Literally how do you ‘illustrate’ your point?
Make it easy for yourself....use a photograph but don’t overly complicate its content.
I recently had a new client for a brand shoot London…
We were starting to talk through certain aspects of her business. It's easy to think there is a literal interpretation and photo for every scenario a client may want to blog about? To visualise every part of your business?
It IS possible to create photos to cover every eventuality, but it's not what you think.
If you have constantly used stock photos, in the past, there is a tendency to think that you need a specific brand photo and visual metaphor every time? And that we need to recreate this on your own personal branding photography photo shoot? To make a whole portfolio of visual metaphors? This is a misunderstanding and we easily remedy it as we talk it through together.
So, for example, we need to create a branding photo that describes a process that may result in grief? Client thoughts are we illustrate this point by showing people crying in the frame? Someone acting out the events that lead up to this conclusion?
Not so.
Making photos in this way, potentially will look awkward and unconvincing. This resulting in your target audience disengaging because your photos look like theatre and not real life.
Make it easy for yourself.
You don’t have to visualise it all.
It is enough to illustrate your thoughts and blog.. by simply showing you or a team player with the right expression.
It's enough to show the emotion in your face in your photo and the written part of your post will depict the detail. You don't need to be seen in tears, just a branding photograph with a straighter, more serious face to match the voice of the text.
We buy from the emotion in what you write.
We buy from the emotion depicted in your branding photograph.
It's enough to marry the two without trying to act out scenarios which can then look like a deep-fake.
Any sector CAN have a branding shoot because we can illustrate emotion and expression for any service.. If people are the product, we photograph the people.
It is enough without any fancy role play.
And so,
Here is the brilliant Abigail Brown. Abi is an independent financial adviser /planner and a thriving business leader in her sector. Abi IS the product. It is a difficult sector to represent in branding photos because there is tough legislation surrounding the products and services she provides. Any inaccuracies, misinformation or misrepresentation could result in legal action. Acting out any scenarios would deeply undervalue any product or service.
So for Abi and many like her, in the same sector, she has to become visually clever in photos… by keeping it simple.
The key aspect of a client allowing someone to help with decisions regarding their finances is TRUST. So we made a huge portfolio of Abi, to illustrate and stress just that emotion; Abi simply appearing friendly, approachable and engaged (in you) as she does here will travel a long way towards gaining your trust.
In this shoot we make images where we illustrate various aspects of her personality, smiling, some with a straighter face and others where she is thoughtful. There is a pre shoot strategy. We select a mix of locations; prestigious and relaxed breakout places and spaces, as you would expect to potentially see her all to establish that trust.
We build a visual story in photographs that depict TRUST.
Enough expressions and locations, emotions and visuals that you will gradually start to perceive/ learn what she is like as a person online.
By illustration of who she is, her beliefs and ethics, she can demonstrate in business stories without mentioning 'product' at all.
Not photos acting out products, just a face depicting the right emotion.
How many times have you heard someone say.. 'Oh yes... I've seen her online... she looks nice'? They have made emotional decisions without actually meeting that person but have ‘LEARNED enough’ about them from how they LOOK in photos and what they have to say to make an emotional and financial decision?
