When you first start planning your personal brand or content photoshoot, most of us head straight to Pinterest to get inspiration for outfits, poses and the overall look and feel of your next shoot. The trouble with that is, copying exactly what you see on Pinterest can make all your photos look mainstream. Let's face it, nobody wants that.
Of course adding your face to the images makes them uniquely yours, so even if you recreate the typical coffee or laptop shot, you'll still look like you, but you can do better. Adding a few clever props can really tell your brand story. Here's how.
1. Brand Colours
Props can be used to bring in your brand colours. Cushions or pillows on a couch or different colour files, notebooks or pens are just some examples of how you can incorporate pops of colour. If you’re incorporating any electronics such as your phone or laptop, you could get a cover that matches your brand as a way to feature your brand colours. In the example below Nikki Fogden-Moore's signature colour is bright yellow, a subtle touch of bright yellow in her magazine and book stack will help make these images fit well with her brand colours.
2. Showcase what you do
Props can be used to help personalise your photos. Incorporate items that help showcase what you do during the day. A funky planning board is a good example. My client Michelle from the Brand Dance did this with her planning board, using her signature pink for extra points.
3. Build Connection
Props can also be used to create a connection with a potential client. Showcasing certain books on your desk or coffee table featuring titles that resonate with your audience is one such prop idea. Ange Simson from The Gratitude Gang and The Health Hub is all about wellness and nutrition, so the book Eat Beautiful is the perfect fit for her shoot. The gorgeous Frenchie photobomb also made this shot.
4. Personal Touch
Use props to add a few personal touches to your workspace to give clients an idea of what you’re all about. Think flowers, a camera or a passport if you're a regular traveler. For stylist Kerrie Carucci her clothes rack completes this shot, and tells you exactly what she's about.
5. The finer details
Detail shots such as a close up of your hands typing on your laptop or of your coffee mug next to your laptop are also some popular prop ideas. They take next to no time to shoot and are great for breaking up your images so that it's not just your face all the time. In the image below created for Noosa Flow, we focused on the Bala Bangles that this part instructor Sarada uses in her signature classes.
