Every image tells a story. Learn to tell an intentional story with our ultimate guide to marketing photography styles.
People say a picture’s worth 1,000 words, and in the age of digital marketing, that couldn’t be more true.
Every image contains a wealth of details that, when combined, add up to the story you can tell with a single photograph.
The question is … what story is your photo actually telling?
Does your expression tell the viewer that you’re approachable or determined?
Does your wardrobe say you’re friendly or ultra-professional?
Does your background distract from your face, or does it place you within the context of your ideal market?
Right down to the colors in your photo, every little detail contributes to the brand, message and story that you’re selling.
The key is to deliberately and intentionally select those details in a way that crafts the story that will accomplish your marketing goals.
The good news? This is a lot easier than it sounds – if you have the right guidance and creative vision.
In fact, we think it should be nothing less than confidence-boosting and fun.
That’s why we design each marketing photography session at SchlickArt to help you tell the right story without needing 20 years of experience in visual marketing.
After all, that’s what we’re here for.
But if you’re interested in the creative aspects of visual storytelling, well we’re happy to share our secrets, too.
Here’s our ultimate guide to the styles of marketing photography that will best serve you, your brand and your goals – no matter what story you want to tell.
The Ultimate Guide To Marketing Photography Styles & How To Use Them
Indoor Professional Portraits
Professional portraits are the standard and the starting point in marketing photography. During a traditional in-studio professional portrait session, we’ll capture the classic headshot – a head-and-shoulders vertical crop that showcases your most authentic and genuine expressions.
But a true professional portrait session goes beyond the classic headshot. It captures a full-length portrait that can be cropped into different sizes. For example, at SchlickArt we include three crops with every Professional Portrait: a full-length for all marketing materials; a traditional headshot for business cards and more; and a square image that’s perfect for all social media platforms.
More importantly than the size and crop, a professional portrait session delivers the style of images that you can use as the very foundation of your marketing. They are ultra-professional, while still capturing enough of your personality to really draw people in. When shot in the studio, they also give you a very controlled setting, so the images are clean, bright and polished – just like your professional image. Typically, these images complement your branding and can be used anywhere and for anything.
Best Session: SchlickArt Professional Portraits Session
Best Uses:
- Website “About Us” Page
- Business Cards
- Print Marketing – especially print mailers, signage, book covers and more
Outdoor Professional Portraits
One of the biggest assets in marketing photography is variety. The more diversity of looks you can create, the more each image will capture the attention of your audience because it’s new, different and fresh to the eye. That’s one of the greatest benefits of an outdoor professional portrait session. If you need to create more marketing photography, but still want that polished and professional look, then an outdoor session helps you do just that.
Our SchlickArt Cityscapes Professional Portrait Session is shot at a variety of classic Santa Clarita locations, with each spot delivering a wide range of backdrops, vistas and iconic local markers. Add in a wardrobe change, and you have the perfect marriage between fresh variety and branded professionalism. Plus the Santa Clarita cityscapes will help brand you as the local expert in your field.
Best Session: SchlickArt Cityscapes Professional Portraits Session
Best Uses:
- Professional Newsletters
- Media Coverage & News Articles
- Blogs
- Email Newsletters
- Advertisements
- Flyers, Cards & Brochures
Indoor Lifestyle Marketing
Where professional portraits obviously capture the most professional version of you, lifestyle marketing shows a little bit more of your personal side. This style of photography is the perfect complement to your existing set of images, especially if your marketing plan leans toward digital strategies. Lifestyle photography allows you to show a more relatable side of yourself, so people can begin to know, like and trust you – even from behind a screen.
So what does lifestyle marketing photography look like? Think of those gorgeous, glowing social media images that capture influencers living their best life as they work, live and play. They’re typically shot in a light and bright style with a more casual vibe, like you’re getting a peek into their daily lives. Ultimately, these foundational branding images should capture you in your element, doing what you do best. They’re meant to feel candid but look polished, and they’re essential when creating a digital brand that actually engages people.
When shot indoors, we generally create multiple sets featuring props and items that showcase your unique personality, likes, interests and quirks. Think of your favorite mug, office decor, books, sports gear, hobbies and anything else that lets people see who you are beyond the suit and tie. All these items add up to your unique style, and that’s what we’re capturing in a very polished yet approachable way.
Best Session: SchlickArt Lifestyle Marketing Photography Session
Best Uses:
- Social Media
- Blogs
- Lifestyle Newsletters
- Thank You, Holiday & Greeting Cards
- Catalogs & Magazines
On-Location Lifestyle Marketing
On-location lifestyle marketing is another style of photography that really allows you to layer in some fresh variety to your image inventory. It captures the essence of indoor lifestyle marketing – that perfect balance between a candid and polished aesthetic – but changes the setting to create more diversity in your range of looks. For starters, you can choose any location that means something to you. If you’re a regular at a local family-owned cafe, then we can capture some shots of you enjoying the remote office lifestyle, while sipping your favorite beverage. If you steal away to the beach every chance you get, we can go to your favorite locations in Ventura and give your audience a peek into your perfect Saturday. If you’re expanding into a new market, such as Downtown LA, we can capture you walking the city streets and begin to develop your visual brand in a new area.
The options are endless with an on-location shoot, and this special session can be used in whatever way will best suit your specific marketing goals. So dream big with this type of shoot, and choose your locations with intention. Think about the actual posts you want to create, the blogs you want to write, and the newsletters you want to send out, as you give your audience an inside look at life in your shoes.
Best Session: SchlickArt Destination Cityscapes Session
Best Uses:
- Special Campaigns
- New Launches
- Big Announcements
- Social Media
- Blogs
- Lifestyle Newsletters
On-Location Business Marketing
Business marketing photography falls somewhere in the middle between the ultra-professionalism of a headshots session and the casual approachability of a lifestyle session. It captures that “day in the life” vibe of a lifestyle marketing session – but it’s set in the professional atmosphere of your office. This gives your audience a clean yet genuine behind-the-scenes at what it’s like to do business with you.
In a business marketing session, we come to you to help you create the exact set of marketing images you’ll need to support your content and marketing goals. For example, we can discreetly shoot your client meetings, capture your company culture in team meetings, and even pull employees one by one for in-office headshots or group shots. We can take shots of your building’s exterior and interiors, including your logo and signage, and capture branding items throughout your location. While these are some of the most versatile images you can capture for your business, we highly recommend this session if you’re building or rebranding your website. After all, your website is your digital storefront, and this style of imagery is designed to invite people inside.
Best Session: SchlickArt Business Marketing Session
Best Uses:
- Website Rebranding
- Sales & Landing Pages
- Presentations
- Brochures, Flyers & Postcards
- Print Mailers
- Advertisements
- Newsletters
- Social Media Profiles
- Media Coverage & Articles
- Blogs
- Email Marketing
- Social Media
Marketing Photography in Santa Clarita
When it comes to marketing photography, our goal is simple: We want you to walk away feeling like you have the best headshots in Santa Clarita. That’s why we’ve designed a line of Marketing Photography Sessions that are custom-made to make you happy. How do we do that? Simple. We pay attention to you, your needs and your business. We take the time to create a photography experience – we don’t just point, shoot and send you on your way. We bring our visual marketing background to every session, to help you make smart choices in wardrobe, appearance, posing and expression.
Visual Marketing In Santa Clarita
At SchlickArt, we offer more than photography and video services to the Santa Clarita area and beyond. We do our best to provide our clients with marketing expertise and direction every chance we get. We know you need your images and video to help grow your business — that’s why you invest in them, and that’s why we do, too. Please take a minute to search through our blogs to find the visual marketing information that will help your business, or give us a call. We’re happy to help!
About SchlickArt Photography and Video
SchlickArt, a boutique photo and video studio in Santa Clarita, started in March 2012 with the simple idea that empowerment creates a kind of beauty and authenticity that shines through every camera lens. Built on a philosophy — rather than a product, service or person — SchlickArt has rapidly evolved, meeting professional portraiture, business photo and business video needs as diverse as the community we capture. It’s the desire to take care of you, the client, that drives us at SchlickArt.