Whether you’re designing your website yourself or working with a website designer, one thing you’ll definitely need are photoshoot images to help you stand out from the crowd. Although you may not think the photos are that important, remember that your website essentially uses two things to tell your story: words, and images. In this article, I’ll help you get creative with your website photoshoot images so you can have a great presence on your website.

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If you do decide to use some stock photography, that’s okay! Scroll down a bit in your searches to find the images that fewer people are using. If you’re using Canva, Pexels, or Unsplash to do your searching, you have the option to click on the photographer to look at more of their collection. This can be a great way to find matching photos that have a similar style or subject matter, and this helps you to create a cohesive look from page to page on your website. Before selecting your images, check for alignment with your brand colours and overall feel to ensure it will resonate with your ideal client.

 

If you are planning a photoshoot, spend some time browsing through stock photos anyway before you meet up with your photographer. Stock photo listings are a good place to get ideas for outfits, props, locations, and image composition. Take notes and use them to help you pack accordingly for your photoshoot!

 

While it might be tempting (and definitely easier!) to use all stock photography, I’m willing to bet you can be convinced into doing a photoshoot once you’ve read through the rest of the ideas in this post!

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If you already have ideas for your website design, you’ve already selected a template, or you have an existing website that you’re updating the photos for, you essentially have a checklist for the photos you’ll need. Go through your website page by page to determine how many horizontal photos, vertical images, candid or posed photos, action shots or headshots you’ll need to complete your website design. This ensures that you’ll get everything you need from the one photoshoot and you won’t have to turn around and book another right away. The other benefit of this method is that every photo on your site will be edited in the same style and part of a similar theme, and this kind of consistency goes a long way towards impressing your website visitors. 

 

No blank spots or missing photos? That’s a win!

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The importance of having a professional setting for your website photos cannot be overstated. A studio such as Kinship has so many great benefits: amazing backdrops, great props, flattering natural light, and stylish furnishings can all elevate your photoshoot and help you focus on the storytelling aspects you’ll convey on your site. However, an added bonus is that Kinship is located right downtown - meaning you can also get outdoor photos in Winnipeg’s Exchange District without having to ask your photographer to drive to a second location. 

 

I recommend my clients get photos both indoor and outdoor for their website photos - this increases the variety of your photos and ensures your website visitors’ eyes don’t start glazing over in boredom. Not to mention, outdoor images tend to bring out another side of you and help with the flow of creativity. Having photos taken inside and out gives you two different concepts from which to tell your story and inspires variety in your poses and facial expressions, so your website visitors are even more inspired to know, like, and trust you.

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Bring props that you use everyday as a business owner (pens, journals, books, laptop, phone) and also items you use in your niche, such as:

 

• A water bottle, running shoes, clipboard, weights, and resistance band for a personal trainer

• Ingredients, measuring cups, cutting boards, mixing bowls and spoons for a recipe designer

• A tarot deck, crystals, blankets, and candles for a reiki practitioner, etc.

 

And then, I mean literally do your job during your photoshoot. :) Go beyond just holding these items or having them in the background of your images…. Re-enact your actual preparation routines you do before working with clients, go through the motions of actually posting to your Instagram, show how you use your products in real life, really read your books, act out what happens behind the scenes during your process, pretend you’re in a real Zoom session with a client, and just interact with the props you’ve brought in a natural way. This helps your website to feel more real and give your leads an inside look at your process, which means you’ll be more memorable and trustworthy!

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Before planning your photoshoot, look over your drafts or finished copy for your website words and review your values and brand messaging. Notice what kind of words you’re using and what kind of tone you’re writing in. For example:

 

If you’re trying to inspire, motivate and uplift, you’ll need photos that have a higher amount of movement and energy.

 

If you’re trying to calm and soothe, you’ll likely do better with photos that are reflective, still, and serene.

 

If you tend towards bright and loud language, you’ll want to plan an edgier or more exciting photoshoot.

 

To get started, think from the point of view of your ideal client - who are they, and what do they want to see? How can you help them visualize your words and make them feel more real?

 

If your client is the bold, outspoken type and you are helping them express themselves fully, then having many photos in a neutral outfit and a similar closed-mouth style won’t help you express that as well as a photoshoot that features bold camera angles, bright clothing, and lots of images of you in action, right? When you match the photoshoot vibe to your brand message and voice, you’re avoiding your website visitors having a disconnect between your words and your images, helping to improve the impact of your site! 

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I can tell you from experience… there’s nothing worse than getting your website photos back from your photographer and realizing that you’re looking straight at the camera with the same expression in 90% of them. Although hopefully your photog will have ideas to engage you and pose you in interesting ways, planning ahead helps you cover your bases.

 

I always encourage my clients to get images in all the following layouts:

 

-where they (the subject) are in a mix of the far left, middle-left, middle-right, and far-right of the frame. This allows you or your web designer to put text and graphics overtop of the image and makes your images more versatile.

 

-mostly horizontal with a few vertical images. These will work best for those wide images you see all over the web and can always be cropped down for smaller sections.

 

-images that have you (the subject) in a profile view, images that are taken looking up at you, images taken from behind your back, and those taken from above. Ensuring this variety means you can re-use similar images from page to page without them all looking the same and confusing your visitors as to which page they’re on.

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Planning a photoshoot for your website can be so involved - but I encourage you to view the planning process as half the fun! When you get your photoshoot images back after implementing these tips, you’ll feel so proud of the finished product on your site, and what’s better, your website will impress your visitors, have them clicking around longer and visiting more pages, and encourage them to take the desired actions linked to your website goals.

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Happy photo-taking and website-making!

Chantelle Andercastle, Clear Quartz Creative

Aligned Business Mentor 

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