A job shadowing day for 2 aspiring photographers at INK Photo Haus
Today, 2 accomplished young ladies stopped by the studio to learn what a headshot and brand photographer does in a typical day. Both have possible healthcare degrees in their future, but both are also really drawn to photography (trust me, I get it. Once you get it, it never goes away!). We ran them through a "day in the life"...
1. Why brand photography is important to businesses
We covered how a small business would use brand photography for many reasons... marketing photos, website content, social media marketing content, etc. More importantly, we discussed WHY a personal brand (like a celebrity) or a business might want to hire a brand photographer, instead of just taking really great cell phone photos. The magic of a really great brand photographer is that they can quickly identify what sets you apart from your competitors and helps you accentuate that unique trait that you offer to your clients.
2. Personalize your shoot
Interview your client. Find out what they do, what industry they do it in, and what makes them unique as a human. It does a client no favors to give them a beautiful brand shoot... that looks IDENTICAL to all of their competitors in town! The girls interviewed each other on their future career plans and their personalities, then customized a shoot to match. Using posing, facial expressions, lighting, shooting angle, color palette, wardrobe, lens selection, and other methods, their photos started to become consistent with the brand identity that they were trying to convey.
3. Photoshoot time!
Each student brought their subject to a variety of different locations and got creative! We used mirrors, windows, doors, columns, rocking chairs, desks, and outdoor spaces to get the chance to direct a subject "on the fly" and while thinking on their feet. Both exceled at seeing where the lighting was best, helping pose each other, and constantly moving to get a wide variety of options for their client. When they finally presented their work to their client, both students got to see which of their photos were client favorites!
They nailed it!
It's hard sometimes to get practice shooting portraits, if you've never done it before. Sometimes you have no model. Sometimes it can be intimidating to think on your feet and direct a human subject who is just standing there, waiting for direction. It can also be tricky just to do 10 things at once... remembering the poses you want to put the client in, remembering the prompts and convo to keep the mood in the right place so your client is comfortable and is expressing genuine emotion, holding reflectors and flashes to balance lighting, remembering composition and framing properly, watching for distractions in the background (or on the model, like flyaway hair), nailing exposure, nailing focus, being conscious of time limits or of your surroundings (don't step off the curb downtown in getting your perfect shot!), and more. It was fun to get to see the girls work on headshots and brand photography in the "safe space" of a learning environment, where someone can whisper tips over your shoulder, as needed. I wish I'd been smart like them and not tried to struggle through making EVERY MISTAKE in the book before learning the hard way!
If you've got a Dallas, Fort Worth, Flower Mound, Lewisville, North Texas area kid, pre-teen or teen with an interest in photography, marketing, branding, entrepreneurship, I'm considering opening more of these hands on business summer camps up for summer 2022. Click below to get notified when a class is opening next!