Your comprehensive guide to prepping for the ultimate artist brand photoshoot – because your art deserves better than awkward studio selfies!

Why Your Art Business Needs More Than Just Pretty Pictures

Safe to say I’ve worked with a LOT of artists over the years across Melbourne, Geelong, Surf Coast and Bellarine Peninsula – with some really different design briefs and collaborative ideas! Some things work mega well. Others… don’t.

Are you a Melbourne, Geelong, or Surf Coast artist wanting to grow your art business? The biggest mistake I see artists make is sharing their high-quality art with low-quality photographs. Poor lighting, no editing consistency, awkward studio selfies…

Since 2018, I’ve been niched down to a very specific type of brand photography: the artist studio brand shoot across Melbourne, Geelong, Surf Coast, and Bellarine Peninsula. They are NOT like other types of brand photography we see today. Most artists really don’t like being lumped in with ‘content creators’. They want someone who can get inside their head, understand their vision, create work harmonious with their aesthetic, appeal to a very specific type of collector, and most of all – make the artist (who might really prefer to hide in a studio and never show their face on social media!) comfortable, happy and completely at ease while being photographed.

So much so that these are the kinds of responses I get to gallery deliveries:

“Ummmmm. What!??? I have NEVER felt more beautiful. THANK YOU!!!!!!! So clean, so on brand. I love and appreciate you ❤️”

“How on earth do you do this magic?? You’ve captured EVERYTHING! It’s me me me me and my art so perfectly. You’ve managed to photograph JOY more than I could even imagine…like woahhh. Colours are SPOT on border like ANGELIC!!!”

“As someone really self conscious in front of the camera and convinced that I ‘don’t take a good photo’ I can say that Kristen is someone who is truly skilled at her work… She seems to have an innate understanding for light, colour and capturing compositions that are both natural, completely ‘you’, yet beautifully composed.”

Whether you’re a Melbourne artist preparing for your first gallery show or a Surf Coast artist building your online presence, this guide will help you prepare for a successful brand photography session.

Finding Your Perfect Artist Brand Photographer (AKA Avoiding the Generic Blazer-Laughing-at-Laptop Trap)

What Sets Artist Photography Apart

Lots of wedding and family photographers have made the pivot into brand photography in the past few years, and that’s awesome! We’ve seen a huge lift in quality. However, there’s a lot of ‘same same’ happening – generic shiny light and airy power posed women in blazers laughing at their laptops. And that’s soooo boring. And not at all appropriate for an artist brand photoshoot.

Start with some good Instagram stalking (I mean… research 😉). Find other artists you admire whose photographs really represent their art well, then look at the photographers they booked. They might not live in your area, but did you know lots of photographers will happily travel to you? (I offer travel shoots throughout Melbourne, Geelong, Surf Coast and beyond!)

The Big Questions You NEED to Ask

1. How do they handle colour accuracy? (This one’s HUGE) When you’re looking at their photographs, have a good squiz at their editing. Look at the tones, colours – do they look realistic to you? One thing that no one is talking about in brand photography is when photographers use the same presets on your photos that they do on their family/wedding photography.

It’s not the end of the world if that red jumper comes out looking a little more pink in a family shoot. But I see it done allll the time – brand photographers who know nothing about art will snap a few photos of an artist in their studio, slap on a preset and not even notice that your phthalo blue now looks full on ultramarine. It’s more about their editing style than your colour palette. In my books this is a massive no-no when it means you’re marketing your art visually with colours being shifted, desaturated or blown out entirely. Watch out for this one! Fidelity to the original artwork is so important.

2. Digital or film? (Both have their magic!) I shoot both. Lots of my Melbourne and Surf Coast artist sessions these days are purely film. I edit my digitals as well as I can to get close to film, but there’s absolutely still a difference:

• Digital: More ‘perfect’ – cleaner, brighter, sharper. Great for websites and social media
• Film: The film shots feel like those in-between moments felt in the studio (ok biggest cliché to say that but it’s true!) Better tones, richer colours, lovely fine grain. Nothing like the real thing.

3. The biggest one: Do you actually LIKE them? Book a call with them before you book a shoot. When you chat with them, do you feel like you could hang out with them as a friend? Do you feel safe, seen, heard? If you hate being photographed, you want someone who’s going to put you at ease. I personally do this because I’m pretty empathetic and can read emotions quickly, I’m a good listener, I’m very daggy and don’t take myself too seriously – so this ends up being a bit disarming and friendly, I think. I end up becoming friends with so many of my clients because working together on this type of project creates a pretty great bond!

How Do I Know When I’m Ready? (Spoiler: There’s Never a Perfect Time)

Two things I value in my biz are integrity and honesty. For this reason, I will not encourage you into booking a session if I really don’t think you’re ready. I want it to be a huge success and I’m pretty experienced at working with Melbourne, Geelong, and Surf Coast artists at various stages of launching an art business, so I know what to look for.

You’re Ready If:

• Do you already have a clear, distinctive voice as an artist? When you start to find your voice and people start to say things like, ‘I could tell that was yours!’, then you’re ready.
• Are you starting to sell some pieces? Then you need professional photos.
• Are you finally launching your website? Great time for photos.
• Do you have a decent studio space with natural light? Not a dealbreaker as we can do workarounds, but being comfy in your studio is a good sign you’re ready.

Hold Up If:

• You’re still trying out a million different techniques and subject matter explorations
• You only have 2 pieces finished in your studio? Definitely wait and build up more of a collection.
• You don’t have basic branding elements (do this first or at the same time as booking me!)

Hot tip: Imposter syndrome will always be there in some degree, so try not to let it tell you whether you’re ready or not.

Timing tip: Plan the date around when you are able to have lots of inventory in your space, like Geelong artist Abby Lee (below). If you have a collection release coming up, book your session a few weeks beforehand so your studio looks full of art (before it all gets bought!), and you get photos to help you market that release.

As I said, I’ll be honest with you – if I don’t think it’s the right time for you, I’ll happily give some suggestions on what to do first before you come back to me!

The Brand Photography Planning Process (AKA Let’s Make Magic Together)

Pre-Shoot Planning Session

Do a proper planning session with your photographer beforehand. In person. Preferably in the space where the photos will take place, so they can scope the location, give suggestions on what to pack up/set out, and see the orientation and window situation to aim for the best light (mostly important for all-film sessions).

A good artist brand photographer will ask you about your story, values, inspiration, product lines, upcoming launches, where you want to be with your art in three years, aaaaand my absolute personal favourite question: ‘Describe the gap you see between where you want to be and how people are currently seeing you?’ Our photos will help you bridge that gap in how you show up online.

Creating Your Mood Board (No Clichés Allowed!)

Do a shared moodboard with your photographer. When you search for ‘artist photography ideas’, you’ll see some gems pop up, and some pretty cliché concepts. In the flow, movement and nice light, unstructured? Lovely. Stiff, holding a paintbrush up over one eye? Cliché.

Doing a moodboard beforehand will help you work through these things with your photographer to ensure you’re on the same page. If you have a really clear vision of what you want, communicate that clearly, and give feedback if what your photographer proposes isn’t aligned. This is a collaborative process and open communication is key here! Erin Reinboth (below) and I have become expert collaborators to create shared visions during our shoots over the past three years!

Photo Inventory: What Do You Actually NEED?

Do a photo inventory: what are you constantly finding yourself needing photos of?

• Hero shots: You in your studio, looking at the camera, surrounded by your art
• Process shots: Hands making art that you can overlay text on for social media
• Product photography: Different types of products and collabs you’ve done so you can make your online store look swish
• Celebration moments: You celebrating, big happy smile after a sold-out collection release
• Gallery submission portraits: Quieter, more Serious Artist, in black and white for gallery submissions

Have a big conversation with your photographer about the different storylines of your business you would like documented. A good artist brand photographer will be able to plan for and capture a broad variety of imagery.

What to Wear for Your Artist Studio Photography Session

Aim for 3-5 different outfits for a Full Custom Brand Session (up to 3 hours), or 2 outfits for an Artist Studio Film Session.

The Two Essential Looks:

Look #1: Your Actual Working Clothes One should absolutely be the clothes you paint/make your art in. Cute dirty overalls, jumpsuit – this isn’t polished, it’s reflecting the messy process. People love seeing this part.

Look #2: Your Collector-Meeting Outfit The other one should be a little more put together – the degree of fancy should be reflective of where you would be likely to meet your collectors in real life:

• Bougie gallery opening in Naarm/Melbourne: Something stylish (but not too evening glam as photos will be in the daytime)
• Geelong makers market or Surf Coast Arts Trail: More likely to be a colourful dress or jeans and fun sneakers and jumper
• You can never go wrong with: Simple linen shorts and a top, as seen in Fiona Dalrymple‘s Vancouver Island artist photoshoot above. I love her relaxed look.

My all-time favourite designer for artist clothing worthy of a photoshoot is Elizabeth Suzann.

The Details That Matter:

• Colour coordination: Try to pick your clothing colour around the colour palettes you typically use in your art for overall visual harmony (Kate Eliza nailed this below!)
• Variety is key: The goal here is maximum variety – if you are wearing the same thing in every photo, you won’t share many online as you’ll be thinking everyone will know it’s from the same photoshoot you did 3 years ago!
• Nails: Get them done, but simply and understated, not big giant pointy glitzy things. Pretty please. I’ll be photographing your hands a lot.
• Hair and makeup: Keep it natural and understated. I have great people I can recommend for Surf Coast brand photoshoots.

Preparing Your Artist Studio for Photography (The Fun Bit!)

Pick the time of day based on when the light is best in your studio space. Most of my sessions are on weekday mornings, but I can be flexible. If you work in a communal studio space with no windows and fluorescent light, then we need to find somewhere else with better light. Ask around your mates – sometimes we can set up a temporary ‘studio’ in your living room surrounded by house plants and records, or use a friend’s house.

Studio Styling: Keep the Story, Ditch the Clutter

Think about layers. I like to have lots of layers in my compositions that all work together to tell your story. Have all your tools ready to go, declutter your studio, but please don’t get rid of the STORY that exists in the mess.

KEEP these beautiful studio elements:

• Yoghurt pots full of painty coloured water
• Dried and peeled off palettes of paint pinned to the wall
• Quotes that motivate and inspire you
• Photos of your kids, your studio pup’s bowl
• All that good stuff needs to stay!

DITCH these distracting elements:

• The 17 empty cardboard boxes in the corner
• 6 of 7 dirty coffee cups (you’re allowed to keep one 😉)

Work-in-Progress Strategy

Something that no one thinks of: you want to be about 3/4 of the way through at least two pieces. For painters, underpainting doesn’t look great because often the underpainting colours are reds or yellows that aren’t part of your finished colour palettes. We want the pieces you are working on in the photos to already be coming together. You can show the ‘messy middle’, or you can work it past that stage until it’s something you want to show.

Choose Your Own Adventure: Session Types for Melbourne & Regional Victoria Artists

Work out what type of session best suits your needs and vision. I offer 3 sessions to artists at the moment to try to suit you at different stages of your art business journey:

Spruce My Site ($850)

• 45 minute session at one location, on digital, 50 images
• This is a good first session to do if you don’t have huge inventory yet, are just setting up a studio space, and want to launch your first website that’s relatively simple

Artist Studio Film Sessions (Currently sold out – these babies have been snapped up upon their launch!)

• Similar to the above offer, but it’s 3 rolls of film and one hour in your studio with good light
• You need a nice studio for this one, and most artists choose this a few years into their career once they’ve dialled in their style and they know that film is the only way they want to share their work online
• No shot list for this one – it’s intuitive, flow-based and improvisational. We both trust the process and work together to create magic (see below, Ceramics by Jenny).

Full Custom Brand Session ($1200)

• This is my most-booked session for artists who have a few different products on the go
• They want to capture their story and WHY as an artist
• Maybe kids jump in a few, maybe it’s shot half at your studio and half en plein air on the Surf Coast to bring in nature and your inspiration (2 locations welcome for this sesh)
• We have up to 3 hours, digital and film, and it’s super comprehensive

Art Buds (The collaborative, fun one!)

Not a session type exactly, but I occasionally offer an Art Buds day where you and a fellow Surf Coast/Geelong/Bellarine artist who live close together book a Spruce My Site or Full Custom Brand Session and split the cost and the time and the photos. This is for you if you are on a budget but still want to work with me, and you have a friend who is keen to share the experience with you. (It’s SO fun, we all cheer each other on/put on good music/laugh a lot).

Ready to Make Some Magic?

You know how people say they’re never quite ‘ready’ to have a baby, or it wasn’t the ‘perfect time’, but it just felt like something they really wanted to do? I don’t ever want to compare anything to the Momentousness of becoming a parent, but I do think it’s a tiny bit similar for brand photos for your art business: there’s never a ‘perfect’ time, we never quite feel ‘ready’, but we just kinda feel like it’s time.

Maybe you’ve seen your artist peers on Instagram document their latest collection all on super 8 film, or on beautifully textured 35mm or medium format film, and you feel like it completely elevates their art and brand and puts it in a totally new league with other artists you admire? While making comparisons ultimately isn’t helpful to our self confidence, it is a good way to get ideas for how you want to show up online.

Does this sound kinda fun to you? Are you a Melbourne, Geelong, Surf Coast or Bellarine Peninsula artist whose work is coming together and you would love to show up in the art world with beautiful photographs of you and your work?

Send Kristen (me!) a message to book a free discovery call to chat through your ideas and see if this is the right time for you.

I also travel for shoots – If you are a Sydney artist, Perth artist, Hobart artist, Adelaide artist, or even a Vancouver Island artist living in Canada, feel free to pop through a hello!

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I hope these tips will be helpful for the next time you plan your artist brand photos – because your incredible art deserves photographs that do it justice.

Thanks for reading! Kristen x