For this November branding session, we worked in my client’s condo common area. She is a professional coach and wanted photographs for her website: portraits, alongside images that suggested how she works with people online and in person.
She specifically wanted natural light. The room’s windows and modern interior gave us a setting to work with, and I photographed the session without flash.
Working with the space and its daylight
The common area gave us an existing interior to work with. Its design and daylight were the reasons for choosing it as the setting for her portraits.
The lighting choice followed this particular brief. When planning another session, I would look at the available light, intended photographs and room before deciding whether daylight alone or an added source would suit it.
A conversation as a starting point
I asked her to talk to me while I photographed her. That gave us moments of speech, gestures and changing expressions to work with, alongside more directed portraits.
We made both smiling and neutral versions. A website can need different kinds of portraits, so the aim was to give her a selection rather than hold one expression throughout the shoot.
Small props connected to her work
A notebook and a tablet gave her hands a simple action and added context to the photographs. They also offered a way to move between a portrait and a frame that referred more directly to her work.
For your own branding session, choose a few objects that have a reason to be there. The same goes for clothing: start with pieces you would recognise as part of your professional life and that you can comfortably sit and move in.
Planning a session in a shared building
A common area can be worth considering when its light and design fit the brief. For a new shoot, check building-management permission, room access and whether the space will be shared with other residents. A room available for everyday use is not automatically available for a planned photoshoot.
If a rental studio suits the plan better, the Toronto studio guide offers other starting points. We can choose the setting around the photographs you need and the access available.
Build the photographs around your work
This session brought together daylight, conversation and a few work-related objects. The brief gave those choices a purpose: making a set of portraits and working scenes for the coach’s website.
If you are planning new photographs for your own practice, see my business and branding photography or tell me about your work and intended uses. We can discuss the location, clothing and kinds of images that would be useful.
