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!

May 04, 2023 . Playing with shadows and reflections in photography.

As a photographer you can’t seem to help seeing things that maybe most people are not really paying attention to. It’s not that they are not paying attention necessarily but they just don’t see the things you see because it’s part of your job. I mean after all, that’s why people pay photographers. They pay for their ey and skill of seeing and creating images by using light, lines, shadows, reflections and other components all with the perfect composition.

Shadows.

Creating shadows in a studio space is like trying to mimic sunlight with your studio lights. As kids we all look and play with shadows on the pavement on a bright sunny day and it’s sort of the same in studio. To create shadows, you need a hard light. Soft light with a big light modifier helps to minimize shadows, so you definitely want to keep the light source a light harder. Just like the sun, when the sky is overcast, shadows start to disappear and if you shoot in midday sun on a very sunny day, the shadows are the most sharp.

The light source set at an angle to the wall, to cast a strong shadow. You can experiment with the distance and the angle of the light of your subject to achieve the desired effect.

Reflections.

You can find reflections everywhere but you have to look for them as they might not always be obvious. Look down and around to find them. They can add depth and a different perspective to your images. Experiment with angles and distance just like shadows to make the perfect composition. Nature provides lots of opportunities with reflections specially around any body of water. You can even find reflections in urban areas with building, windows or any shiny surface. Play around with perspectives and see what you can create.