Surrounded by multitudes of other brands flaunting their photography online, fighting to get to the top, the journey to creating a photography and visual style in your brand can be difficult, especially when you’re a new company. Well, I’m here to bust open those photography cliches and bring you a new starting point.

1. Explore inspiration and create moodboards to develop a clear vision

Odds are you already know what you’re selling? Right? That’s the hard bit… now comes the next hard bit 😉 (but this is fun). Take a deep dive into finding other photographers and brands that you love and create moodboards which include the different areas that you are targeting, these can include; the way the product is styled and presented in the photos, the colouring of the images, the colours used in the photos, props that may complement and enhance your images and anything else you think is necessary.

(tip.1 Keep in mind your target audience, you may like something that they don’t, on the other hand always remember to stay true to yourself and your brand)

Here is three moodboards that I made for a fake sofa company:

As you can tell in ‘one’ we are going for a minimalistic approach with neutral colours and simple styling including straight lines and also a light and airy look to the photos. The only colouring in these photos is the neutral wood tones.

In moodboard two we can see a big change from the first. This shows many colours and props with interesting angles and foreground elements. These images have slightly more personality and also have a marginally moodier edit. We can also see that plants are used in many of the photos giving that homey vibe.

Moodboard three is the darkest out of the three styles and we have included a variety of models interacting and sitting on the sofas. Also we can see the use on sun rays shining into the room which gives a specific strong and powerful contrast. The colours used in these images are mostly darker, including some brown, dark green and red.

After creating these you should be able to see certain things that are similar within each set giving you a baseline and an idea of what you like and appreciate.

2. Collaborate with a photographer to add depth to your brand style

If you have an in-house photographer or someone that you know will be working on your brand this will help you to move forward as you can collaborate with them to help you with the details. Start the experimentation stage by gathering your idea and writing down a maximum of four different themes and styles you want to further look into.

3. Experiment with different themes to add three-dimension to your brand

Let’s start the physical experimenting working alongside and collaborating with the photographer that will be working with you on this project. You can begin by setting up mini shoots of the different themes you have created using your own products to see what makes you the most excited. After choosing your final photography style you can move forward and start to be more creative.

4. Stand out and be creative with the composition of your photography

Be creative with the setting out of your products, even if it might be something that might seem over the top. Other ideas for making it more creative and unique could be introducing a model or human element to the image, setting out the product in an unusual or exciting way or even placing it in an unusual setting.

Another thing to note when photographing your product is to make sure it’s in the best possible condition, no one wants to buy a product that doesn’t look its best, they never know what they might receive!

5. Ensure brand consistency with defining the post-production edit style 

A vital part of photography is the editing as it gives you the power to create something more than just a photo of your product but also a creative impression of your company. By being unique with your editing you can receive popular attention from potential clients which therefore gains more business. The main thing to focus on when creating an editing style is to choose something that you can recreate for the future. Consistency is key when editing, make sure the images have similar colourings as this is what makes you unique in your sector. Also, if there are any small things that don’t look quite right you can always touch up to make the product look perfect in post-production.

In summary 

The whole process of finding your visual style can sound exhausting, but it’s all about getting your creative mind and designing something unique. Finally, just make sure you have fun with your photography branding, get creative and give your product some personality!