You know you need some author brand photos. Professional ones.
But you also know you need a photog (industry speak for “photographer”) who does brand photography.
Couldn’t your best friend’s cousin’s high school bestie who shoots everyone’s wedding in town do it?
No.
As great as it is to support your best friend’s cousin’s high school bestie, a wedding photographer is NOT a brand photographer. Neither is a seasonal photog. You know the ones you hire who throw fall leaves in the air and shoot your and your family holding hands walking around pumpkins? Nope, not her either.
While these folks are amazing photogs, if they have not learned what “brand photography” is, you could be in for a rude awakening. I’ve had them charge as much as weddings. I’ve had them only provide 10 photos. I’ve had them balk at wardrobe changes.
Bottom line is you need a brand photographer who understands what you need.
So what do you need?
- Ideally three-month’s worth of photos in an hourlong shoot. That can be anywhere from 35-50 photos.
- You’ll also want at least three wardrobe changes. I wear the same pants or jeans and layer the tops to make this easier.
- And for an hour, you don’t pay wedding photography prices.
Where do I find a “brand photographer”?
Start with friends and family in your hometown. The photographers they know are probably wedding or seasonal and that’s fine. You can interview them to see and they might have suggestions if they are not what you need.
You can look on Facebook groups and Instagram.
You can also simply Google.
I found one from listening to Amy Porterfield’s podcast on brand photography who posted in the comments forum on Amy’s Facebook Group. Liza was fantastic!
What do I ask them?
Once you have found a couple of photogs you’d like to interview, you’ll want to plan your shoot but you need to know a few things:
- Photos.
- How many final photos you’ll receive
- Wardrobe.
- How many outfit changes s/he is comfortable with?
- Copyright Terms.
- Who owns the photos and do you have to credit them each time you use them?
- (Brand photographers know you need to use them often and shouldn’t require crediting)
- Price.
- Brand photography is not cheap but you shouldn’t be paying wedding photo prices. I’ve paid anywhere from $150 – $1500. Anything less than $750 is generally standard.
- Ask about hourly rates and packages.
- Post.
- “Post” is photography speak for post-production like photoshopping and color correction and maybe some cropping.
- Brand photographers should not do too much of this because most of the photos are for social media, not massive wall framing.
Don’t be discouraged if it takes you a few photographers to find “the one.” I’ve had five and they were all so lovely to work with. Three had never done brand photography before, so we had some learning pains. But in the end, I had some wonderful photos from each of them to use for all the stuff – social media, website, workshop materials.