Updating your brand photos is a whole project!

As a product-based business owner, updating your brand photos can feel like a massive undertaking. This is especially true if you offer a ton of products… or on the other hand, if your catalog of items is on the smaller size. Both are difficult for different reasons. The first, because it’s hard to know where to start! The second, because it’s easy to run out of ideas of how to stage the items in unique ways when you’re working with what feels like… the same thing over and over.

That’s why I always recommend working with a professional branding photographer when you can! It’s literally our job to make your work look amazing, whether you have a huge inventory, or a smaller one.

But because I know this isn’t always straightforward, and not all branding photographers offer a consultation before their session with you, I thought I’d walk through a few things you should think about before having your branding session!

Brand Photos for Product-Based Businesses

Branding photography for product-based businesses might SOUND like it’s easier than those for service-based businesses, but there are complexities to think about, just like with anything!

And there are categories of images that you definitely need, that you might not have thought about before. So we’re going to walk through them together!

Standard Headshots

Yes, even if you have a product based business, you still need photos of you to be included in your brand photography package. Why? LOTS of reasons! But my favorite reason to list is that people don’t just buy things from your product-based business because what you make is amazing. I mean, they do, but that’s not ALL it’s about! Selling anything is about connection. It’s about who you are, and WHY you create what you do. So your content online should also have hints of YOU in it! Even if you don’t want to be showing your face on Instagram reels (which I would recommend, but that’s another topic entirely) you should have a page on your website (at least!) that talks about you, and your “why”. And for that, you’re going to need images of you if you want to fully connect with your audience. Your product is great, but YOU? You’re magic.

In Action Images of your Products

When it comes to in-action photos, there are two components to think about! You’re going to need images of both YOU in action, and your PRODUCT in action! This is another way of saying “in use” but I like it better because it’s more dramatic. And I personally think more accurate too, because it’s not just about using the product, it’s also about how it came to be! Are you a hand-maker? You should have images of your process included! Do you create journals and stationary-style goods? Amazing, you’re going to need to write in a couple of demo notebooks. Products have a purpose, even if that purpose is sitting on a shelf. If the purpose of your product is decorative… you’re going to need images of it on shelves, hung on walls, or otherwise places where it’s supposed to live once your customer buys it! But what this all really means, is product-based business owners have an easier time with “in action” images than service-based ones do. There’s more opportunity, since “in action” means both “making the thing exist” and “the thing in use” as well!

The Result

I’ll admit there’s a little overlap between the result and the product in use, but I do like to make the distinction. There’s a difference between a flat-lay of your product, and it actually in someone’s home. For example, the difference between a dress on the hangar, and a dress being worn. Or the difference between a notebook on a shelf, or tabletop, and that same notebook being written in. It’s a subtle difference, but it’s important! And you need BOTH of those types of images, meaning you need images of “the result” (AKA the product) as well as images of it being used (AKA “in action”). So before your professional branding photo shoot, make sure you put together a list of a few of your items that can be both used, and photographed NOT being used during your session. That way you have images you can post focused on the craftsmanship of the product itself, but also the experience people will have using it. Think of the difference between listings on Etsy that include images of the product against a solid color, so you can really see the product itself, and ones that have the product ONLY in use. The best is a happy medium, right? Where you can see the product being used, AND the product on its own, against a simple background, so that your customers can really SEE it.

Make sure you talk to your photographer!

Brand photography packages for product-based businesses usually include a balance of different elements. They’ll have some headshots, they’ll include some work with models (or you, as the model!) and some images of your products on their own or arranged in strategic aesthetic flatlays.

Make sure that before your session, you talk with your photographer about the types of images you’re going to need for your package, as well as any inspiration behind layouts and things you’d definitely like to see used! Going over the inventory that you’re going to bring with you to your session is also a great way to make sure that you and your photographer are on the right page. And it’s most likely that they’re going to prompt you with questions about ALL of those things! But I wanted to make sure you felt prepared, whether they do or not.

As always, if you’re looking for a professional branded image package for your product-based business, I would love to help you make that happen! Reach out, and we’ll chat. Or, check out my packages over on the branding and headshots page to get an idea of what we could create together!