Brand photography aesthetic activity

One thing I like to do when defining my brand photography is to pull as many images as possible that make me “feel” like they fit with my brand. It’s not really something I can easily define, but when I see images I usually just know right away if they are what I’m looking for or not.

But then when I look at them later, there are always a few that don’t quite fit with the rest. Maybe they were stretches to begin with; maybe my mind starting going off on a tangent while pulling the initial photos - I’m not really sure.
So this activity I like to do goes like this:

1. Pull about 25-30 photos (I use Unsplash) that feel like they are “on brand.” 27 is a good number, because you’ll end up with an even twenty at the end!
2. Make them into a composite: I like to use the Lightroom print module to do this, but if you don’t have LR, you can find a Canva layout that works. The idea is for the photos to all be around the same size, so nothing is more prominent.
3. Each day for a week, remove the photo that works the least with the other photos in the set.
4. After seven days, you’ll have a pretty good set, but feel free on day 7 to remove any extra images that aren’t working.

This is a great activity because it lets you step away from branding for a little bit, and get your mind fresh. Looking away, and then coming back the next day is a great way to see something you missed before.

Also, I really like this activity, because it leaves you with a really solid set of photos that you can then use to compare any new ones. Once I’m done, I use these 20ish photos as my brand “core” and whenever I add a new one, I place it into the composite to be sure it doesn’t stand out.
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Let me know if you try this activity! Here’s my original composite of 27 photos (and next week, I’ll post the final twenty!):