The top 5 questions I like to be asked as a brand photographer
If you want to work make sure you’re getting the best brand photographer for you, you need to get the right information to make sure you’re going to work well together.
Portfolios are a great starting point. A photographer’s style needs to work with your brand and the message you’re trying to get out to your audience. But there’s so much more information you could be gathering to give you more confidence that you’re making the right choice.
To help you, here are the top five questions I like to be asked as a brand photographer.
What is your process?
If you understand my workflow, it can help reassure you that I can turn your brand guidelines into visually compelling content that fits within your timeline.
This question will prompt your photographer to share how they work.
Important information for you will be:
- How they gather information about you brand and project.
- If they organise models/props/locations or if they expect you to do that.
If the photographer delivers all of the quality images that they shoot or just a selection? Because some will shoot a lot of images but just give you the top X number of shots.
The things that a photographer should be telling you are:
- Licensing. Their standard licensing terms. This could make a huge difference in terms of longer term use of your images. If you’re using a photographer like me, then you can expect to use your images for as long as you wish, and for most business purposes. But some photographers will impose certain restrictions, including time. So, if you’re hoping to reuse the images for the next Christmas season but find that there’s a time restriction, that means you’ll either have to pay more to use them or start again, you’re going to be disappointed.
- Post-Shoot Timings. Some photographers will take weeks or even a month or two to edit photographs, others (like me) take 3-5 business days.
- Image Delivery. How the images will be delivered, and how long will they keep the images stored? If you lost your images after a couple of years (computers can fail), will your photographer still have them? It’s an important consideration.
What happens after my shoot?
Ask me what types of brands I’ve enjoyed working with the most.
This question is a great one, because it will show you where my passions lie when it comes to taking photographs. It will also help you know what kind of work I do. You want to know that your photographer is aligned with your brand style from the get-go.
This will give you an invaluable insight into how the photographer thinks about photography’s role and its importance with overall brand messaging. You want to get a photographer who just “gets it”. Who undestands that the right photographs help a brand come to life.
What is my perspective on the role of a brand photographer in overall marketing of an organisation?
What can you do as a client to make this collaboration successful?
Working on a brand photography project is a collaboration between photographer and client. To help make this easier you can help your photographer by:
- Giving a clear set of instructions and brief, which includes deadlines and expected deliverables.
- Be prepared for the shoot, with any materials and props, and aim to be on time.
- Work together on the shot list, so you’re both on the same page
- Try to be flexible – whether it’s the weather than doesn’t go to plan (photographers often have a backup plan for this), or there’s an unexpected opportunity to do things slightly differently to the plan but that creates a better result.
- If you have feedback about the photographs, try to be clear and constructive. Give specifics rather than vague comments. Balance the critique with positives and things that did work (we are people, after all). And allow the photographer to make adjustments.
By being organized, communicative, and open to collaboration, clients can empower photographers to deliver their best work while ensuring that the final output aligns seamlessly with the brand’s goals. A successful collaboration is a two-way street built on trust, respect, and shared creative vision.
If you have any questions that you would like to ask me about brand photography. Why not drop me an email? It will be great to hear from you.