Photographer – booked.

Location – found.

Props – feeling pretty good there.

Clothes – [insert lengthy pause]

Your brand shoot is on the books, you’re going to get your marketing imagery for the upcoming year set and it’s going to be a game changer for your business. All the easy parts of your checklist are out of the way. But clothes are the first thing that gets noticed in a picture, and you can’t afford to get it wrong here, so… drumroll… what do you wear?

Your closet is full, and so are your online shopping carts, and the decision overwhelm is real. Maybe the photographer can just help you pick quickly morning of? (Spoiler alert – don’t do that!) 

I’m going to give you 6 simple steps to make sure you’re wearing the RIGHT clothes for your brand shoot, helping you eliminate the noise and zero in on the right selection for you.

1. Would you wear it again in regular life? (This is what you ask yourself before you click buy now on that piece that’s sitting in your cart – the one you’re itching to buy, but maybe doesn’t make sense. Don’t let a photoshoot justify purchasing clothing you won’t actually wear.) For your brand shoot, you want to make sure that you’re showing up in something that represents YOU well, so if it’s not something you would ever actually wear out, nix it now.
2. Does at least one of your looks represent what your client’s can expect to see you show up in, when they meet you in real life. Wedding photographer? Include a wedding day look. Business coach? What are you going to show up on Zoom in for your first call with a client. Event planner? What will you show up to your client’s event in. This gives your audience the chance to feel like they know you already, and will create instant recognition and connection when you show up.
3. Do all of the pieces you’re wearing fit you correctly? Are you comfortable in each piece of clothing, or are you going to be spending the shoot pulling at sleeves and constantly adjust waistlines that don’t actually fit. This is not the time to “shop small” in hopes of losing a few extra pounds. Buy/choose pieces that FIT you.
4. When you put the pieces on, are you confident in it from all angles, or is this a one position only look? You’re going to be moving around in your shoot, and the photographer will work with a lot of different camera angles. And they won’t know the one very specific angle that this dress is approved from… So if it’s a look that only works with right hip forward, belly sucked in and shoulders adjust just so, you’re probably going to end up with a lot of pictures that you refuse to use – don’t waste your investment like that!
5. Do the colors you’re wearing fit with your brand? You don’t have to be wearing the same exact colors, but they do need to make sure they don’t clash so that you can use the images seamlessly on your website and social media. Wearing colors within the same family as your brand colors will create develop connections in your audience’s mind between you, and your brand, and your offerings.
6. Will the styles that you’re wearing create connection between you and your target audience, or will they create a disconnect? You don’t have to dress the same as your ideal client, but clothing creates a connection point from the first look, and you want to make sure that is truly is a CONNECTION point, not a point of mistrust. (On the flipside, this will also help you speak directly to your target audience, and repel the wrong audience, which is a good thing!). 

I’ve organized all of this into a concise “Brand Shoot Look Evaluator” spreadsheet for you. It’s a checklist to help you track the 6 steps, and an interactive evaluation tool to help you work through whether each look you’re considering is the right one or not. You can snag it here, it’s completely free, and a game changer for minimizing your prep time!

Number 6 can be the hardest one – making sure that you’re building trust from the first glance. But it’s a really important one, and a great filter to help you narrow down on which specific pieces from your large pile on the bed will work for your shoot. If that’s where you’re feeling stuck, or unsure, I’ve got you covered. I’d love to take a look at the pieces you’re considering for your shoot, and do a Brand Shoot Looks Audit for you. You’ll show me your looks, and give me a bit of insight into your brand, your messaging, and the audience you’d like to reach, and I’ll send you a Loom explaining what works from your selection, and some things you can tweak for what isn’t working. We’ll follow up with a 20 minute call to answer any questions you have. I would absolutely love to get you off on the right foot for your brand shoot. If you’re confident about what you’re wearing going into it, your photographer will have more time to shoot because you won’t be pausing asking for confirmation on whether this or that look is working – you’ll be confident, they can shoot, and you will get the MOST out of this investment you’ve made.

Do you want to know for sure that what you’re considering for your shoot will work or not? Reach out here to book your audit, building visual trust with your target audience is my specialty.

Want to snag this checklist as a free download, and gain an interactive tool to show you clearly whether or not your outfits are the right ones? Snag it here!