You may very well know the importance of having a headshot, but what about ongoing content for social media, blog posts, email marketing, your website, and the other miscellaneous, consistent content outputs where your business spends most of its time marketing? Branding photography is key to the visual presentation of your brand - so we’ve created this handy dandy guide to branding photography to put your mind at ease about the whole thing!

The Ultimate Guide to Branding Photography

Branding photography is all about one word: lifestyle. If you can sell people on a lifestyle, you can sell anything relating to that lifestyle. Behind all the best, most successful brands is one key element: the narrative of a lifestyle that the buyer is striving to achieve or emulate. Here at FFM, we consider branding photography to be the pathway to selling without needing to be salesy - focusing on making connections and building relationships with our wonderful, devoted community.

We will forever stress the importance of branding photography to our clients. It's one of the quickest ways to set yourself apart from the crowd in an oversaturated digital space and make a lasting, emotional impact on the people you wish to convert. Our brain takes 1/10th of a second to form an impression about someone or something and therefore branded photos are a game changer, answering the audience's first questions nearly instantaneously!

It tells the message that your brand wants its audience to know regarding what result(s) they will achieve if they buy your product or service, as well as stimulates inspiration about the life they will obtain if they choose to participate. The WHY must also be clear.

How is branding photography different from other kinds?

We’re glad you asked! By widely understood definitions, “branding photography” can at times be used interchangeably with the term “lifestyle photography” - a photoshoot consisting of props, intentional settings and oftentimes models interacting with the business’ product or service.

While some brands may also opt for headshots and editorial-focused photos for print and more polished features than social media and other digital communications, lifestyle photography is often on-the-fly and captures candid moments of reaction and interaction. It serves the audience emotionally.

In a staged headshot photoshoot, you may be asked to make uncomfortable poses or do things that seem rather unnatural - and that serves a fantastic purpose! It makes you look your best (and ultra polished). However, that stiffness won’t fly in a lifestyle branding photoshoot. Lifestyle shoots celebrate the humanity in all of us and the genuine experience we have with X business.

Where branding photography is heading

Through the last decade, we’ve noticed the growing popularity of this contemporary photography style and have embraced it with open arms. Around the world, people have caught on to authentic content marketing and this marketing philosophy has quickly become the universal standard for how a majority of businesses approach their advertising, especially in the progressive digital space where self-expression and personal identity are enthusiastically embraced by consumers.

It doesn’t matter what niche you’re in - if you’re a real estate agent or a boutique shop owner, a repairman or a jewelry designer. By jumping on board now, you are future-proofing your business in this visual, story-driven 21st century. The first step is to take a stand by curating an intentional, authentic marketing strategy.

What should I look for when hiring a branding photographer?

This is a loaded question with a loaded answer. Photographers are often creative, free spirits at heart, so finding a photographer that embodies both a solid professionalism / priority of timely communication paired with undeniable skill and personality is going to be your ultimate task. We’ve compiled a list of the key questions we encourage all of our clients to ask their photography candidates:

What is your experience with branding and lifestyle photography specifically? Can I see a portfolio? (You should be looking for direct examples relating to your niche if possible, or at least a wide variety of different types of works showcasing their versatility).
What types of businesses do you find the most joy working with?
What is your turnaround time? Is there an option for a rush fee if I would like my photos sooner?
How do you prefer to communicate with clients? Email, text, phone call?
Do you offer any detailed retouching post-production? (Blemish removal, “Photoshopping”, etc. - this question is more important when discussing professional headshots vs. lifestyle photos).
Do I own the rights to the photos upon delivery or is this an additional fee?
Do you expect that your clients will credit you (byline) when they use your photos for marketing?

Best practices for image usage

Once you’ve hired a photographer and have received your files, it’s important to keep an eye out to make sure that you are abiding by the universal best practices when it comes to photo usage.

In general, it is not acceptable to add a filter or additional edits on top of a professional photographer’s final delivered files. Cropping is appropriate within reason, but check with the artist before you proceed with any alterations.

Keep in mind that photographers are just that - artists! They expect that you have hired them for their individual style based on their portfolio and aren’t going to turn around and ask them to “edit the photos differently”. When shopping around for candidates, make sure you pick those in line with your desired aesthetic.

It is also common courtesy to credit photographers with a simple byline when posting their work on your social media, website, etc. but this shouldn’t be required. Always ask to avoid any sticky situations!

Ultimately, make sure when choosing a photographer that they fit your business’ needs and can make your lifestyle shoot dreams a reality! Branding photography is an investment in your business that you will not regret. If you have any questions regarding photography for your business or if you need a referral, pop your Q below - we’d love to chat specifics and send one of our amazing creative partners your way!

While you’re here, discover our guides on branding, website design, graphic design, and content marketing.