May 5th, 2023 . A personal branding shoot with a nutritionist.

Shooting with nutritionist Rosina Vecchio, was a fun experience. The goal was to capture images that not only showcased her personality and expertise but to promote her approach to food and nutrition. There was a bit of work on her part leading up to our photoshoot with food preparation but also to bring a range of fruits, veggies, ingredients and props. Here are some of thing I go over with clients when planning a personal branding photoshoot.

When working with professionals and branding, we always have at least a couple of consultation calls or meetings to talk about the vision, the mood, the location, lighting, props, makeup, wardrobe amongst other details.

For this particular project Rosina had borrowed a friends kitchen to shoot in which was nice and big, given us space to move around and the ability to create slightly different backgrounds for a variety of shots.

A few things to consider when you plan a photoshoot in a house are:

• how much ambient light there is.

• what are the colors you will be dealing with? Is it a neutral tones which is ideal in most circumstances or; are the walls dark or brightly colored which can affect the lighting and cast weird colors on someone’s skin. If there is a lot of color but nice ones, maybe you just need to coordinate your props and wardrobe accordingly.

• is the house really cluttered because that can quickly become a nightmare to deal with. If so, can we move stuff around if we have to?

• are the cabinets highly reflective? that can create problems because you can start seeing your own reflection in the images.

Here are some key tips to organizing a personal branding photoshoot:

Create your moodboard of ideas, colors, props, looks and share it with your photographer.

It’s important that you everything is discussed in detail prior to your shoot, so everyone is one the same page and understands the vision and what kind of images we are trying to create.

Make sure you have your shot list:

Create a list of shots you need and extra in case you have time. Make sure someone is checking things off the list as you go along. You don’t want to walk away from you shoot forgetting to shoot a shot that was on the list.

Decide what the style and mood with lighting will be:

Lighting is one of the most important elements of any photoshoot. For a nutritionist's photoshoot, it's important to create a bright and airy atmosphere that promotes healthy living. Use soft, diffused lighting to create a warm and inviting feel. You can also experiment with natural light by shooting near a window or outside in the fresh air.

Choose your prop wisely:

Use props that speak to your audience and matches your brand. Choose colors that will compliment and not clash with the surrounding colors include your outfits and color pallette on your website. You could bring fresh fruits and vegetables, a blender, or a glass of water, a lemon squeezer, cutting board, knife and other items that promote cooking healthy and nourishing foods and put in contexts. This will not only add interest to your photos but also emphasize the nutritionist's expertise and message.

Experiment with poses and expressions

Try to create realistic situations like making a salad, drizzling the dressing, squeezing a lemon and make sure. A nutritionist should appear knowledgeable, confident, and approachable in their photos. Try different poses that showcase your personality and expertise. Help the photographer be able to capture expressions such as a smile or a laugh that promote positive energy and health. This will make you potential clients identity with you and picture themselves being happy prepping and cooking health foods in their own kitchen. Remember you are selling you as a brand, not necessarily your service. Your client wants to work with you to inspire them to want to be better at feeding themselves and their family. That’s why it’s so important to show your personality in your brand. Be authentics!

You don’t have be in every shot:

Think of your social media needs and other advertising photographic content visual to post. You might not need to have your face in every shot. Set up some platters, bowls and props and let the photographer move in closer to get some details shots. Thinks quality and variety!

A photographer's top tips for preparing a personal brand photoshoot.

1. First and foremost: Define who you are as a brand and have a clear vision of your photoshoot objectives. What are your values, mission, style and unique selling proposition? How to you want to present yourself and be perceived by your audience?

2. Make yourself a mood/vision board: Pinterest is a great tool for creating a clear visual communication that you can use for adding images that inspire you as you work on creating this vision easily sharing it with your photographer and other artists that might be working on the day of your photoshoot.

3. Select your photographer wisely: Look for a professional who specializes in personal branding and who’s style and aesthetics aligns with your brand and your voice. Find someone who has experience working with brands, entrepreneurs and professionals.

4. Plan your looks: Selecting clothing can be hard for some people and if you have the budget, an industry professional wardrobe stylist can be a great option. If the rates are out of your budget, asking for input from friends and even doing some shopping with the option to return the garments after your shoot is a good way to go. Photographers and stylist do it all the time. They shop, keep the tags on, make sure to be mindful with the items on the day of the photoshoot and then just return everything. Keep in mind to choose outfits that are consistent with your brand image and colors that will elevate your website if you have a color pallet associated with your products and branding.

5. Not all clothing translates well on camera: I always tell clients plan on bringing more than you need … just in case. Avoid busy patterns, large logos, or distracting accessories.

6. Strongly recommended: Since you’re investing into professional photography, at the very least, I highly recommend hiring a professional artist for your hair and makeup. Even if you’re used to doing your own and consider yourself well versed in makeup, having a pro on set is so valuable. Most photographers usually have a list of their favorites and having a team that is used to working together and understand each other’s cues can be so helpful.

7. You will need to select your location: Consider a location that can provide a visually interesting backdrop for your photos. Find a place or maybe it’s a couple of places that will be complimentary to your outfits, in your branding and speaks to your target customer.

8. Have your shot list: This is a must! Make sure you have list of shots that you want the photographer to capture during your shoot. It can be anything from headshots, product and/or lifestyle shots depending the type of business run or the brand you represent. If you provide a service, you may want to dedicate a portion of the photoshoot to lifestyle images of you actually physically interacting with your clients at the location of your business. This could involve more logistical planning but can provide highly engaging content for your website and social media.

9. Posing: Hopefully you have selected a photographer is good at helping people pose for the camera specially if you are someone who’s not used to being in front of the lense. make sure you ask. As silly as it sounds, practicing posing in front of a mirror can be very helpful in helping you see what you might be doing with your head and body. Watching the pros do on TV or Youtube is also an option. Mostly, just have fun with it! try to keep it fun and loose and move around. Most photographers are shooting in digital format and you only need a few great shots of the same outfit, so it’s better to try to give the photographer posing options then standing in front the camera and not moving. Don’t overthink it to much and don’t be shy to ask for guidance.

10. Sleep tight and don’t let the bedbugs bite: You want to show up well-rested and hydrated leading up to the photoshoot. An industry trick for women specially, is to ice your face before you head out the door. It will help reduce any puffiness. If and hopefully you have a makeup artist on set, all you need to do is show up with a clean, well moisturized face and dry hair. They will work their magic! And, a side note for those women who are not used to wearing much makeup, it never looks as heavy as it feel on camera. And a word of caution … if there is something you don’t like about your hair or makeup, please speak up and communicate with the artist. It’s much easier to fix or change something before taking millions of photos, then to try to fix things in post productions with photoshoot.

2023 . A new year! New hopes and dreams! New goals and challenges!

January, 5th 2023

Every January we seem to find ourselves reflecting on last’s years accomplishments, challenges, events and memories. We look forward to the new year as a new beginnings as if it was the new dawn that will allow us the luxury of recreating ourselves, our dreams and explore new ventures we’re forever longing for. It seems like the momentum towards a new future is always easier when you have the next 12 months ahead of you for really curating the life you really want and do all the things you’ve always dreamed of but never get the chance to because life in the now gets in the way.

We make lists of goals, we plan, we buy new calendars and personal planners, we join the gym and promise to give up all the nagging habits and transform into the very best version of ourselves in this new year!

Promises to ourselves, to other family members, to our careers and to the universe to be better, to achieve more, do more and stay focussed. On the radio, the hosts talk about new year resolutions asking the audience “ Tell us about your resolutions!” Gym’s send out the new year membership discounts which everyone jumps on thinking this is it: “I’m getting fit in 2023”. Yap! This is my year to get in the best shape of my life!

Admittedly, I’m guilty of it as I’ve decided this year is my time to get more consistent with putting out more blog posts and being more consistent with my email marketing. But what if there was no start to the new year, would we set out such goals and be in such a rush to hit the pavement running with so many dreamy expectations that we’ll stay the course and be consistent on all levels?

Now I’m looking back at the past couple of years in my work and life to dive into what areas of my life as a mother, commercial photographer and human being I need to work on to be better, do better and accomplish the dreams and goals that will help bring me closer to the future and the life I envision for myself and my business!

A few images from last summer’s fun down at the Jericho Sailing Center and Windsure Adventure Water Sports!