Personal branding photography is all about context. Telling your story through images. Which is why nothing beats shooting on location.
While there are plenty of different venues to choose from, holding a session in your own home is often a winner. It is convenient, familiar and packed full of your personality. In other words, it is just about the perfect set.
So how exactly do you prepare your home for a personal branding shoot?
It’s not as involved as you might think and in this post I run through some very simple things to do to help you turn your home into the perfection branding location.
1. PICK TWO ROOMS
First off, don’t feel that you have to tidy the entire house from top to bottom. Real life goes on around the few hours of your shoot and it’s commonplace that the clutter needs to go somewhere!
Instead, pick two rooms which offer the best opportunities for the shoot. I like to help advise my clients in this respect but generally speaking the largest and / or best lit rooms with plenty of natural light are good places to start.
2. TIDY
You can’t avoid it and I can’t make it sound glamourous: it is a necessary evil but do spend some time tidying your chosen rooms. Clean work surfaces, de-clutter the space and keep tables and the floor as clear as possible.
And don’t forget to pay attention to the fine details. Straighten up piles of books. Hide stray items in a drawer. Buy a bunch of fresh flowers. Minimise distractions by removing anything that might be out of place and inadvertently catch the eye in your photos.
3. LET IN THE LIGHT
Unless you’re intentionally aiming for a dimly lit, cosy vibe, try to avoid the use of artificial lighting and rely on natural light as much as possible.
To help with this it is not only beneficial to use a well-lit room but help mother nature out by opening / raising blinds, tying back curtains and turning off lamps. These small actions can make a big difference when a camera is involved.
4. SHAPE YOUR SPACE
This is your space so make it your own. Have a selection of items and props on hand that you can bring into the scene. It is good practice to start with a blank slate and gradually add to it as you need, rather than beginning with a cluttered scene and having to strip it back.
Also remember to remove any personal items that you do not want appearing in your photos. You want the space to be personal but you have a right to your privacy too!
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For more personal branding advice, give me a shout. And don’t forget to download my new FREE guide to having a standout LinkedIn profile portrait.