can mix and match
• A few styles of shoes from glam to casual
• Boob tape especially if you're going with flowy outfits like me
• Garment bags and hangers to have your outfits ready to go
• Styling props, magazines, and notebooks in your brand colours
• Any printed branding material you would like featured in the shots
• Clothes steamer for quick touch-ups on the day
• Make-up and hair styling tools to have at the ready
• Laptop and phone cleaning wipes if you're featuring them
• Snacks and a water bottle - no idea how I forgot these on the day

There's more I'll be sharing soon on what to do once you've got your new branding photos ready to roll out but for now, I hope this has given you inspiration for your next brand photoshoot and insight into ways to make the planning process more easeful.

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