Written by Alex Harris
Why launch a new website?
When Bart De Vos recently took up a new position as CEO of BrainTower, he realised it was time to strengthen their position in the market. For several years already they’ve helped hundreds of businesses grow, but never really put themselves in the spotlight. So they decided to re-brand and launch a new website.
BrainTower is a strategic consultancy firm of senior commercial experts. They focus on the retail, FMCG, food-service and automotive sectors, helping companies with strategic, impactful, commercial growth.
I’ve worked with Bart before for business photoshoots, so when he got in touch again this time I was happy to help. What they needed now was plenty of new business photography to replace the mainly stock photos they’d been using so far. Stock content can be good at first, but to stand out and make people believe in your brand, you need to show your team.
How did we approach the shoot?
Before the shoot day, we talked about BrainTower’s requirements and business drivers; we went through their branding guidelines; and I used their moodboard to prepare the types of shots I’d be taking.
The emphasis had to be on pictures of the people, natural-looking, rather than stiff, posed photos; they wanted a strategic, premium look; photos in environmental settings, not a photo studio; some pictures showing subtle movement; and there needed to be space for copy in the images.
To get all the content they needed, we planned a full day at their new offices. The nature of their business meant aligning agendas to get everyone together on the same day. They provided a full shot list of the different scenarios, so the day could run as efficiently as possible and we wouldn’t have people waiting around for their turn in front of the camera.
Shooting the content as efficiently as possible
First off, it was time to shoot individual portraits of everyone. Lighting is always important - it’s narrative, it defines the mood of an image. So I looked around for a spot with plenty of natural light and with an interesting and relevant background. Obviously, we used the same shooting location and lighting setup for everyone, so all the images would have a coherent and professional look.
Next, we went through the various scenarios on the shot list - time for some quick decisions on what setting would work best for each one. We got plenty of shots of different management and team members in meetings, walking and talking, in discussion with each other, making decisions, looking thoughtful; shots from typical and also less conventional angles, static and also moving shots.
To make sure they’d have enough strong and dynamic content, we also shot some short video clips. These can be used for website backgrounds, as banner content, or in social media posts. We went for a mix of both wide and close-up detail shots.
The results
So what’s the outcome of the shoot? BrainTower are now making their work and mission much better known to their ideal audience and potential customers:
The new website is filled with plenty of custom-shot, non-stock, photography;
Several LinkedIn posts are already up, boosting their visibility: Bart - new website, Nicolas - growth, Nicolas – announcing;
They’ve been featured in a Made in article about their new site and strengthened positioning;
And I’m sure there’s plenty more to come…
It’s great when past clients become repeat clients. When they love the work I do for them and we have a good working relationship, it’s a win-win situation all round:
They save time and effort next time they need a photographer, and there’s no uncertainty about the results;
I get a client who knows me and trusts me to deliver what they need.
Follow Bart on LinkedIn.
Big thanks to Valérie Lefever for the collaboration on this project.
Investing in your brand, but still using stock visuals is leaving impact and money on the table. Fixing it is simpler than you think.
Also interested in strong photo or video content for your business?
Contact me and let’s talk.
Written by Alex Harris
Alex Harris has been shooting portraits professionally for over 10 years. Solid experience in photographing headshots, professional portraits, creative branding and commercial photography. He works with business people, entrepreneurs, small business owners, corporates, executives, self-employed and freelancers.
He also helps people tell their story and connect to their audience with video.
Alex’s blog posts show how he helps his clients to be more visible online, improve their branding and reach their ideal target audience.
· LinkedIn: @alexharris72
· Instagram: @shooting_break_photography
· Facebook: @shootingbreakphoto & @harrybel72