People always ask how I come up with ideas and props for my client’s brand photo shoot sessions. My clients sometimes feel at a loss for what to bring with them to set the stage for the images for the shots that will tell their story.
The truth is that in addition to thinking creatively, I think it’s always best to start at the beginning.
You may have heard me say many times that starting with what stories or themes we are going to capture makes it much easier to figure out the logistical stuff like locations, clothing, props, other people, animals, etc.
So, how does that work?
For example, let’s say you are a personal trainer and a health advocate and you want to build your brand as a thought leader in the space of holistic health and fitness. As we plan your branding session, we would first talk about what areas of your life and business are the most important to show the types of people you want to attract.
Perhaps those you most want to help are looking for advice on holistic health nutrition and fitness due to a current illness. Maybe one of your “stories” is how you use yoga as part of your service and you want your images to include you helping a client through a set of poses. In that case, the props we would consider would be yoga mats, blocks, straps, blankets and maybe things like plants in the background, candles or incense burners.
Maybe another story you want to tell is about getting the right nutrition and you want your client to know that your program involves incorporating whole foods as much as possible in their diets. In this case, we might photograph you in a nice kitchen cooking up a simple meal. Props to consider here would be kitchen knives, a variety of colorful veggies, interesting spices and maybe a bowl filled with fruit.
Connection
Don’t forget to include stories that help you connect emotionally with your clients.
Maybe the reason you became such an advocate of a holistic lifestyle was that you overcame a cancer diagnosis by incorporating exercise and whole foods into your life and now you want to celebrate that by spending more time with your kids. Creating images that show you and your kids out riding bikes together or playing basketball would really connect on an emotional level if your ideal client is also a parent.
I’m sure you can imagine the props you would need for that story, am I right? 😊
You see, the story is really what drives everything else!
Brainstorming Time
Want to do this for yourself? Then I challenge you to a brainstorming session!
Put 10 minutes on a timer and write down everything that comes to mind for you when you think about the following:
1. From the stories/themes, you have identified for your shoot, what objects immediately come to mind for you?
2. What types of things can you just not live without or use just about every day?
3. What types of things do you not necessarily use every day but would add something fun to the story or would help explain the message?
4. What objects might resonate really well with your ideal client?
In just about every session that I have photographed for a client, we have incorporated props into the set or as something my client holds or wears in the images. Literally, the only limits are your imagination AND not offending your ideal client (obviously, right?)
Here are just a few examples of some of the props my clients have used in their brand images:
• Clocks
• Signs
• Candles
• Globe
• Calendar
• File folders
• Books
• Confetti
• Balls – lots of ‘em
• Map
• Notebook
• Pets
• Personalized coffee mug
• Microphone
• Headphones
• Hats
• Binoculars
• Video camera
• Glasses and sunglasses
• Bottle of champagne
• Noisemakers
• Flowers
Hopefully, this helps give you some great ideas on what to include as you plan your brand photography photo shoot.
Want more help and inspiration?
Need more help designing and creating your brand images? I offer complimentary clarity calls during which we will talk about what images you must have for YOUR business and determine whether hiring a professional photographer is the right next step for you.
Whether or not we are a good fit to work together, you’ll walk away from our call knowing:
• What images you need for your unique brand
• When the time is RIGHT for you to invest your marketing dollars in a photographer
• How to prepare for when you ARE ready to take that step
So, grab a 30 minute call time on my calendar and let’s talk!
