Often, clients tell me they’ve put off their shoot for quite some time, waiting to feel ‘ready’.

My advice? Book now, then get ready!

Booking a shoot with plenty of prep time means you have space to get clear on what you’d like to achieve at your session.  That could mean understanding what your brand looks like, what your messaging is, how you want to come across to your audience, and super important – what content you aim to produce and share over the coming months, in line with your marketing and business goals.

Once you have your aim and intentions covered, you also need time to think about the finer details that will bring everything together on the day – your outfits and accessories, plus any props that’ll help achieve the looks you want.  This should be a fun part of your shoot process, but if you’re under pressure you’ll only feel anxious and worried about not having enough time to pull things together by the day.

Trust me, I’ve had this happen on so many occasions – someone calls me to book in for a shoot, then proceeds to tell me that they’re launching a new book/website/ product etc within a few weeks and need images asap.  Now, sure, sometimes things happen without much warning and we have no option but to turn things around quickly, and I’ve often done that for many clients over the years.  But you’re telling me you have a book ready to launch or a website set to go live in 2 weeks and you couldn’t book in earlier?  Seriously?  If I knew what avoidance smelt like, I’d be getting a good whiff of it on most of those calls!

Other times, people simply don’t realise that their photographer will help them with prep – they think they need to have everything worked out in advance and THEN book their shoot.  So not the case! Any photographer who specialises in branding will (should) work with their clients to understand what they need, and how to create the images they want.

Booking before you’re ready is also about trusting in a process.  I know there’s a lot of fear for most people about photography and showing up in front of a camera – it’s an opportunity for imposter syndrome to rear its ugly head, and for all of our vulnerabilities to come to the surface. But we all know those things are just a result of stepping out of our comfort zone, which we need to be doing to grow, right?  Also, you’ve obviously done your research and chosen a photographer you feel confident to work with, so place your trust in them and let them guide you – this is their zone of genius!

The great thing about booking in for your shoot is that once you’ve done it, once you’ve taken that leap of faith to invest in your personal brand, the rest is a matter of prep work.  Your photographer will help you with anything you need, so that by the time the shoot is upon you, you’ll feel organised and confident.  Of course, there’s still some nerves and slight apprehension which is totally natural – but you’ve done the hardest part! I’m always telling my clients at their end of their shoot to go home, put their feet up and celebrate, but booking in for your shoot is worth celebrating too.

Personal Branding images above shot for Kylie Broadfoot from KMB Coaching, on location in Torquay and at The Summer House.

Been avoiding your own branding photos for some reason?  Get in touch and let’s work together to create some incredible imagery that will make you stand out and shine!