Branding Should Be Simple

Don’t overthink it. Don’t get caught up in backgrounds or props. Don’t worry about wardrobe. The most important thing about branding is your connection to the camera.

I’ve said it a million times: doesn’t matter how good-looking you are, how fancy your clothes are or how dramatic the background is; if you have dead eyes, you have a dead photo. 

Think about all the photos you loooooooove or connected to. Even if the person wasn’t looking into the lens, they were emotive on some deep level, otherwise you would not connect with the photograph.

How do you do that?? You relax, you breathe, you trust, you let go, and you just look into that lens as if it is a person that has oceans for eyes that you could just get lost in. The people who cannot connect with me are the folks that just cannot get out of their own head. They are so worried about embarrassing themselves, looking stupid in front of me, or are so worried about nailing it, they over do it or just shut down. Being vulnerable means allowing yourself to be the true you in front of me. It means accepting that the most important thing in that moment is nailing the shot, not what I think of you. If what I think about you is THAT important then the best way to impress me is to let me in and do what I say. Then we’re buds for life. 

You have to allow yourself to be vulnerable, let those walls down, and most importantly, trust me. So long as you listen to what I’m telling you to do and you do it, you’re going to LOVE your photos. Pinkie swear.