THE STORY DETAILS:

What: My very own branding shoot

When: 23rd November 2023

Where: My fave places around Hackney

……How to prepare for your branding shoot... by someone who really didn’t prepare (Sorry Becky!)…

Hiring a photographer for my very own branding shoot was long overdue…

I’ve never hired a photographer just for me before - for family shoots with the boys, yes - but never just a one to one. All about me. Sounds pretty scary when you say it like that, doesn’t it?! I am not naturally inclined to take photos of myself but I do know the value of professional imagery - I am selling it myself, after all. My professional network is growing through Wild Women and I am getting more and more small business photography commissions in Hackney and East London, so it was time to invest in myself and my business.

Enter Becky…

Over the last year I have been lucky to build a relationship with Becky of Becky Wood Creative. I met her on a workshop in November 2022, and since then she’s been involved in Wild Women and we have a weekly online blog writing session together. I am relaxed in her company, and one day I just thought - “yeah, about time I got some branding photos done, when is Becky free?”

I got booked in and paid up very quickly, and then… I did nothing. For about three weeks I did nothing about the shoot. I am pretty sure I drove Becky to despair by deferring on her questionnaire and not even telling her where I wanted her to be or when. I feel like a terrible friend and client writing this down, but in my defence October and November have been my busiest photography months of my career so far. Chuck in navigating my son’s first half term and then two weeks later my husband popping off to Canada for a week-long business trip, and I had a recipe for missing deadlines and the to do list just getting longer.

Capture by Becky of me trying to juggle all the things

I'm sure many of you with kids or multiple jobs can relate in that sometimes it's difficult to switch roles and headspace quickly and get stuff done - my Mon-Thurs work days are 8 ish - 3, into which I try to fit in all my work, some exercise, keeping the house clean(ish), prepping meals and generally making life as smooth as possible for everyone who lives in our house. Switching into 'creative mumpreneur' mode for approximately six and a half minutes in between unloading the washing machine and fielding yells of 'Mum! where are yoooooouuuu?!' is hard work and sometimes feels absolutely impossible. I finally managed to fill in my questionnaire TWO DAYS before our shoot (I sent it back with an apology), I painted my nails in bed at midnight the day before, and I chose and steamed my clothes about ten minutes before Becky knocked on the door. I then promptly ran past her down the street, leaving her stranded on the doorstep whilst I checked how far the street sweepers had got because I had a leaf-kicking photo idea in mind.

DON’T DO IT LIKE THIS!

I am sat writing this in my online blog club with Becky, and we both agree that a) this is one of our favourite ever shoots, and b) that we got away with the seemingly lack of planning because we’re friends, because no ‘warm-up’ is required between photographers, and we both like to go with the flow and see what photo opportunities present themselves during a shoot. The autumnal leaf kicking scene was the perfect start to our shoot and the images are fabulous, check them out!

We just went with the flow for the rest of the day… a cuppa at home (looking over the Wild Women exhibition prints together!), a walk to the village for a cake, a bit more time in the park and then a cycle ride down the canal into Shoreditch for lunch. It was a perfect day; fun, creative play followed by a delicious lunch someone else made!

There are some things I am known for in my photography (being outdoors, my love of nature, using all different kinds of natural light ) and in my personal life (always being on my bike, my vintage leopard print coat) and Becky has managed to incorporate it all. Some of it was planned - to an extent, mostly in my head! I told Becky as we went - but most of it just came about as we went through the day. The last shot of the railing shadows with my bike wheel in shot too was a beautifully arty end to our shoot.

I am very grateful to Becky for embracing my November chaos and for the beautiful work she has produced - you’re going to be seeing a lot more of my face on socials now!

My top tips for planning your personal branding shoot:

Firstly, hire a photographer who you click with (no pun intended but I quite like it!). Follow them on socials, have a good look at their website, drop into their DMs and start chatting. I met Becky a year ago on a workshop, and since then she’s been involved in Wild Women and we have a weekly online blog writing session together. I knew that she was the one for me, because we have a fun relationship and her self proclaimed ‘Labrador energy’ would help me feel comfortable in front of her camera.
Once you’ve booked, make sure you meet your photographer half way! Your photographer will send you a questionnaire, ask for information about you and your business, and talk with you about the kind of images you are looking for. Plan time into your working week to sit down and give these questions some proper thought - they are your photographer’s insight into your business and vision for your images.
Communicate - be open and honest in all your communications with your photographer. Tell us how you feel about having your photos taken, tell us about that ‘silly’ or ‘out there’ idea that you have for an image… we are the very people who can help you try out these ideas! Keep talking on the shoot day too, because you might find ideas evolve as you get into the zone!
Remember you are investing in yourself - photography is expensive but that is because it is invaluable. Professional images of you and your business will sell you as a professional in your business. You want to get the most out of your investment, so make sure you plan in time for a haircut/ nail appointment/ shopping for some new clothes/ whatever it is that will make you feel great on the day. And the key one!? Go to bed early the night before your shoot!
And finally, if you haven’t got the message yet - Don’t wing it or you might end up disappointed! I got away with not preparing properly because Becky knows me well. Treat your shoot as a special experience that deserves the time and energy of preparing for properly!