The Importance of a Personal Branding Shoot
A branding shoot is a professional photoshoot specifically designed to capture the essence and personality of your brand. It is an essential marketing tool for businesses and individuals alike, offering the below the following benefits that contribute to the overall success and recognition of the brand:
- Visual Identity and Consistency
- Positive First Impression
- Building Trust and Credibility
- Effective Storytelling
- Increased Social Media Engagement
- Differentiation from Competitors
- Versatility for repurposing for all marketing mediums
- Adaptability across different seasons and marketing campaigns
- Improved SEO and Website Performance:
- Long-Term Investment for better quality clients leading to higher revenues
For further details, check out our blog.
your brand identity
When, Where & How to book a branding photographer
When should the session happen:
Whether you’re on the verge of launching a new business, or you’re going through a complete brand overhaul or just have very outdated branding photos (or no photos at all!), these are all great times to consider a personal branding session. But more important than above, here the reasons why it may be time for a branding session:
Boost your online presence: Eye-catching, high-quality images will make your social media profiles, website, and marketing materials stand out from the competition.
Connect with your target audience: Personalized branding photos help you create an emotional connection with customers, giving them an inside peek into your brand and story.
Enhance your brand image: Consistent, on-brand images build trust with your audience and showcase your business’s professionalism and values.
Inspire creative content: A collection of stunning branding photos provides a treasure trove of visual content for your marketing campaigns and social media channels.
Increase engagement and sales: High-quality, attention-grabbing images encourage consumers to engage with your brand, ultimately leading to increased sales and conversions.
And if you are starting a new business, here’s some further tips on driving visibility to your business.
Where is the branding session photographed:
The location of the branding photography session is very unique to the brand and business itself and Lemons & Ants Studios will work with you to determine the best location (or locations) for your branding session. It should be a reflection of the overall look and feel of your brand without taking over and pulling attention away from the true subjects (you and/or your team!). Together we will go through a planning process that clarify where the branding session should take place to achieve the goals for your business as mentioned above.
Now here’s a studio that we have used time and time again.
How to ensure a successful branding session:
Once you’re booked in, we will get together for a strategy session to develp a comprehensive list of photos for your business, discuss location options and of course outfits that make sense. The photo list should accomplish the following:
1. Speaks directly to target audience
2. Nail down a personal branding statement
3. Include appropriate props that fit your business
4. Identify the right location for the branding session
5. Includes list of goals for the photoshoot
6. Outfits for different seasons that are relevant to your business
7. List of outfit options to reflect your business and personality
Here’s further details.
frequently asked questions
I am really awkward in front of the camera and never know how to pose, what if my photos don’t turn out?
We completely understand as we also tend to freeze up in front of a camera. That’s why we’ll take our time to strategize on the list of photos together ahead of time so you know exactly what to expect during the session. We’ll also work with you (and whoever else on your team) who need more time to warm up to the camera so that by the end of the session, you’ll feel like a pro 
Here’s some tips to help you prepare for your branding photo shoot
✨ Your posture is key! Good posture is so important to look confident in photos. Keep your shoulders relaxed & your back straight. When we’re nervous, we tend to stiffen our shoulders, making us look ‘cold’. So practice rolling your shoulders back – hint: do some light yoga the morning of your shoot to get you more relaxed
✨ Learn to lean in! Sometimes the awkwardness you feel posing for photos is because you are standing in the middle of a room doing ‘nothing’. Don’t worry – we’ll have you moving around and telling a story so you don’t feel awkward. Avoid looking at the camera straight on, use your angles and lean slightly toward the camera for a more inviting photo.
✨ Relax your hands! Hold a coffee cup, a tablet, or a notebook – this helps with that feeling of not knowing what to do with our hands! This will help to lessen the tension & makes you feel more comfortable – making you LOOK comfortable
No matter if you are comfortable in front of the camera, or are dreading every moment of it – we help walk you through every pose that you can use for all of your marketing needs!
A full branding shoot feels like a lot of photos and I’m not sure if I need or where to use all these photos?
With a strong plan in hand, we’ll make sure you get a great set of photos with lots of variety that you can use across different marketing channels and over a period of time. This will tell a well rounded story of your brand and business since in this day and age, the person/people behind the brand is as important as the services/products you provide.
If you’re still doubtful, here’s a full list of places to use your branding images:
✓ LinkedIn profile image
✓ LinkedIn post (photo uploaded to compliment text)
✓ Twitter handle photo
✓ Instagram bio photo
✓ Facebook page (storefront, services)
✓ Facebook group (coaching)
✓ Pinterest profile pic
✓ Pinterest images
✓ Contributing writer bio
✓ Speaking events bio
✓ Social profiles / handles
✓ One page
✓ Lead magnets
✓ Landing pages
✓ Email content images
✓ About Me or “My Story” page on website — especially if your business sells physical products rather than services (most photos in your galleries are likely of the product, not the face behind it)!
✓ Social posts / messaging
✓ About section of your portfolio, gallery, or other site containing work samples
✓ In reels, using the templates feature
Make up and hair seems necessary for this session? How do I coordinate this with the branding session?
Yes, having your make up and hair done before the branding session will help you relax and also will make you look and feel more confident in the photos. Now if you don’t wear make up on a regular basis, it can feel unnatural or unneccesary, here’s why you should have it done anyway and who we recommend.
We can also help you coordinate with the make up artist but it should be arranged this just before the photo session so that your make up and hair is fresh and camera ready but also give yourself enough time to travel and park to the photo session location so you’re not stressed out.
I’ve gained weight and I no longer know what works for my body. What can I wear for my branding session?
Ready to make a statement at your branding photoshoot? But not sure what to wear? Keep these tips in mind while selecting the perfect outfit:
👗 Opt for solid colors and minimalistic patterns, as they help you stand out without being too overwhelming. Neutrals, pastels, or even bold hues work wonders in creating a cohesive and eye-catching look.
👔 Tailored, well-fitted clothing not only boosts your confidence but also adds a touch of professionalism. And remember, comfort is key – feel-good clothing translates to natural, relaxed poses!
👠 Accessories make a statement, so choose them wisely. Compliment your outfit with some minimalistic jewelry or even classic watches to maintain a balanced look.
Most importantly, wear something you feel confident and comfortable in, your energy and shine will show through your photos. Take some time well before the date of the branding session to try on various outfits to ensure you feel confident and good and if you need, you’ll still have time to go on a well justified shopping spree
I know most people go for smiling, friendly branding photos but I also am in an industry that commands authority and trust with my clients. How do we go about planning for this for our branding session?
To plan for this, we will look at your MESSAGING and think about how to create more impactful images.
Is there a hit-home message you plan to share with your audience? Then let’s capture the right tone, angle, feel, and vibe so you can load the text with a fitting image.
What is it that you are looking to create?
A carousel for LinkedIn?
An Instagram reel?
A Facebook story?
A powerful lead magnet?
A compelling email?
Messaging options are endless. We will examine the design of your message and envision the photos to go with it! We’ll do the rest to capture you at your best.
Step back from messaging and think about your brand as a whole and what feelings and emotions you want to elicit from your followers, future employers, co-workers, potential partners and clients?
Corporate?
Creative?
Fun?
A strategy session ahead of the photo session will ensure your messaging is on-brand. And photographs are a powerful way to do just that.
Here’s a case study of how we did this for one of our recent clients.
We are a team with members and offices all across the country. While it would be great to have a full team branding session, it’s just not feasible right now. Is it still worth booking a branding session for our team in the city?
Yes! Branding photos are never a mistake and knowing ahead of time that you have members who will not be present for the session will also help us plan accordingly. We will work with you to create photos and in locations that would be easy to replicate should the rest of your time choose to do photos at their cities. Or should they decide to travel to Toronto at a later date for branding photos too.
Here’s a team that we worked with to do exactly that.
L&A Personal Branding Session Details
$725
- A planning consultation including an in-depth questionnaire to get to know your business
- A pdf guide with preparation and clothing suggestions
- A 60-90 minute session that includes an hour of studio rental
- A guided zoom consultation for photo selection
- A initial collection of 20 digital photos in high resolution & web-sized format ideal for websites/social media
- Add on make up & hair for $200
Add-on packages for additional images will be available at the reveal consultation for photo selection.
Lemons & Ants, your Toronto Branding Photographer
Lemons & Ants Studios is a studio specializing in personal branding photography in Toronto whose mission is to tell the story of your brand identity to connect with your ideal clients.
Located in Leslieville Toronto Beaches Area. They are Anthony and Le Man, father and mother to three little ones Ellie, Caleb and Abel and also small business owners who understands the importance of impactful images for your brand identity.
Lemons & Ants offers personal branding photography sessions and services all of GTA including Rosedale, Forest Hill, The Bridle Path, Bayview Village, North York, Sunnybrook, York Mills, Bedford Park, Oakville, Mississauga, Bramption and Pickering.