At Cultivé, we spend a lot of time helping brands create thoughtful, strategic visuals that align with who they are and where they’re going. This spring, it was time for us to take our own advice—and plan a brand photography shoot that captured the heart of Cultivé today.

Whether you’re planning your first brand shoot or looking to refresh your content for a new season, here’s a behind-the-scenes look at how we prepared, planned, and made the most of our time on camera.

How We Prepared for Our Brand Photography Shoot

Before we even picked up a camera, we got clear on what we needed this shoot to do for us. A strong team brand shoot isn’t just about getting a few good headshots—it’s about creating a versatile library of images that can support your marketing across social media, your website, email campaigns, and beyond.

We Set a Clear Theme

This spring, we did our brand shoot knowing that we wanted a distinctly fresh theme, while also wanting this shoot to feel true to Cultivé’s brand:

• Elevated but approachable
• Polished but creative
• Strategic, team-focused, and dynamic

Our creative direction was built around natural moments at the beach, authentic team personality, and visual storytelling—showing not just what we do, but how we do it.

We Created a Shot List

Every strong brand photography shoot starts with a shot list. Ours included:

• Individual team portraits
• Creative working moments (brainstorms, mockups, client calls)
• Flatlays of tools, brand guides, and devices
• Full team shots and candid behind-the-scenes
• Process-driven scenes (sketching, strategizing, shooting content)

Having a clear, prioritized shot list helped keep the day moving smoothly—and made sure we didn’t miss anything essential.

We Worked Backwards from Content Needs

Instead of just thinking “What photos would look pretty?”, we asked:

• What social media posts are coming up?
• What pages of the website need fresh images?
• What content types (Reels, carousels, blog posts) are we building soon?

We worked backwards from our upcoming marketing needs and made sure the visuals we captured could fuel months of content across platforms.

We Also Worked from a Brand Vibe Moodboard

One of the biggest things that made this shoot different—and something we bring to all of our client shoots—is that we didn’t just show up for new headshots. We started by building a full brand vibe moodboard that captured the feeling we wanted our website, social media, and marketing materials to evoke.

From there, we planned intentional imagery to match—not just portraits or workspace shots, but custom “stock” visuals:

• Branded flatlays
• On-brand textures and objects
• Behind-the-scenes moments that feel candid but consistent
• Detail-driven imagery designed to create a visual atmosphere

By working backwards from a clear brand feeling, we walked away with not just photos of our team—but a full, cohesive visual library that reflects who we are and how we want people to feel when they interact with Cultivé.

This is the same process we use for our client content shoots—and it’s one of the biggest reasons our brands feel so cohesive, strategic, and elevated from the very first scroll.

We Mapped Out the Shoot Days

We combined our latest brand shoot with a team retreat, which gave us the perfect opportunity to not only capture fresh visuals, but also build genuine, behind-the-scenes content that reflected our real process.

Before the cameras were even out, we mapped out a clear plan for each day:

• We prioritized high-focus content first. Formal headshots, video segments, and high-energy group content were stacked early while everyone was fresh, focused, and energized.
• We worked backwards from content format. We didn’t just plan for photos—we thought about what would become Reels, carousel graphics, blog visuals, and web design updates, so that every piece was created intentionally.
• We prepared real projects to showcase. Instead of staging fake work, we brought real client projects to feature—giving us authentic process shots that reflect exactly how we collaborate at Cultivé.

The result? A shoot that flowed naturally, captured strategic content without feeling rushed, and created months’ worth of highly usable brand assets—all while staying aligned with our creative vision.

The Results

We walked away with a full library of brand-aligned content:

• Gorgeous images, ready for web, social, and email
• Behind the scenes video that showcases our team and their personality
• New team headshots that actually feel like us
• Dynamic visuals that capture the energy and expertise behind the work we do

Most importantly, we now have strategic, evergreen content ready to support our marketing for the next six months and beyond—no scrambling, no stock photos, no last-minute panic.

Why Brand Photography Matters (More Than You Think)

If you’re serious about growing your business, investing in professional brand photography isn’t optional—it’s essential.

Thoughtful, well-planned visuals:

• Build immediate trust with your audience
• Create consistency across all your marketing platforms
• Reflect the quality and personality of your brand
• Save time (and stress) in your content creation process

Ready to plan your own brand shoot? Let’s talk about how we can help.