What Does an Ideal Creative Brand Session Look Like?

If you were to ask me, “What does an ideal brand session look like?”, I would share everything about this shoot I did with a young, local artist.

Creative Brand Sessions Should Be Collaborative

Rather than outsourcing all the creative ideas to me, the photographer, Maya reached out to me knowing she wanted both environmental portraits and someone to capture her making her art. From the get-go our conversations were collaborative and curious, and Maya wasn’t afraid to suggest pie in the sky ideas or say yes to weird ideas I had. We talked through the mood and tone we wanted to convey with the images. We discussed our palette and how her clothing would play into that. We brainstormed the different items she would have in her hands in different shots. She shared Pinterest inspiration and I sent back my interpretations for how those images could look within the constraints of what we were doing. In other words, the shoot we planned was a shared vision.

Creative Brand Sessions Should Truly Reflect Your Work

Maya’s art encompasses landscape and nature photography along with watercolor renderings of the natural scenes she captures with her camera. We knew that we wanted to do part of the session in the studio and part outdoors, surrounded by nature’s beauty. Splitting our shoot between the two settings that mirror her actual art-making process made the imagery we were making feel real and alive. We got close-up shots showing her creative process and sweeping vista shots showcasing her inspiration. I loved that I got to photograph Maya as a painter, as a photographer, and as a nature-loving dreamer.

Thank you, Maya, for trusting me, having such good ideas, and embracing my offbeat ones. 😉 If you’re a creative in the Bay Area and this idea excites you, consider how having creative brand portraits might elevate your web and socials and overall brand presence. I’d love to chat!