What to Wear to a Personal Branding Photo Session
You’ve run out and booked a photographer for your personal branding photo session. Congrats! You’re one step closer to showing your clients you mean business. Now, the only thing left is to decide what to wear to your personal branding photo session.
While personal branding should be personal, duh, there are a few blanket statements when it comes to producing images that you will love and represent your business:
Stay away from large logos
Keep your outfit simple
Remember your environment
Limit Accessories & Props
Stay Away From Large Logos
You’re paying for photos to promote you and your brand. You don’t want to look like a giant advertisement. Keep those large designer logos out of your wardrobe for this session. You may also wonder if I mean clothes with your logo, the answer is keep the logo small. Even though it may be the logo for your business, things may change and you may want to continue to use the images.
Keep Your Outfit Simple
When it comes to personal branding sessions, you’ll want to keep your choice of outfits to a clean, simple style (there are a few exceptions). Keep your color and style choices to a minimum. Most brands have a color palette and you’ll want to stay mostly within those guides.
There are a few exceptions. If your brand prominently features a pattern or lots of colors, by all means go for it. Just keep in mind that these photos are supposed to reflect your personal brand.
Remember Your Environment
Keep your “backdrop” in mind when choosing an outfit. If your photo session is taking place in a studio with backdrops, try not to wear something that will clash. If your photo session is outside, consider the time of day and location. You don’t want to wear a floral shirt to an urban mid day shoot. Your outfit should match the vibe of your brand AND location.
Limit Accessories & Props
Different photographers have different opinions about this, but I prefer to keep accessories and props to a minimum. A nice pair of earrings, a nice necklace, and a solid watch are all the accessories you need for a classic personal branding session. When it comes to props, limit the number to 2 or 3.
If you’re selling a product, by all means, bring an example. If you provide a service, bring a few tools or visual aids. You just don’t want to carry around a large cart of props and accessories. You want to have fun at your photo session, not burn out.
Be Yourself
One of the first steps to being yourself is being comfortable. I want you to wear something that makes you feel good and confident so that your inner self can shine through all of the photos. While I can help you relax a bit in front of the camera, it’s better to let your authenticity shine through.
So if you disagree with one of the statements above, forget about it. Wear what makes you happy and is reflective of your personal brand.
Rules are meant to be broken (sometimes). If your brand falls outside of these “guidelines” then don’t worry about them and do you!
I would love to help tell the story of your brand and bring your vision to life. If you’re interested in having me as your personal branding photographer, send me a message. Once your session is booked, we can go over the details to make your session truly reflective of who you are AND communicate your vision to the world!
