In this episode of The Circle Sessions, host Brett Johnson sits down with Tonnisha English-Amamoo of TJE Communications to talk more about how to elevate your brand with content photo shoots.

Tonnisha shares valuable insights into how she strategically plans and executes her content shoots, providing listeners with practical tips on finding the right photographer, creating a vision for the shoot, and maximizing the content generated from these sessions.

From the importance of wardrobe planning to the ways in which the content can be leveraged across various platforms, Tonnisha offers a comprehensive guide for small business owners and content creators looking to enhance their brand imagery.

Top Takeaways

1. Content photo shoots are a valuable tool for capturing high-quality images and videos for branding, social media, website design, and marketing materials, offering a great way to keep content fresh and engaging.

2. Collaborating with a photographer who understands your vision and can contribute ideas for locations, themes, and creative concepts can greatly enhance the success of a content photo shoot.

3. Pre-planning for a photo or video shoot is crucial, including selecting outfits in advance, creating a content plan, and having clear objectives for the type of content that needs to be captured.

4. Having a strategic planning meeting with the photographer prior to the shoot can help in outlining specific goals for the content, ensuring a focused and productive session.

5. Video content production may require additional planning, especially for scripted or narrative pieces, and capturing general calls to action in video form can be beneficial for marketing purposes.

6. Utilizing behind-the-scenes content creation during the photo shoot can serve as engaging material for social media, giving a glimpse into the creative process and adding depth to the brand narrative.

7. Scheduling photo shoots quarterly, rather than monthly, can alleviate burnout and provide more flexibility in capturing diverse content that reflects different aspects of the brand or business.

8. Researching and selecting the right photographer who aligns with your energy, vision, and budget is crucial for the success of the content photo shoot.

9. Evaluation of photographers should include considering their organizational skills, flexibility, and ability to provide direction during the shoot to ensure a smooth and productive experience.

10. DIY options for content creation, such as using personal cameras and leveraging technology, can provide practical and cost-effective solutions for capturing professional-quality images and videos.

Memorable Moments

00:00 Photographers now focus on content for business.

03:25 Erin Burke helps plan and suggest locations.

08:19 Selecting photos for later use with Sessions.

12:37 Flexible 3-4 hour photo shoot with incentives.

15:57 Plan content capture with the photographer for marketing.

19:01 Strategic planning meetings for quarterly package worked.

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TJE Communication’s mission is to empower and educate small women-owned businesses and equip them with digital solutions to level the playing field.

IG - @tjecomm

TW - @tjecomm

LI - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonnishaenglish/

FB - https://www.facebook.com/tjecomm

Each week, one of The Circle of Experts talks about critical aspects of growing your podcast. We focus on marketing, social media, monetization, website design, and implementation of all of these to help you make the best podcast possible.

Have a question or an idea for one of our episodes? Send us an email at podcasts@circle270media.com.

The Circle of Experts are:

Yasmine Robles from Robles Designs

Tonnisha English-Amamoo of TJE Communications

Don The Idea Guy

Brett Johnson, My Podcast Guy, from Circle270Media Podcast Consultants

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/abbynoise/face-game

License code: IUDJXGXP8JAXJVJS

Copyright 2024 Brett Johnson, My Podcast Guy™

Welcome to The Circle Sessions featuring The Circle Of Experts. The Circle Of Experts are Yasmine Robles from Robles Designs, Tonnisha English-Amamoo of TJE Communications, and Don The Idea Guy. I'm Brett Johnson from Circle 270 Media Podcast Consultants. Each week, one of The Circle Of Experts joins me to talk about some critical aspects of growing your podcast. We focus on marketing, social media, monetization, and website design to help you implement all of these together. This week, Tonnisha is here from The Circle Of Experts. Tonnisha is on a mission to help small businesses level the playing field through digital marketing solutions. Tonnisha, thanks again for joining me again today.

It is. Thank you for having me.

Yeah. So we had talked about this a long time ago. I don't know whether on a podcast or just, you know, just us having conversations outside the podcast that you, you know, dedicate days to your business Yeah. During the month. And and if it's not all in one, but this included. It's it's a it's a content photo shoot.

Yeah.

And I love this idea. And and if anybody follows Tonnisha on social media, you will see what she does. Yeah. You you know the results of that because of just fresh photos of her or video of her. And we wanna go over how you do that, the pros and the cons, and just, how to set that kind of day up if if you are looking for that visual, exposure point on social media or newsletter, whatever you might be doing. How you do that. Can you talk a little bit more about, you know, how you came up with it and and and how it's going and what you do with it?

Yeah. Well, I will say I feel like within the last maybe at least 10 years, I feel like photographers, have transitioned from you know, you have your traditional wedding photographer, maybe people that, you know, take photo shoots for events and, you know, family portraits. And there are actually a lot of photographers and videographers who specifically focus on business owners and content creators in helping us to capture the content that we need for our particular audience. So a content shoot is really designed, and this can be photos or videos where you're really able to just capture quality images and videos for your brand or business. How nowadays, our phones can get that job done for sure. But when you are at least, you know, making a plan for that, you can, you know, make sure that the time that you're spending on is worth it. So, really, the point of doing this is so that you can build up a bank of quality images and videos and use them for social media. I use them to completely redo my entire website, or, you know, just having fresh pictures for your email campaigns, which we talked about, recently as well.

Yeah. No. So when you're putting, when when you're spending the day with this photographer Mhmm. Is it a is it planned out by you specifically or working with the photographer and what you wanna get accomplished or just straight out ideas from the the video, the photographer, videographer?

Yeah. So I'll plug her in. Her name is Erin Burke at Sugar Plum Creative. And with Erin, she does a really good job with helping me to plan out the shoot. So it's not usually all of my ideas. I may have an Idea, and she will be like, oh, I know a place downtown that has this, or, oh, I know a place down in Franklinton. So when when we're able to talk and share those ideas, her as a photographer who has done this all through the city can, you know, top of mind different studios that we could go to to capture what we're looking for. Different spots downtown, coffee shops, or maybe even a cool alleyway that has a mural that, you know, matches with the vibe that we're going for that day.

So that's really cool. And we actually have, like, a Pinterest board where if I see things that I like, I'll, like, pin it to the board. And then usually about a week or so before the photoshoot, she has, like, here's our game plan. Here's the different types of outfits that you may need you may need. So, for example, recently, we did a costume shoot at my house. I just moved a few months ago, and I have an office at home. So I really wanted to capture that, you know, work from home. My whole family's here and, you know, you know, how how we get those things done.

So, you know, I may need an outfit that's more like comfortable work from home, and then we went to the library, so I was a little more dressed up, maybe with some coffee or something. So as you're working with your photographer or I'm I'm a DIY girl as well. So even if you are planning this out for yourself, it's really to think about what kind of content you want to capture. Mhmm. That would be my first point is having a plan for the shoots and the type of content that you want. It's easy to have a plan where it's like, okay. We're gonna get content. And then when the day comes, it's like, okay.

What do we do? Right. And I think that's where a lot of people have a really hard time with just even the word content in general because it's like, what is content? Mhmm. Everything is content, but it's a matter of thinking about the type of content that you specifically are looking to capture for your podcast. So, you know, if you're unable to, you know, have a videographer at every single episode reporting, which for those that can do that, that's amazing. But even if you can't, half the time, honestly, 90 7% of the time, when Aaron is, you know, taking pictures and videos of me talking to clients, I've, like, paid my friends in wine to, like, sit through a photo shoot to pretend

Right.

We're in a client meeting just to have that, you know, interaction. You know, I'm scrolling my phone, but I'm really just like scrolling Instagram. So you can kinda set this up where, you know, maybe you get some some pizza and wine for your friends and have them, you know, sit with you in your recording, place with microphones and just look as if you're having this great interactive Sessions. But you're really just doing that to capture content so you can use it for for other stuff.

So you're saying and I like where you're going with this is really maybe not overthink it, but just kinda creating these moments that captures the essence of you Yeah. The essence of people. Because I can also see where they just you could go and do a photo shoot. Maybe the content you're creating is images of you, but you're putting quotes on top of that image for social media posts, and it that's all it has to be.

Yeah. You know?

So you just want fresh pictures, but it's you with with comments or a a a quote from a an episode or a quote from a blog or something like that that you just want something it's a little, seasonal or fresh, then it just keeps it going, and then you're just building up this library Exactly. Of of a look. I that that that brings that hurdle down for me in my mind because I you're right. Planning ahead going, I don't even know what blog I'm gonna write in 2 weeks. How do I know what kind of photo shoot I want? Yeah. Maybe it doesn't necessarily matter.

Yeah.

It's just doing it, and then it starts to evolve over time working with your your videographer photographer. I love that. Okay. That's cool.

Because I have, like, a bank of pictures going back from September of, like, 2022. Yeah. And I can, like, go back and be like, oh, I love that outfit and, like, the vibe of those pictures. I'm gonna use that picture to save this thing. Yeah. I have some pictures that look very fall like. I'm like, okay. I don't really wanna use those right now.

Like, I'll save those, like, for later in the year, and I'll use the other pictures that we have. So it kinda just gives you these fresh photos, and that's something that Sessions will think about too is to capture, you know, me, make sure making sure there's maybe, like, white space in the background so that I can't put words or, you know, my my brand colors are purple. So, you know, when she came this weekend, she ended up being out shopping and saw, like, a bouquet of flowers that had some purples in it. So she likes to do I forgot what she calls them. They're like leis or something where, like, it might just be, like, the top of my laptop and the back of my phone and, like, flowers. So, like, that's super spring summer where it's just like a picture of my laptop that I can put a quote over, do something with, just to, you know, have pictures to pull from for social media. So that way, when it does come down to planning out content calendars, you know, you already have that stress of, like, what am I gonna post? But now you at least have all this stuff that you can say, okay. I really like these pictures.

Like, what can I do with them? And how can them? And videos too.

Yeah. And it's not stock photo stuff. And it's and it's and it's you. Now stock photo has its place, of course. But yeah.

Yeah. The photos for yourself is

the Right. Right. So I'm sure there's a probably maybe a different mindset when you do the video piece to this. So let's talk a little bit about how you address the video.

Honestly, I feel like the video aspect may take a little more planning.

Mhmm.

Especially if you plan to do videos of, like, yourself actually speaking about something. So maybe you think about those things that you may always say. Like, hey, guys. I'm Tonnisha English Amamoo. Go to my website, tjcommunications.com, and sign up for my mailing list. Like, maybe that's something I always say, so I'm gonna do a video saying that. Or maybe it's, hey. We just dropped a new episode.

Go to our website and, like, things that you always say, those call to actions that you're always pushing for. Think about what those are and do videos around that. If you do have, you know, a special guest coming, let's say you already have your podcast episodes planned and recorded in advance, then you can record a video intro for that. Like, hey. We just interviewed Brett Johnson. Go to our website and listen, and maybe it's, like, your picture in the corner or something. Yeah. A lot I think it's called storyboarding is what photographers and videographers do where, like or even people doing, like, big content pieces, like commercials and stuff.

You kinda have, like, a storyboard of, like, this is how it's gonna start. Then we're gonna move here and do this and do that. So that may require a little more planning. And, most likely, you may be doing it for a purpose. Like, you know, we do have this uploading thing happening, but you can record those general call to actions as videos, and, you know, you're able to use that as content too. What we've been trying to do is get a little bit of both. So, like, in the videos, I may not necessarily be saying anything. It's just motion that I can put words over for an Instagram reel or for a TikTok or something like that.

Yeah. Kinda kind of the point of 3. Yeah. Yes. And insert what you want to afterwards, you know, that sort of thing. Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah. So how much time do you dedicate for that day of shooting photos and or videographer that you don't go, okay. I'm just burnout. I'm done. I can't I can't pose anymore.

You know? So I used to do these photo shoots monthly, and I honestly got burnt out because it felt like a lot. I would say, like, one of the hardest things or maybe it's because I'm a woman. I'm sure. I know that maybe some men feel the same way, but, like, trying to pick out your outfits and accessories for all these pictures is sometimes be like, oh my god. This is so stressful. Especially when I was pregnant, I'm like, I don't like how this fits or whatever. So I ended up switching to quarterly. So the quarterly shoot is a little bit longer.

I think it's technically 4 hours, but we may take pictures in one place for an hour, and then we'll drive somewhere else and, you know, do pictures there for, like, an hour or so. So it ends up being a total of, like, 3 to 4 hours, but you do get to, you know, have multiple locations Yeah. So that you get as much as you can out of that shoot. And it's always more fun when you have other people involved if you're able to get some friends involved or even clients. I've, like, asked clients to, like, hey. You know, can you come and maybe take pictures with me for 30 minutes, and I'll make sure you get new headshots, like, or something. Yeah. That's a great incentive to to get clients to be like, oh, yeah.

No problem. Like, they'll come and take pictures for that.

Yeah. Well, that sounds like a it sounds really fun. So so how about, let's go over what what tips would you give somebody if they haven't started this yet? Yeah. How to begin? How how to research it out, quite frankly? How to find the photographer? How you found your person and and what clicked, that you know it's gonna make it it'll it'll work for you for you.

Yes. So I intentionally chose Erin because I felt like when it came to just her energy, she's such high energy. So, like, you can't like, she'll be like, okay. Fake laugh. And so, like, fake laughing will actually end up making you have a real laugh. And she was very, organized in regards to, like, how it was gonna get planned out. In my mind, I'm thinking I just show up in a cute outfit and take pictures. But she's like, no.

We're gonna get these shots of you doing this, this, and this.

K.

And if you have something, you know, that looks like this is what I want you to wear. So she gave a lot of direction, which, you know, you may assume that you don't need a lot of direction. But after you take, like, 10 pictures, it's like, okay. What else do I do now? Mhmm. So when you have somebody who is really good at what they do and they're able to really guide you, it makes the process so much easier. So I actually just found her from doing research on social Idea. Saw other creatives and friends who had used her for similar purposes for their brands or businesses. I kinda did some some pricing research.

I I looked into her and a few other people to see, as far as cost wise, what makes sense for my business Right. And then what I was gonna get out of it.

Right.

Yeah. That was, like, the first thing I would recommend is doing some research. And even when you're talking to photographers, if this is your budget, say, hey. I have this much as a budget. What can I get from that budget, if if anything? And they may even recommend other people if it doesn't, you know, fit within what they can do. So don't be afraid to say what your budget is and, you know, figure out what you can do with that budget. If there is a person that you really, really wanna work with, they may be willing to make some adjustments to some of their packages and offerings if possible. Yeah.

I would say the next thing too is really have a plan for the type of content that you want to capture. Even if it's just a general plan, and then you're working with your photographer to really help you flush it out a little bit more. Having a a general idea of what you're looking to do. So, in the past, you know, I was just looking to get some really professional looking pictures so that I can, you know, update my website and kinda just get the ball rolling on having, you know, more clean and clear and bright images for social Idea, just all marketing materials. And this past, time that we did it, I was looking to capture what it's like being a Don entrepreneur who primarily works from home. I have 2 kids and a husband, and sometimes everybody's home when I'm working. And what does that look like when I'm home, like, maybe in one hand and then typing with the other? So that's really what I wanted to capture there. So think about that as well.

Pick your outfits in advance. You know, the day before, like, I'm guilty of doing pretty often. Giving yourself that time to, you know, try things Don. Because when when you look good, you feel good, and it really shows up in the pictures when when you feel good.

Yeah.

About that. And if you can have somebody take some behind the scenes content of you and your content shoot. You could also use that for social media. Yeah. This time, I had my 7 year old daughter, like, do that for me.

So she's

on my phone, and she was taking videos. So then I was able to, like, piece those videos together and use it for an Instagram reel. Mhmm. So, like, hey. Here was my content day, and here's, you know, what that looked like. So, you know, I think planning is really, really important. Knowing what you want to capture, and really working with somebody who can help you achieve that.

Yeah. Part of that planning is that a almost, what I'd call a strategic plan marketing meeting with that photographer without any photo shoot, just sitting down going, this is who I am, this is who you are, and just this is what I wanna get accomplished over the next 4 months. And just plan so that photographer knows where you're going to. Is that included in that?

Oh, yeah. Yeah. And then, you know, this past time that we worked together, I am actually putting out here soon a 7 days to better social media, and it is a free, email marketing challenge that people can sign up for Don their own time. So a lot of our planning for that was, you know, she was on me to make sure I had the the mailing list ready and what it looked like ready so that when it came down for a few pictures from holding my phone, scrolling this thing, then it was actually on the screen of what it would look like.

Oh, wow. Oh my gosh. That's Don to the detail, isn't it? That's perfect.

I love it. That was something that that went into the planning. So, yeah, when you're working with the person and you're having that strategic planning meeting with them, is really helpful. With Erin, what we actually just wrapped up, I had a a package with her, for a quarterly package. And every single quarter, we had a plan for what we wanted to do. So, you know, we did a photo shoot. I think 2 of the photo shoots we did when I was pregnant, and then I've had 2 ever since then. So, you know, we knew we were gonna be showing this whole transition and what that would look like.

So, yeah. I mean, it's exactly like a strategic planning meeting with the photographer.

Yeah. Yeah. Well, at least you're not wasting any time when the photo shoot happens. The day of you're ready to roll, things obviously can modify here or there. But at least, you know, okay. This is what we gotta get accomplished today. Let's get to it and have fun.

Yeah. And that's exactly what it is. You know? Because so that way, you're focused on, you know, what you're gonna wear and, you know, how you're feeling, and then she's focused on these are all the shots that we're gonna get.

Yeah.

You don't have to think about all these things because you already talked about it. It's already planned. Your photographer will already know what they need to do. We already know the different locations that we're going to, and then we're good to go.

Yeah. It sounds like you really look forward to these days.

Yeah. They're so much fun.

Yeah. Yeah. That's good. That's good you found somebody that can make it fun for you. Yeah. So, you know, that they they're they're lifting a lot of what's gonna happen that day and just say, you show up, we're gonna get it done. Yeah. That's so cool.

So if if a listener has more I can't because this is really enlightening. This is just a a a I to me, eye opening to, making content easier for yourself no matter what you're creating. Right. Idea, videocast, podcast for your business, whatever. So if they have questions on how more than what you've already given, given a lot already, how can they get a hold of you to talk a little bit how you're doing this process?

Yes. You can go to my, website. It's tjecommunications.com. I offer free business consultation, so we can definitely have a call to talk more about this. And I also can share, in the past, I've done DIY photo shoots for myself. I do have a camera, and it has an app to it. And, you know, you don't notice it, but, like, you know, in some of the pictures, my phone is right here. And if I just press a button and then, like, post, and then in 3 seconds, boom, it takes a picture.

So there's definitely ways that that you can do this on your own, that I would love to share about as well. So definitely sign up for a consultation, and I am on all social media as tjecom. That's tjecomm.

Yeah. Super. And if you wanna connect with me, talk about this, we'll bring, Tonnisha in. But, you know, how can it be incorporated into your podcast as well too? Contact me. My calendar's, on my website, circle270media.com. While you're there, also subscribe to my free weekly, my podcast guide newsletter. Love to have you on that too to get the latest news and stuff and and items like this, you know, the different marketing ideas that maybe you've never thought about. So, thanks again for joining me, Tonnisha.

This was great.

Of course. Thank you for having me.