How to Plan a Brand Photoshoot
Even If You Don’t Know Where to Start
Congratulations! You’ve already taken the most important step: deciding it’s time to plan a photoshoot. Maybe it’s your first one, or maybe it’s your second or third and you’re just hoping to do it better this time. Either way, you’re in the right place.
Now comes the tricky part. And no, it’s not choosing the perfect location, finding models, or even hiring a photographer. The real starting point is you—specifically, getting clear on your goals for the shoot.
Before you start booking anything, take a few minutes to fill out this simple questionnaire. It’s designed to help you understand why you’re doing the shoot in the first place, and it will give you a clearer vision moving forward. Knowing what you want to communicate (and why) will help you prioritize the right creative decisions—saving you time, money, and confusion later. Plus, the more clarity you can offer your team before, during, and after the shoot, the more valuable and usable your final images will be.
Or, if you’re not quite ready for that yet, keep reading—I’ll walk you through the key steps to plan a shoot that actually works for your brand.
Why Are You Doing This Shoot in the First Place?
Yeah, it’s kind of an important question and one that often get’s overlooked by those planning their first couple of shoots. I know it seems like an easy answer but this is probably the most important question you can ask yourself when planning a shoot. The why is everything! Now let’s get down to breaking this question apart.
For most, a shoot sounds like a fun creative thing to do for your business but then as you start planning you realize how much actually goes into a production and then you get overwhelmed and, well just quit. It’s too much to think about, and the budget keeps getting bigger, and oh my gosh what about models, but my product hasn’t even arrived, wait the photographer is asking all these weird questions, and where are we gonna even shoot this!!!! Yeah, it’s a lot but that’s why your why is so important. It’s your grounding factor that allows you to keep focus on what’s really necessary. It also allows you to communicate your vision to everyone working on the project. So let’s get started, I promise it doesn’t have to be so stressful.
Let’s use a hair salon as an example. This salon is located in La Jolla, a pretty bougie area of San Diego that has a bit of an older demographic. Now this salon just opened and is trying to find new customers so the owner thinks a shoot is a great idea to attract new customers. The initial thought is if I have some nice photos I can post it to social media, maybe use it on our Yelp and Google Business page so when people search for us online they’ll see we’re professional.
Now, let’s keep it going and walk them through how to build clarity around their “why”—and what that means in real-world planning terms.
Yes, the salon owner wants professional photos—but what kind of photos? And more importantly, what’s the goal behind them? Is it just to look good online, or is it to attract a specific type of client? Maybe it’s to show that they offer luxury-level service. Maybe it’s to highlight their talented team. Or maybe it’s to show that even though they’re high-end, they’re still warm and welcoming.
See how the intention shifts the visual direction?
If the goal is to attract high-end clients in the La Jolla area, the photos should probably reflect an upscale, polished experience. That might mean clean lighting, neutral tones, well-dressed models, and refined retouching. If the vibe is supposed to feel friendly and community-driven, then maybe we shoot real clients interacting with their stylist, a team meeting in the sunlit lobby, or coffee being shared between appointments.
This is why defining your “why” isn’t just helpful—it’s essential.
Once you’re clear on why you’re doing the shoot, you’ll start to see what matters and what doesn’t. You won’t feel pressure to shoot everything or include every idea. You’ll be able to say no to things that don’t align and focus on the shots that truly support your goal.
So before you jump to the fun part—like choosing outfits or locations—pause and ask yourself:
• What do I need these images to do for my business?
• What would “success” look like when this shoot is complete?
• Who am I hoping to reach with these visuals?
Write those answers down. Tape them to your desk. Reference them when planning the rest of the shoot. Because when you stay rooted in your why, the rest of the process becomes way easier.
Who Needs to See These Photos—and Why?
Ok, so your gut reaction is to say “everyone” but in reality that’s not the case. Think about it, a shot of you in a bikini on the beach in some tropical location you might consider appropriate to show your friends but your boss, maybe not so much. It’s the same with your brand imagery. You want to think about who is going to be looking at these images because, essentially, that’s who they’re for. Let’s go back to our salon example in La Jolla.
Say the salon owner wants to attract women in their 40s–60s who live nearby, have a bit of disposable income, and are looking for a stylist they can trust. Now think about what that person might be looking for when scrolling your website or checking out your Instagram.
Are they seeing:
• A space that feels calm, clean, and welcoming?
• Stylists who look experienced and professional?
• Real clients who look like them?
Or are they seeing 20-something models, edgy lighting, and photos that feel more like an editorial spread?
There’s nothing wrong with beautiful, stylized content—but it has to be aligned with who you’re trying to reach. Your photos should help your customer feel like they already belong. That they can see themselves in your space, using your product, or benefiting from your service. There’s also nothing wrong with trying to attract a wide age range of clientele but your aesthetic has to stay true to your brand.
Now let’s say the salon also wants to pitch themselves to local influencers or beauty editors. In that case, the photos need to go beyond just showcasing the space—they need to feel polished, editorial, and worth talking about. Think: carefully styled vignettes, moody product displays, or dramatic before-and-after hair shots.
If the images are for Google Business and Yelp, they’ll need to be super clear, honest, and focused on things like cleanliness, layout, and friendliness. If the images are for investors, the tone might lean more professional and aspirational—highlighting growth, staff culture, or future potential.
Different audiences = different energy.
Before you map out your shot list, ask yourself:
• Who is my ideal client, really?
• What do they care about seeing?
• What would help them feel seen, understood, or excited to work with me?
Because when you create images that reflect your customer back to themselves, you’re not just marketing—you’re building trust.
Where Will You Use These Images?
Knowing where the images are going to live is important to your use strategy. Whether that be as a website banner, social media posts, team, page, or e-commerce product description page, knowing where your images will end up helps you figure out what exactly you need. When you figure out where you’ll be using these images your creative team can help guide you in the best way to produce the content you need.
Website
Your site is often where potential customers land first. You might need:
Horizontal hero images for banners
A portrait for your About page
Clean product shots for service pages
Images with plenty of negative space for adding text overlays
If your current site has a lot of templates or placeholders, now’s the time to check those dimensions.
Social Media
Think in a variety of crops and use cases:
• Square for posts
• Vertical for stories and Reels
• Clean, scroll-stopping images for ads or boosted content
Also, consider variety. The algorithm favors fresh content, so plan for a few variations of each scene—this gives you more to post without needing more shoot days.
Online Shop/Product Description Page (Shopify, Etsy, etc.)
These need to be clean, consistent, and product-focused. Lifestyle images are great for your homepage or product highlights, but you’ll likely need:
• Front-facing product shots
• Detail shots
• Color variations
• Model or scale context (like “how big is the bag really?”)
Email Marketing
Your email list is one of your most valuable assets—and visuals here matter. You want clean images that reinforce your brand’s look, are easy to read even on mobile, and aren’t overly cluttered.
Plan for 2–3 versatile images per campaign that you can reuse or rotate seasonally.