Tips for Having a Brand Photoshoot at Home
There are many options when choosing a location for your brand photoshoot. Some of them (like hiring a studio or luxury home) cost money, while others (like a cafe, park, urban area, or your office or home) are free. And with a lot of business now working from home, that seems to be the most logical and authentic backdrop to show how you work. However, ‘home’ can often be an option that seems stressful. Perhaps you’re worried that your place isn’t a pristine show home and therefore won’t work as a photo location? But having a brand photoshoot at home doesn’t have to be overwhelming, especially when it might be the most suitable option for a small business with budget constraints.
When you work with me as your brand photographer, I’ll guide you in our pre-session consultation with practical steps on how to prepare your home for your photoshoot, but you can start here by reading my top tips to see if it might be a suitable option for you.
Preparing Strategic Spaces
Although many people who may be considering having their photoshoot at home immediately feel the pressure of having to make it completely presentable and perfect, the good new is that with planning and intentionality you’ll probably only need to tidy and declutter 1 or 2 rooms with the best light. Before photo day, we will have a planning session. If we’re considering your home as a possibility, I suggest clients take me on a video walk through of their space, and I’ll let them know upfront if it’s an option. From this, we’ll decide on where the key locations are so you can focus on these strategic spaces, rather than feeling pressure to deep clean your entire house. With just a few ‘sets’ or ‘scenes’, such a clear white wall, a desk and a comfy couch, we can create a variety of looks, and by utilising different positioning and outfits, you’ll walk away with a plentiful library of photo content.
Area number 1 for this photoshoot was a small entry space. It had beautiful natural light, so we move the armchairs into this space.
Fun Furniture Flips
By making small temporary changes to furniture positioning, we’ll be able to create the photos we need to meet your goals. Some examples of simple furniture flips are reversing the direction of your desk to get the best light, or angling a chair near a window the opposite way to how you would normally sit. We may move indoor plants, side tables or books to create a certain feel in the image. It may be hard for you to visualise because you’re always in your home, but trust me, I know how to find the look we need and, at the planning stage, I’ll discuss with you some ideas of what furniture could be moved around if needed.
Area number 2 was the dining room, which also has amazing natural light, and is also where my client conducts most of her online consultations.
Personality Props & Pops
Being at home has some clear advantages. For one, most people build a brand around their personal style, which means we’ll likely have a house-full of props at our disposal. It’s a great opportunity to show more of your personal side. This can be as simple as having all your normal mugs on hand that people may even see you drinking out of on a zoom call, or pens for when we do a shot of you working at a desk. Not only this, but most people either consciously or subconsciously incorporate their favourite colours into their brand. Whether it’s their favourite colour first, or they choose brand colours and then are attracted to them, I’m sure if you look around your home you’ll see plenty of pops of your brand colours, and these may just come in handy on photo day.
We also incorporated my client’s love of reading and watering her beautiful indoor plants.
On Hand & At Ease
One thing that can cause clients stress in traveling to venues for photoshoots, is the worry of forgetting something or not having what they want. If you’re at home, all your outfits, hair accessories and props are right thereand you don’t need to wonder if you’ve brought the right things on the day. This will start your photo day off with less stress which will be sure to show through in your photos.
Doing the branding photoshoot at home gives you the intangible benefits that other places can’t - comfort and confidence. If you’re hesitant to get in front of the camera (as many of us are), you’ll be in a space that you’re familiar with, and without the worry of forgetting to pack something because everything you may need belongs there with you! Once you get your head around your home not needing to be perfect, it’s nice to acknowledge that it is the place you are always yourself and that’s great for taking brand photos!
Whether home is or isn’t your first thought for a brand photoshoot location, it certainly has a lot of merit and convenience, and is budget friendly. Hopefully these tips have made it less intimidating. If your budget doesn’t allow for the hire of a studio, why not consider an at-home personal branding session, and if you’d like to explore what this could look like for you and your brand, simply get in touch - I’d love to chat with you.