Emily | Branding Photos at the Lake
Last summer I advertised for mini session at Clarks Hill Lake in McCormick, SC. What I love about mini sessions is that they are budget friendly for my clients, but they are also something that can be adjusted to meet the needs of a variety of clients. For example, Ari & Von were my first lake mini’s client and used their shoot to document their engagement. You can see their session HERE if you haven’t already (hint: it is too stunning to miss, you have to see it).
After Ari and Von’s session, Emily reached out to ask if lake mini’s could work for branding photos. My answer? OF COURSE!
Before I tell you what happened next… Hi! I’m Sami! —Augusta, GA’s visual media specialist for branding and portrait photography, as well as short form social video content. I love documenting the details of your stories from business, to life, to love and everything in between!
Emily’s idea to turn lake mini’s into a branding session caught my creativity on fire and I was so excited to bring this session to life!
Emily is a Life Coach and, to quote her website, “helping others tackle problems and view challenges with a new perspective” is her passion. When she contacted me, she was launching her life coaching business and wanted casual photos for her website.
As I do with all of my clients, I set out to find some imagery that matched the vision I had for her session and created a vision board for Emily. I never set out to copy these images, but I find that having a visual representation of the vibe we are going to create helps my clients tap into the experience and embody the photos they want to create in their own unique way. This mood board sealed the deal for Emily, and convinced her to overcome the voices in her head and book her photoshoot.
On the day of the shoot we reviewed the vision board together and Emily pointed out the photos that felt the most like her vision. She didn’t want the photos to lean too sexy, but she did want them to feel relaxed and free.
While composing this next photo, I told Emily it was giving very “Folklore” or “Evermore.” The Swifties get it. 😉
Emily was hesitant to do the water photos that I included in her vision board because it felt a little too romantic or intimate. We talked about her feelings about that image style and ultimately decided to add just a few water photos at the end of the session just to experiment with the feel of it. When it came time to do the water photos I told Emily to close her eyes and tap into a sense of freedom and rebirth that she would want to portray to her clients and her mindset shifted the final outcome of these photos.
Admittedly, Emily’s session turned into more than a 30 minute session. While I don’t make a habit of that, I wasn’t happy with how bright the sun was when we arrived so we extended the time to get the photos we wanted. Plus, these photos were too pretty to stop! We ended up shooting until we literally had no more light. We watched the sun dip into the horizon and kept photographing until the very last drop of sunlight was gone. And we were gifted with the most stunning sunset silhouettes!
This blog post should serve as your sign to book totally unique branding photos! While I love a professional studio session, I don’t think they are a good fit for every business and I think there are endless photography venues that would be the perfect backdrop for your branding photos. Take the leap, book the session, and let’s think out of the box together! I’m so glad Emily took the leap!
If you are interested in life coaching services, be sure to reach out to Emily through her website, www.emilyolehausen.com! She is the sweetest soul and so welcoming. Our photoshoot felt like working with a friend!
And of course, if you’re ready to take that leap for branding photography or a custom portrait photoshoot of any kind, don’t be afraid to reach out! You can contact me through the form at the bottom of this web page or by emailing me at slaughlinco@gmail.com.
I can’t wait to work with you!
xo, Sami
