How to Prepare for Your Brand Photography Session

The quality of a brand photography session is determined more by preparation than by camera equipment. A session with clear goals, well-planned outfits, and an organised shot list produces far more usable images than one where everything is figured out on the day.

Step 1 — Define what you need the images for

Before choosing outfits or locations, audit where the images will actually be used. Website homepage, About page, LinkedIn, Instagram, press kit, speaking bio, email newsletter? Each context has different format and composition requirements. A homepage hero image needs horizontal space for text overlay. An Instagram post is square. A speaking bio photo can be tight. Know the destinations before you plan the content.

Step 2 — Plan your outfits

• ◆Plan 2–3 outfit changes for a full-day session — each change signals a new context
• ◆Choose colours that align with your brand palette and photograph well (avoid neon and very fine stripes)
• ◆Layer textures — linen, knit, structured blazer — rather than flat single-fabric pieces
• ◆Have one outfit that's clearly 'at work' and one that reads as 'relaxed professional'
• ◆Steam everything the night before — creases are disproportionately visible in photographs

Step 3 — Create a shot list with your photographer

A shot list is a written list of everything you want covered — by location, outfit, and specific image type. Share it with your photographer before the session. It should include: hero portrait (formal + relaxed), working candid shots, detail shots of workspace or tools, specific poses or activities, any props relevant to your business, and any specific platform-format images (e.g. vertical for Instagram Stories).

Step 4 — Build a mood board

Collect 10 to 20 reference images in a shared folder (Pinterest board or Google Drive) that capture the tone, colour temperature, composition style, and energy you're looking for. Your photographer uses this to calibrate expectations before you arrive, which saves significant time on the day and avoids expensive reshoots.

Step 5 — Prepare your location and props

If the session includes workspace shots, tidy your desk or office to the level you're comfortable showing online — not sterile, but intentional. Bring any props that are genuinely part of your work (a camera, a book you wrote, items from your workshop). Avoid decorative props with no connection to what you do — they read as costume rather than context.