So, you’ve decided that this is the year you want to build a unique personal brand. Knowing how you want to portray yourself in the public eye is only the first step. Next, you will need to ensure you have a strong online presence that represents what you’re all about – visuals are one of the most essential elements.

Scheduling a personal branding photoshoot is one way to start building your ideal image. Your photos need to capture the essence of who you are and what you offer. It might sound easy enough to do on your own, but many entrepreneurs soon realize how difficult it is to bring a message across in an image.

Hiring a professional photographer will save you a lot of time and give you the most professional results.

If you’re in the process of hiring a photographer, here are some key questions to ask your personal brand photographer.

1. How often do you shoot personal branding photos?

Not all photographers specialize in or have a lot of experience with personal branding shoots. This is not to say that they aren’t experienced and skilled, but it is better to go with someone who has specific personal branding experience. It is not enough that they just take nice photos, but you need someone with who you can discuss your vision and trust that they can bring it to life. 

2. Where do you shoot?

Next, you want to find out whether the photographer shoots in a studio or other locations too. There’s nothing wrong with shooting in a studio, but to truly tell a story, you should have the option to choose your own locations too. Whether this is your office, home, or favorite coffee shop, location plays a leading role in your visual story.

3. What’s included in the shoot?

Find out more about what’s included in the total cost of the shoot and whether that meets your requirements. Number of edited images, prints, props (check out this blog post where I discuss props), and travel costs are just some of the aspects to consider.

4. What process do you follow?

If you want to end up with photos that portray what your brand is all about, your photographer should have a process in place that will allow them to understand what you’re looking for. They shouldn’t just take your money and then have no additional communication with you until your session.

5. Can you send me a mood board or ideas?

While this is not an absolute must, you might want to find out whether your photographer can give you a visual idea of the kind of imagery and story your photos will tell. I like to provide my clients with mood boards just for this reason.

Don’t forget to meet with your photographer in person or via Zoom. This helps further ensure their personality and style are a good fit for you. From there, you can look forward to stunning and engaging personal branding imagery. 

So there you have it. Those are a couple of questions to ask your personal brand photographer before you book them. Hopefully, this will help make your search just a little bit easier. If you want to discuss your personal brand session vision with me, click on the button below.