Personal Branding Session FAQs
I get a lot of questions about branding photos, from both potential clients and people who just aren’t sure what it is. So I thought I would take some time and list them all out here, in one place, where you can get all the answers to your questions.
If you read through these and still have burning questions you need answered, all you have to do is reach out! You can send me an email at jamie@jkphotoswa.com or click here and fill out the contact form that goes directly to me.
Here we go!
What is a personal branding session?
A branding session is a little bit like an old school head shot session but modern and more hyped. It’s a half day session where you get to wear a bunch of outfits that make you feel awesome, show off your expertise and your business, and get some really awesome new pictures to use in your marketing campaigns. They tell the stories of your business, from your “why” to your team, to the unique things about you that make you amazing to work with.
What all is included?
Before the session you get a free consultation with me to make sure we vibe well and you’re ready to work with me. Then you get a comprehensive guide to help you get to the stories you want to tell if you haven’t already decided, access to me 7 days a week via text and email to plan and brainstorm and bounce ideas off of, and of course a pre-shoot planning meeting if you need it. The day of the photo shoot you get your makeup done by a pro (included if you want it), and we shoot for a full 3-4 hours, with 3-4 wardrobe and location changes (if needed). The shoot will vary depending on your industry, whether you have employees to include, what type of stock photos you need, and how many locations you’ve chosen.
In the end you have 60-140 images per session (depending on your package) that tell several fluid stories compelling people to want to work with you.
Why do I need that many pictures?
Say you post on social media 3-4 times a week. If you have 1 branding session and get 60 images, that gets you through 4-5 months of posts. Add in your website images and any print ads you’re trying out, you definitely need as many images as you can get! If you’re a product-based business you need even more just to get your online shop up and going.
This sounds overwhelming, can’t I just take my own pictures?
Absolutely! If you feel confident that your images are gorgeous and attention grabbing that’s an awesome skill to utilize in your business. But if you aren’t a professional photographer, chances are you don’t have thousands of hours in webinars, tutorials, courses, and hands on experience under your belt to tell you what does and doesn’t look good under the light you chose, or the right angle to take your team’s head shots at so they all look their absolute best, or how to get the food on your menu to look colorful and delicious instead of flat and boring.
Cell phone cameras get better every year, but they just don’t have the same oomf as a professional camera and lighting that an experienced photographer brings to the table.
Why is it so expensive?
Because you’re not paying for cell phone pictures. 😉
No but honestly, see the section about “what all is included” and you’ll see that just the time before and during the session is anywhere from 6-8 hours. Then once the pictures are done I upload them all into my editing software and I make them pop. During a 3-4 hour session I can shoot anywhere from 150-500 pictures depending on the nature of your business – sometimes more for product or food based businesses. So once all the culling, editing, and curating your gallery is complete your session alone from initial consultation to finished product could have taken me up to 20 hours to complete.
And then you get actual digital downloads of images with a copyright release to use the images for marketing purposes, which many photographers charge upwards of $50 per image for. To put that into perspective 60 images x $50 each = $3,000.
Do you have a payment plan?
As a matter of fact I do!
Once your deposit is paid I have a few options depending on the package you choose. All you have to do when you book is mention that you’d like a payment plan and we’ll get it squared away.
The only requirement is that each session is paid in full the week before we shoot.
Do you have a retainer fee for product based businesses?
The way my retainer works is that I come in once a month for a set number of hours and update your product images. This requires a 6 month contract, and any head shot or additional branding images would be a separate cost. The monthly amount for retainer will vary depending on the amount of products being photographed, frequency of visits, etc.
If I don’t need a full branding session can I just get head shots?
I have a head shot package that is solely to update your and your team’s headshots. These are $125. I also have options to personalize a package based on what you’re looking for. I’ve created custom packages for organizations and businesses that take their budget, the number of pictures they need, the amount of time commitment to the project, and a few other factors into account. Reach out for more info!
If you have any other questions about branding sessions feel free to email me at jamie@jkpotoswa.com and let’s talk!
I’d love to create beautiful stories for your 2023 marketing campaigns.