How to Prepare for a Personal Branding Photo Session in Dunedin

Booking a personal branding photo session in Dunedin can be exciting, but it can also bring up that little moment of panic: What am I going to wear? What do I do with my hands? Do I need to know how to pose?

The good news is, you really don’t need to have everything figured out before you arrive. That’s part of my job.

Personal branding photography is about creating images that feel like you, while also giving you a versatile collection of professional photos to use across your website, social media, LinkedIn and marketing.

Here are a few simple ways to prepare for your branding photography session.

Think about where you’ll use your branding photos

Before your shoot, think about where you actually need the images.

Do you need a new website banner? LinkedIn profile photo? Social media content? Images for an upcoming launch? Or photographs with plenty of space for text and graphics?

Knowing how your images will be used helps me create a good mix during your session rather than simply giving you lots of similar headshots.

Bring a few outfit options

You don’t need to arrive with half your wardrobe!

A few carefully chosen outfits can create plenty of variety. Think about the colours you normally wear, what suits your business or personal brand and, most importantly, what you feel comfortable in.

A good mix might include something polished, something more relaxed and something with a little personality.

You also don’t need to buy something completely different because you think it looks more “professional”. If it doesn’t feel like you, chances are it won’t feel like you in the photographs either.

Choose clothes that feel comfortable

Comfort really matters during a personal branding shoot.

If you’re constantly adjusting a shirt, worrying about a skirt riding up or feeling restricted in a jacket, it makes it much harder to relax.

Try your outfits on beforehand, including sitting down in them, and check that everything fits and moves comfortably. A quick iron or steam before your session also makes a big difference.

Think about your hair and makeup

You absolutely don’t need to transform yourself for professional branding photos.

If you normally wear very little makeup, you don’t suddenly need a full glam look. The goal is to look like yourself on a really good day.

If you’re doing your own makeup, a little extra definition can work well on camera. If you’re having your hair professionally styled, choose something that still feels natural and recognisable as you.

I can recommend MoHa Salon and Zen Hair. Both are fabulous and will understand exactly what you need.

Bring a few things that tell your story

Props can be useful in business and personal branding photography, but they should make sense for what you actually do.

Depending on your business, that might mean your laptop, phone, notebook, products, books, tools of your trade or something else you regularly use while working.

We don’t need to photograph you holding a laptop in every photo! A few relevant items simply help add context and give you more variety in your final gallery.

You don’t need to know how to pose

Please don’t feel like you need to practise poses in the mirror before your session.

You don’t need to know where to stand, what to do with your hands or which direction to look. I’ll guide you through all of that.

My approach to personal branding photography in Dunedin is relaxed and natural. We’ll use small movements, conversation and gentle direction to create photos that feel polished without looking stiff or overly posed.

Often, the best images happen somewhere between the poses anyway.

Tell me if there’s something you’re nervous about

If there’s something you’re worried about, tell me.

Maybe you dislike being photographed from a particular angle. Perhaps you’re self-conscious about your arms. Or maybe you’re one of those people who starts every conversation with a photographer by saying, “I hate having my photo taken.”

That’s completely fine.

Knowing these things means I can work with lighting, posing, clothing and camera angles to help you feel as comfortable and confident as possible.

Don’t overthink your personal branding session

You are not expected to arrive knowing how to be a model.

A good personal branding shoot should feel relaxed, collaborative and actually quite fun. We’ll talk, move around, try different ideas and work out what looks and feels right as we go.

My job is to take care of the photography side so you can concentrate on simply being yourself.

If you’re looking for a personal branding photographer in Dunedin, I create relaxed, professional branding photography for business owners, creatives, entrepreneurs and professionals who want images that feel polished, approachable and genuinely like them. Get in touch and let me know what I can do for you.