Branding photography is kind of a new genre of photography and a lot of people don’t quite understand what it means. They think it is just headshots or pictures of you with your laptop. Recently I did an entire 2 hour branding session and took over 1000 images….none of which included a laptop! What is the key to branding photos? It is telling the STORY of who you are and what you do. Using props can really help level up your branding to help tell the story of your business and what you do!

Why do you need props for your branding session?

You need to be able to clearly communicate WHAT you do and WHO you serve in your branding session. Props play a huge part in that communication. Start with your product or service. If you have a product, then that absolutely needs to be a part of your photos. That is a easy place to start. You can also include what it takes to make the product or the process of making the product.

Having props also gives you something to do with your hands and creates visual interest in the photos. Even if that prop is just a jacket or hat. It helps you from being like Ricky Bobby (Talladega Nights) when he says “I just don’t know what to do with my hands”.

Ask these questions

To help you come up with more ideas for props ask these questions. Who do I serve? Where do I work? How do I do what I do? Is there a way to visually SHOW what I do? Are there people within my business? How can we show that? What supplies do I use? How can I show what my typical day looks like or what it looks like to work with me or my business? What do I love? Is there something I used everyday or something I am passionate about? What stock images do I have on my site that I can replace with unique images from my branding session? The answers to these questions will help you come up with creative and fun prop ideas.

How to level up your branding with props

You can level up your branding by using props that go beyond the laptop. Here are some ideas of props that might be fun to try! Confetti, coffee, your phone, a notebook, journal, favorite food, cute desk or office supplies, coffee mug, your product, supplies you use, glasses, computer, colored pencils or pens, envelopes, balloons, tools of your trade, books or magazines, celebratory items, flowers and more. The list is endless and should be unique to who you are, who you serve and how you do what you do! Tell the story of your life, your business, who you are and what you love.

Use props to communicate and sell

I loved this branding session with Sarah from Do The Right Work. Sarah is a dynamic coach for Christian women who want to ignite action and start an online business. She was getting ready to launch a program called The 90 Day Knockout. What better way to SHOW and represent the theme she was trying to communicate with her future customers than boxing gloves? We used the boxing gloves in several ways so she could use the images for her sales page, social media and website. Having these images made creating those marketing tools a breeze. So be sure to let your photographer know if you have something coming up that you need promotional images for.

Add Color with Props

If you can’t tell, Sarah’s branding colors are blue and pink (with the main focus being pink). She brought tons of props with pops of pink that really helped tell the story of her brand and that she will be able to use in all areas of her marketing and website. So as you are preparing for your branding session, gather props that fit with your branding colors and bring them along. You never know where they can be used to help elevate the photos.

Level Up With Custom Stock Images for Your Brand

By having props that match your brand, your photographer can take images that are custom to you! Your face doesn’t (and shouldn’t) be the only thing in your branding photos. Your branding photographer can capture “stock images” that are unique to you that can be used for social media, background images and pictures for your website and sales pages. That way you can walk away with a huge variety of images that are unique to you and your business.

If you work with me on your branding shoot, I help you come up with creative props that fit the story of your business and curate a custom inspiration board that will guide you through the entire process. Click here for more information or book here.