3 "Must-Dos" Before Your Personal Branding Shoot

Your personal brand photography session is scheduled. You’ve picked out your outfits, created your shot list, and you’re about to put your feet up and call it a day. But before you put your feet up and pour yourself that glass of wine, make sure these often overlooked tasks get addressed before the big day.

Clean All The Things!

I cannot stress this enough! Whatever props you will be using, whichever rooms or spaces you’ll be photographing in, make sure everything has been wiped down, swept, mopped, and washed.

Give your windows and mirrors a good look — fingerprints and product residue show up on those easily.

Your patio could probably use a good broom, if not a power wash.

Declutter the space where your photos will be taken (i.e. no chargers or cords in outlets, no random books or food laying around your counters, etc.)

All those cords and chargers plugged in behind Marike look so cluttered!

VACUUM. Dust particles will look like snow in your living room if they’re not cleared.

That being said, don’t remove EVERYTHING from your space. You don’t want it to look like the Bluth family model home on Arrested Development. But be mindful of bright colors that stand out against otherwise neutral spaces.

Any part of your shoot taking place outside? Get that lawn landscaped and planters filled with healthy flowers. Heck, if you have time, touch up the paint that you’ve been seeing the cracks in.

If you are doing the photos at your shop, make sure all your signage sparkles.

And remember that no matter how hard you clean, there will still be things your photographer will find to be distracting. Set aside a box to put things in to quickly move stuff around when needed).

Props

This one is a biggie. Make sure you have all your props prepared whether that’s the physical products you sell, the tools you use for your business (laptops and coffee mugs anyone?), a Champagne glass for the pictures with bubbly you want to take later. Make sure you have all of them set aside and again…CLEAN for photoshoot day. (Have I mentioned the cleaning yet? ;) )

Iron Your Clothes

I know, that sounds so 1950s, doesn’t it? But wrinkles and folds will take the spotlight off of you in your personal branding photos.

Look at all those wrinkles in my shirt. Oy vey!

Yes, they can be Photoshopped out.

No, your photographer doesn’t want to do that.

For every 60 seconds it takes you to iron, it will take them 20 minutes to remove in post. And they could charge you for it.

Don’t have an iron anymore? Throw your clothes into the dryer for 20 minutes to help get some of those wrinkles out.

BONUS: Check in with your photographer

Still feel like something is missing? Just give your photographer a holler and make sure you have everything ready to go to keep things sailing smooth the next day. And most of all remember…HAVE FUN!