Behind the Session - Elle’s Brand Photoshoot
Elle is one of those women that absolutely rock your world with their authenticity and badassery, and it was such an honor to capture her in a magickal branding session late last year.
Elle came to our session fully prepared and completely honest. We spoke openly before the session about her reservations being photographed and she shared the ways in which she struggles to feel truly seen in front of the camera (both things I deeply relate to). Add in the fact that Elle is also a phenomenal brand photographer herself, and I knew that I had to make this session a memorable and sacred experience for her.
Having that knowledge going into our session, I did my best to hold space for Elle to show up and feel confident exactly as she is, without her feeling any pressure to perform or conform or try to be anyone else. I took into account and worked with all of the personal insights Elle shared with me when it comes to how she likes to be photographed, what makes her feel comfortable (and uncomfortable) in front of the camera, and what makes her feel seen.
We spoke about her upcoming brand update, which was on the moodier side, and I kept that in mind throughout the entire experience, both while I was capturing images as well as during the post-shoot editing process. I make it a point not to profoundly change my editing style from client to client, to make sure my body of work is cohesive, and because the editing process is such a massive part of my artistry. I honored the moody energy of the session during post-processing through choices in my image curation.
Studio spaces are always amazing location choices for brand sessions. They give you the perfect almost-blank canvas and a space for you to let yourself and your brand shine, while still giving you enough room to infuse the space with your own personality and brand essence through things like props, outfits, and accessories.
Elle was already familiar with the Valentine Room, so she came fully prepared with a variety of outfit options, tons of gorgeous jewelry options, and accessories and props that all helped her brand come to life.
Brand sessions give us plenty of time to let every aspect of your personality and your brand authentically come to life. We flow intuitively between capturing more traditional headshot-style portraits into badass CEO moments mixed in with some inspired detail shots, some time to have fun and play, and any other energies we need to tap into to truly bring your brand to life with unique, magickal imagery.
Elle brought her daughter with her to the session, so we had an on-set hype girl the entire time. She kept us dancing, laughing, and let's be real - kids keep you honest. They won't let you get away with trying to be someone you're not just for the camera.
We took our time. We didn't rush, and I held space for Elle to show up and be Elle, in all of her incredible, inspiring, badass glory. I am incredibly proud of what Elle and I created together and this session was the final confirmation I needed to lean even more into brand photography.
You can check out Elle and her work here (trust me, you're gonna wanna book a human design reading with her ASAP).
“OH MY GAWWWWWD. I’m dying! Never have I ever liked myself in any photos. You captured ME and wow, I cannot deal!”
Ready to bring your brand to life with authentic, magickal imagery?
