When looking across your website and your socials (especially when you’re just getting started), you may not think you need much else beyond updated headshots.

While it is beneficial to have the clean, studio-standard headshots that are back in style, it is also important to still focus on personality and variety to make your photos last longer and to stand out – more impact for your effort!!

When Allie Miller Photo booked her session, her main priority was updating headshots…and I get it. Sometimes we can only wrap our heads around a “refresh” rather than delving deep into the full foundational brand shoot.

Just because you aren’t ready to book a full brand shoot, doesn’t mean that you can’t get fun, versatile images.

In Allie’s studio session, we highlighted her as a wedding professional that can be trusted, but also her bright, fun, and spunky personality, her products (prints and albums), and the fact that she shoots both film and digital (an aspect of her business that makes her unique in her market).

Since a studio session is limited in location, the variation comes through the outfits you bring and the backdrops and props we pair them with. 

Here are some outfit styles that are useful to consider when wanting to get the most out of your studio session:

1. The Work Fit

You want to make sure that you have photos in an outfit that your clients would typically see you in. This could be scrubs, a work uniform, something business casual. Allie wore a black, dressy-casual dress – something she would normally shoot a wedding in. 

With The Work Fit, we used a white backdrop (to be professional and classic) and pink (to add some fun and color) to highlight both sides of her brand’s personality and provide variation for her website and grid. 

2. The Neutral Fit

The Neutral Fit is good to have in your studio closest for when you want to be more low-key in your photos – typically when the main purpose isn’t you, more products, services, etc.  

Allie chose a blue dress that was more coastal and pretty which fits in really nicely with the type of clientele that she’s going after and paired well with her album and print colors.

(NOTE: It’s important to photograph the products in multiple different ways: in your hands, you interacting with them, different orientations, the different variations of your product, flat lay, etc. It’s more visually interesting than simple, standard product photography.)

3. The Personality Fit 

This outfit is fun and relatable. This is where you can show off your brand’s personality, be confident, and demonstrate how you are in your daily, normal life (or at least what you want to portray!). 

Allie wore a fun pink dress since pink is very much her spirit color, and we made sure to get photos of her in multiple poses and with and without her camera. (All about the variety!) 

4. The Everyday Fit 

This is the outfit to show all the tools that you work with on a regular basis. It’s the behind-the-scenes, in the office look. 

We staged a desk with all of the work tools Allie uses and put her in the center of it. This was kind of like a flat lay but with her included. Her being surrounded by all her equipment shows that she knows what she’s doing and will always be prepared for a photography session. 

(We also took some photos with the albums in this outfit to add variety in her product page.) 

While you may not be ready or need a full brand session, that doesn’t mean that you can’t get a ton of resources from a smaller studio session. Multiple outfits, several backdrop colors, and a few good ideas is everything you need to get several images that you can use across your brand messaging. 

If you are not sure what you need, don’t be afraid to reach out! I’ll help dig into your needs and lead you in the right direction whether that’s a full shoot, a studio mini, or a total website rehaul (shout out More Than Creative)!