In our European Cultural Academy lecture with Laura she introduced the concept of “Be Your Own Museum”. She explained that your studio, your home, your personal space would ideally reflect something of your practice. In a perfect world, there would be some visual commonalities so that buyers, curators, and other artists could see your point of you reflected in your person and in your work.

Laura offered us Louise Nevelson as an example of being your own museum. Frida Kahlo, Georgia O’Keefe and Andy Warhol also come to mind. How will you embody the concept of be your own museum? If I switch hats from fine art to commercial photographer, I can’t help but see the commonalities between a branding session and this Be your own museum concept.

When booking a session with you photographer I think it’s beneficial to let them know what your style is.

Examples being modern, whimsical, urban, tropical, graphic, vibrant, neutrals, indoor, outdoor, landscapes, cityscapes, eclectic or folklore styles. Abandoned architecture vs a glass building would be two differnt styles. You could consider sharing a list of your themes in your practice. What references to color and shape would you like to have the photographer incorporate. Is the time of year important? How can you bring in your local and national identity?

Next steps would be to decide what images are you looking for from a session. Some common options are

* Professional Headshot. One of the most important Personal Branding photos you need is a professional-looking headshot

* Portrait of the artist in their atelier

* Lifestyle Headshots variety can be key here, I encourage you to consider multiple outfits

* Behind the Scenes of you working

* Interaction with buyers, curators, other artists, you in community projects etc

* Detail Shots of the artwork in various lighting conditions both creative and technical

Consider what you are looking for in your first photoshoot. What are your goals? How do you want to portray yourself as an artist. What will you have in mind for future sessions. One of the benefits of a branding session is that you get comfortable in front of the camera and get to expand your creative vision of how you would like to be seen. From my point of view, I also love the confidence it inspires in artists to be seen and to have their art style reflected in their image of themselves. It’s also so much fun! xoxo Suzanne

Here is an example of painter Laurie Morse at work, as a portrait, and images of her paintings.