The answer to that depends… First you must know that I’m not a professional photographer. Yet, I have written two other blogs posts on this subject (links are below). That’s because I’ve been a photography lover, and avid picture taker, since I was about nine or ten years old. I was always fascinated with capturing a moment in time, and framing it as if it were an art piece.

I developed an eye for the interesting, and I experimented and improved over time. I hung out with photography students here and there. I took a few simple photography classes. I’ve always had a camera, and brought back thousands of pictures from trips and excursions over the years.

I always loved taking photos which helped in this process quite a lot.

When smartphone cameras were invented, I was instantly hooked. Ever since, I’ve never had less than 3,000 photos in my camera roll, and as I’m writing this, I have almost 4,000 photos and videos saved.

Some would call that poor cloud management and they aren’t wrong. The thing is, I use those images and videos with design apps that I can source on the go. Having those high-res images so handy has been an amazing convenience and has allowed me to blow through so many projects quickly and easily. But I do need some better options, or face the threat of seeing the dreaded “Your cloud storage is full” message. Again. . .

I struggled for a while with whether or not I should do a DIY photoshoot.

But I digress. Going back to the brand photography topic, I didn’t always think of going with the DIY option, but it was always in the back of my mind. It was like a banter of inner dialogue: “I should get a professional to capture my brand.” “But I do love to take pictures.” “Yet how will I photograph myself?” “There’s always a camera timer..” I went back and forth like this for a long while as I looked for a someone to do this for me.

I knew not just any photographer would do. I needed someone who would see the romance in the creative process, and who would be sensitive to my very specific vision. I’d learned to hold out for the right effect in each shot, and make sure the right story was being told. I might not be a professional photographer, but I was a storyteller and I wanted my story told.

During the pandemic, when there was no hope of finding a photographer, that’s when I garnered the courage to try.

Then the pandemic happened, and everything shut down. How was I going to find a professional photographer now??? That’s when I started to take the DIY option more seriously. I really needed brand photos at that point in time for my website, and DIY would be the only option that year. So I made myself a deal. I would treat it as an experiment, and if it didn’t work, I could always abort the mission and that would be that.

The thing is, it did work. What??? How??? I had been envisioning having a shoot at a nearby desert state park, what I would be wearing, and how I would pose for the camera. I dreamt about it, I adjusted my ideas, and it got better and better, at least in my own mind. But judging by my surprise, I didn’t actually expect it to work as well as it did.

I imagined how I would do my photoshoot in detail before I actually did it. I just didn’t realize the difference that step would make.

I was an artist with a crazy idea, and then the more I thought about it the more excited I got. I downloaded shot lists from photographer websites, and I read some photography blogs before hand. Then the day came, and I went ready or not, keeping the vision I had imagined in mind.

In the end, those were some of the best pictures I had ever taken, and that couldn’t be ignored. You can see some of them here in this blog post. Are they professional photos? No. Are they the best photos I could’ve had for my website? Probably not. But they were good, and good was good enough for me. Because they were purely me.

I think in the end, it was a matter of storytelling as much as it was photography.

The image I use for my social networking avatar is from this photo shoot. Why? It’s become a symbol of what I could do if I just gave it a try. I’ve been complimented on this image countless times, even by professionals. Even though I know it’s not the best image of me, per se, I realized the magic is that I somehow managed to capture the story. My story. That’s what made these photos unique and engaging. That’s what I think people see when they look at them. Of course, the beautiful backdrop of a stunning desert landscape doesn’t hurt my cause…

Since then my skills have improved. I have developed a routine that I follow each time. I’ve fallen into a rhythm with it and I’ve begun to believe in the process. You can read more about this process, and download my shot list PDF in this blog post.

I don’t always end up with the result I imagined before hand, but I’ve learned to love what the process gave me regardless of that.

It’s something I look forward to and enjoy, but never count on, knowing I don’t have all the answers. I think that’s been a secret for me. Going with the flow and not having any expectations. Inevitably, I’ll run into the unexpected, and I’ve learned to go with it. This somehow allows for that serendipitous magic to come in and take over.

I still don’t consider myself a professional photographer. Yet. I think I will have to cross that bridge at some point to satisfy my creative dreams. For now, I will enjoy the bliss of experimentation and continue on this wonderful journey. It has filled me in ways I could not have expected. “Doing it for the process” as Emily Jeffords puts is the purest form of expression and though there is so much to be said for education, it’s still an amazing stage to be in.

I try new things every single time and it’s more fun than the last.

The photos you see sprinkled throughout this post are of my latest photo shoot. I traveled to a new desert location a few weeks ago that I had never been to before, and it was breathtaking. I’m still learning, still exploring, and still experimenting as I do these DIY photoshoots, and I make a point to try new things every single time.

Have you thought of doing a DIY photo shoot for your creative brand? It’s not for everyone I’ll admit, but if you have a passion for taking pictures and you can frame a good shot, I think it’s worth trying. as artists, many of us understand composition, which helps a lot.

Want my best DIY photography tip right now?

You’ll learn a lot from the blog posts I linked to above, but if you want my best tip right now, pay attention to your lighting. By this I mean, make sure you have plenty of (natural or daytime bulb) light, unless you have a dark and moody theme. Also never have the light source behind you, unless it’s intentional. I think this could be one of the biggest mistakes made by amateur photographers, so if you can improve this, you’re well in your way.

I would love to see your DIY photoshoot! You can share with me via email at info@octopusconnection.com, by tagging me @octopusconnection on Instagram, or tell me about it in the comments below!

Can You Really DIY Your Own Brand Photo Shoot?