You’ve just booked your personal brand photography session with a fabulous photographer and you’re so excited! The photographer is on the coast and you’ve decided to make the 3-hour drive to her, treating yourself to some well-deserved beach time after the photo session. Having done this very thing this past May, we’re sharing the 5 things you need to know to make your out of town brand shoot more efficient and fun!
1. Know What’s For Dinner (And Reserve A Table)
For us, making dinner reservations is the very first thing we do when we know we’re traveling. Earlier this summer, we went to Charleston for updated brand photos with Abby Murphy. As soon as we scheduled our session date with her, we knew we had to reserve a table at our favorite Charleston restaurant. Since our brand session was happening on a Tuesday and we would be exhausted afterwards, we decided to arrive Monday afternoon, settle into the Airbnb, then have our fun dinner out that night. We also pre-determined that, after our session, we’d get an easy dinner somewhere within walking distance. Deciding our two dinners ahead of time helped the trip immensely.
2. Know Where You’re Shooting (And Stay There)
In our case, we needed several options for lifestyle settings that were neutral or within our brand colors. We also needed a place to stay while on our out of town brand shoot, so our photographer recommended we choose an Airbnb that would meet all our needs. She sent us a list of rentals she’d worked in before, and we narrowed it down based on the aesthetics and number of bedrooms. Choosing to shoot the majority of our session at the Airbnb turned out to be very efficient. We could easily change outfits, zhush our hair and makeup, and switch out props because everything was right there in our rooms. Plus, because the space was open concept, we were able to achieve various shots without having to be in different locations.
3. Know What To Outsource (You Can’t Do It All)
Y’all, we will always tell you to do this, whether you’re going out of town or not. Unless you’re a professional makeup artist or hair stylist, do your future self a solid and hire the professional! Ask your photographer if there’s a makeup artist she recommends. Or if you’ve already got someone you love, bring them along with you! That’s what we did when we hired our girl Julia to do our makeup and it was money well spent. First, we love Julia. She’s our go-to makeup artist for our clients, and we respect her as a business owner. Second, we’ve been wanting her to work her magic on our faces for a long time. She also arrived the day before the shoot, stayed at the Airbnb with us, and was able to get both of us camera-ready in plenty of time for our session.
4. Know What To Bring (And Pack It The Night Before)
Your photographer should send you a detailed list of the props you need for shoot day, as well as what outfit to wear in each scene. Pack an extra outfit, just in case, and put all clothes, props and accessories in the car the night before. Be sure to communicate with your photographer anything you don’t have that you may need once you’re there. At our own brand session, it was important for us to show all aspects of Harmonie House Images . We also wanted to highlight our newest offering, stop motion animation. So along with our normal camera equipment and business props, we also packed items specific to our stop motion work. Abby let us borrow some of her lighting equipment so we weren’t traveling with every piece of gear we own – an added bonus!
5. Know You’re Worth Celebrating (So Treat Yourself)
Remember to enjoy yourself and the town you’re visiting! Go for a walk and explore the area, ask the photographer where her favorite local coffee shop is, or give yourself a couple of hours of quiet time on the beach before heading home. We discovered The Tiny Tassel around the corner from where we were staying and bought ourselves a few treats before we left. And yes, one of us actually did stop at the beach for a while before heading home, and it was simply wonderful. No matter how you do it, be intentional and celebrate the accomplishment of a successful brand shoot. A brand session is an exciting milestone in the life of a business, and you and your business are worth celebrating!
Just Looking for the Highlights?
Your out of town brand shoot can be fun and efficient when you know these 5 things:
- know where you’re eating
- know where you’re staying
- know what to outsource
- know what you’re bringing, and
- know that you and your business are worth celebrating!
Interested in learning how our creative, strategic brand imagery can help you upscale and attract your dream clients? Follow us on Instagram or send us a note – we’d love to see how we can help serve your business.
+ view the comments
