Today I thought I’d show you Behind the scenes of a Branding Photoshoot for a Business Coach.
I love taking branding photos for business coaches. These shoots are more than just taking pictures—they’re about capturing the essence of a coach’s personality, brand, and business ethos.
So today I’m taking you behind the scenes of a recent branding photoshoot for a successful business coach.
We’ll explore the preparation, the process, and the magic that happens when everything comes together.
Pre-Shoot Consultation
The first step in any branding photoshoot is the pre-shoot consultation on zoom. This is where I get to know YOU, understand your business and brand, and discuss your vision for the shoot.
For this particular business coach, we focused on her professional yet approachable brand persona. We talked about her target audience, her business values, and how she wanted to be perceived.
Key Questions Discussed:
- What are your brand colours and themes?
- How do you want people to feel when they look at your photos?
- What message do you want to convey through your photos?
- Are there any specific props or outfits you want to include?
- What are your preferred locations for the shoot?
Location Scouting: Finding the Perfect Backdrop
The next step was location scouting. We’ll decide on the type of look you’re going for and I’ll come up with some ideas of where we might do it. Alternatively if you already know a great place, we’ll talk about it in more details.
For this shoot we wanted an indoor neutral setting to showcase different aspects of the coach’s personality and professional life.
We chose a bright, natural studio space for the professional shots and a desk mock-up, that also had a sofa and small kitchen for more relaxed, personal images.
Mood Board Creation: Visualising the Vision
After the consultation and once we know where we’re going to do the shoot, we create a joint mood board on Pinterest to visualise the ideas we discussed. This included a mix of outfit suggestions, prop ideas and pose inspirations.
The mood board helps ensure we are on the same page and provided a visual reference for the day of the shoot.
Wardrobe and Props: Adding Personal Touches
Wardrobe and props play a crucial role in branding photoshoots.
We selected outfits that reflected her brand colours—neutral colours so that it wouldnt overpower any branding—and mixed professional attire with casual, approachable looks.
Props included her laptop, business planner, a favourite coffee mug, and a few motivational books. These elements added depth and context to the photos, making them more relatable and authentic.
The client also said she’d like her Hair and make-up done before the shoot so I arranged for my MUA Chrys Chapman to join us at the studio.
The Shoot Day: Capturing the Magic
On the day of the shoot, we started early to take advantage of the natural light. Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of how the day unfolded:
- Hair & make-up: Chrys joined us for the hair and make-up which took approximately one hour. This also gives me time to chat to you about how your feeling and have a nice cuppa.
- Setup and Warm-Up: We began with some warm-up shots to help the client relax and get comfortable in front of the camera. This is crucial for capturing genuine expressions and natural poses.
- Professional Shots: We started with the indoor office setup, capturing her in action—working on her laptop, making notes, and even conducting a mock coaching session. These shots emphasized her professionalism and dedication. At this point we can also do some B-roll too.
- Personal Shots: Next, we moved to the sofa area. Here, we captured her enjoying a book , reading a book, and other candid moments that showed her approachable and friendly side.
- Detail Shots: We also took close-up shots of the props and some behind-the-scenes images of the setup to add variety to her photo library.
- Working shots: She needed some photos of her working with a client, so Chrys kindly stepped into help.
Post-Processing: Enhancing the Story
After the shoot, the real magic happens in post-processing. You’ll receive your own private gallery (with access to your photos for one year) where you will choose the images to be retouched.
The goal of the retouching is to produce images that are polished yet authentic, staying true to the coach’s brand.
You’ll usually get your photos within a few days of the shoot, and then it will take a few more days to retouch them. I aim to get the photos ready for you to use within 2 weeks of your photoshoot.
Collaborate
Branding photoshoots for business coaches are a collaborative and creative process that requires careful planning and a deep understanding of the client’s brand.
By capturing both professional and personal aspects, we create a comprehensive visual story that resonates with their audience. If you’re a business coach looking to elevate your brand with professional photography, I hope this behind-the-scenes look gives you a sense of what to expect and how impactful it can be for your business.
Feel inspired? Get in touch to book your own branding photoshoot and let’s bring your vision to life!
And when you’re ready, here are three other ways that I can help you:
1) Visit my blog for tips on VISIBILITY.
Every week I discuss strategies to improve your visibility, get over your fear of visibility and my latest shoots. Read about visibility on the blog
2) Plan a bespoke photoshoot.
We can plan a shoot based on what you actually need (read about branding shoots ) or you could join me at a Branding Day Photoshoot.
3) Join ‘Visibility School’.
Visibility school is a membership group where you get 12 months of photoshoots, a fab little Facebook group and lots of bonus content too (new for 2024 members) . Find out about Visibility School
