Here are my top tips for how to choose the best brand photographer for your business.
Anyone can call themself a brand photographer. But, how do you choose a good brand photographer? Just because a photographer can take a decent headshot, doesn’t make them great at branding photography.
Choosing the right brand photographer is critical to achieving brand photos that convey the visual messages you want to tell prospective clients about your business.
A website with high-quality inspiring photos that convey your value and show what it is like to work with you will be the best salesperson you could ever ask for.
Here are my top 7 tips for how to choose the best brand photographer:
1. Look at the photographer’s own brand photos
The best brand photographers put what they preach into practice with their own business. You should expect to see inspiring photos of the photographer on their own website and social media. If they don’t have good brand photos themselves then this indicates that they may not be a great choice for your brand photography.
Does the photographer’s own social media presence look cohesive and well thought out?
Are they adding value to their audience and prospective clients through their use of brand imagery?
If a photographer only has a basic headshot or two and does not have their own brand photography showing the value of their own services, then it may not be wise to entrust your own brand photography to them.
2. Check out reviews from their past brand clients
Read reviews and testimonials from the photographer’s previous brand clients.
Reviews from other types of photography they may offer are not really relevant as brand photography is a whole different beast than, for example, family photography.
Have their past brand photography clients been thrilled with their experience and the end results? Have they put the images from their photo session to use on their website and social media?
3. Check out their brand portfolio
Look through the work they have created for other brand clients. Ideally you should be looking at a wide variety of images from each brand session – not just a couple of images from each session. You want to get an idea of what the imagery they create for a client looks like as a whole, not just one or two images.
Does each session have a wide variety of images in different compositions (wide, mid, close up, details) so that they can be used in a range of ways and create an aesthetically pleasing social media and web presence. The best brand photographers create a range of photos to give their clients maximum use and variety in their business.
The best brand photographers also have understanding of how to incorporate a businesses branding elements such as colours and moodboards into the imagery they create. Do the images for a business incorporate that businesses specific brand colours and themes in a cohesive way? Or are they generic images with no recognisable colour palette or messaging.
A good brand photographer needs to be educated and knowledgeable about branding and business messaging. They also need to know the types of images that will set a website apart. Not all images are suitable for use on a website – websites need specific compositions for particular placements on your website. Likewise, pinterest, facebook and instagram all suit different image compositions.
4. Consider the style of their photos
When reviewing a photographer’s portfolio of brand imagery, consider whether it is in a style that appeals to you and suits your specific brand. I suggest that you look for websites you like from others in a similar industries and create a pinterest board of images that you love. This should give you an idea of the style of photography you prefer.
A good brand photographer will adapt to each specific client’s style to some extent, but if the photographer’s style is vastly different to your preferred image style, then that photographer may not be your best choice.
5. Check what the photographer’s website looks like
Is the photographer’s own website inspiring in terms of their use of web design and brand imagery? Do they have a website which takes advantage of a variety of compositions of imagery – wide banner images for example?
If the photographer has a very basic non-inspiring website then they are likely not aware of the power of branding. A photographer who has a good understanding of the importance of branding, will have a beautifully designed website that reflects this.
6. Ask whether they offer guidance and planning for your session
Some brand photographers will give creative guidance and plan specifically for your shoot in line with your branding and inspiration. Others will simply turn up and shoot on the day, without adding their own creative input into the planning process.
Check which approach the brand photographer takes and whether this is suitable for you. Unless you are confident in being the sole creative director of your own brand shoot, then a photographer who takes a more active role in the planning process will likely be more suitable.
7. Have a chat with them
Last but not least, I recommend having a chat with the brand photographer to see whether your personalities are a good fit and you feel confident they will be able to create the imagery you are hoping for.
A good brand photographer should be able to add some value even on an initial phone call by having some ideas for the types of photos that will be helpful in visual messaging for your specific business.
Now that you know how to choose the best brand photographer, don’t delay!
There you have it – 7 tips for how to choose the best brand photographer! Does your brand or business need some amazing photos to allow it to shine bright online? I’d love to chat with you about how I can help – please get in touch!
