I saw a question posted in one of the many groups of which I am a member on Facebook. The poster asked: Hi all. Just wanting to get some thoughts on ‘doorstep branding shoots’. So for people not wanting to venture out still but thinking of needing images. Not confined to doorstep but would be adhering to social distancing. What do you think of the idea and what sort of price would you expect to pay?
I started typing a really detailed response and then thought (especially as my FB app keeps closing when I’m 3 paragraphs in) it might be easier to reply here and share my thoughts more widely than in just that post.
Branding photos are hugely important, because people connect with your face.
Yes, your voice is vital if you are a singer or actor or do hypnosis, meditations, or are in fact Chris Hemsworth. Let’s face it, his voice is right up there with Sean Connery’s on the “you had me at hello” vibe, but I digress…
I have an old friend who I respect immensely and she asked me if I’d cast an eye over her website to see if I could see why she wasn’t converting people from traffic into leads.. The first thing I saw was a photo of her avoiding eye contact with the camera. In a non-business shot, this is very true of the shy introvert that she is and it’s a great photo with light composition etc. BUT in a business photo, it didn’t make me feel like I could approach her, get to know her, like her or trust her.
I went hunting around her site in case she just had the pictures in different places, but actually all of them had this one glaring issue. The photos of the people leaving her glowing testimonials ALL gave me eye contact and a sense of their personalities. Had I not known this wonderful woman, I’d have been way more drawn to working with her clients than I was to working with her. All the qualifications in the world aren’t going to win the client if they don’t feel that they can CONNECT with you.
If you have been a reader for a long time, there’s a blog post from about a year ago where I talk about my first big photo shoot. You can just click here rather than hunting for it, because I’m nice like that 🙂 I learnt so much about myself in the process, and also rather a lot about what to do differently for the next one.
So, when it comes to the whole “should I get a doorstep photoshoot done?” or for the photographers wondering if they should offer one… I’d say focus on the outcome and work backwards from there.
Get clear about what you want to get out of it, then communicate it to your photographer. They cannot always predict what you’re going to wish you had asked for…
- Are these photos just about lockdown? If they are, how do you want to come across as handling it? Are you all about business as usual, or are you looking for the more overwhelmed members of your audience to relate to you?
- Is your front door step a good frame for you? Do you have a pretty cottage with roses all over the porch to make you look delightful? Or is your front door area more like mine, with grubby old tape holding the meter cupboard door on, and the Christmas lights still up?
- How about your front hall? Will the front door being open invite people into a calm space within your home, or does it look like you live with a football team?
- How bad is your lockdown hair? Seriously, I have 2cm long roots and half of my hair is a washed out green. I am not getting photos done until it’s sorted.
- Are you glowing with health, or looking like a bag of spanners? These photos will become part of your brand, and there’s a limit to how much magic a photographer can do.
- Have you planned out how you’re going to use them? Do you know where you need the white spaces to be?
Have a really good conversation with your photographer on the phone. Make them a storyboard and send it by email. Discuss it all over video chat. Whatever methods you choose to use, communication is the absolute key to getting pictures you can be proud of. Even in lockdown.
What else did I miss? Xx
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