You know that feeling when you scroll through social media, and something just feels a bit off?
You might see a gorgeous photo… but the background’s bursting with summer sunshine, and you’re sat there in a jumper and woolly socks.
That’s the power (and pitfall) of seasonal brand photography. Aligning your brand’s visuals with the current season shows that your business is active, responsive, and in tune with the world around it.
My Regular Photography Memberships can help with this 
http://www.photographybyfran.co.uk/membership/
But here’s some tips for you anyway:
Using seasons in marketing
Seasonal themes offer unique opportunities for marketing, think promotions, campaigns, and content that is current and relevant. If you’re doing a winter sale (or Black Friday offer!), for example, spring or summer colours, clothes, and props in your images is going to look completely out of place. You can lose people right away. (Remember the saying, “confused people don’t buy”? It’s so true.)
Using images that ‘fit’ the season can really increase your chances of engagement and conversion.
(Although … I have a confession…)
I have not been doing enough of this myself. A bit like builders never get around to building things for their own home – I’ve only really been working on reflecting the seasons in my clients’ regular brand photography, and not my own! 
Well since researching and writing this blog post, I will be making sure things change for me too!
But let’s have a look at what we can do for the current & upcoming seasons.
Autumn: Warm & Cosy
Autumn is all about warmth, texture and muted tones. Think rich colours, changing leaves and that cosy, wrapped-up feeling. It can be great for showing connections – imagine earthy tones in an image of groups of people laughing, for example.
COLOURS:
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Oranges, deep reds, warm yellows, and earthy browns. These tones naturally make you think of warmth, nostalgia, and comfort.
OUTFIT IDEAS:
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Soft knits, layers, scarves and jackets in warm, earthy tones.
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Muted versions of your brand colours – eg, mustard instead of bright yellow, or a rusty red instead of bright coral. Or earthy colours that compliment your brand colours.
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Neutral boots or ankle boots.
PROPS & SETTINGS:
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A steaming mug of coffee or tea.
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Notebooks, autumn leaves, or a cosy blanket for lifestyle-style shots.
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Backdrops like fields & woodlands, crisp leaves, log fires. (We’re so lucky to have some wonderfully appropriate locations on our doorstep in Wiltshire, see below for some Wiltshire inspired locations)
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A softly lit office corner with candles adds lovely warmth.
PHOTO IDEAS:
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You working from a local café or co-working space, maybe even a pub with an open fire.
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Outdoor shots in golden hour.
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Close-ups of textures: hands on a mug, notebook details, laptop and stationery setups.
Winter: Calm, Cool & Simple
Winter photography often feels quieter & cooler, but can also incorporate celebratory/Christmas/New Year themes.
COLOURS:
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Cool tones, such as icy blues, whites, soft greys, navy, and deep green. These colours can convey a sense of calm and stillness.
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Rich, cosy colours, like burgundy, deep plum, or mulled wine red can bring warmth and friendliness, ideal if you’re want to suggest warmth and approachability even in the cold depths of winter.
OUTFIT IDEAS:
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Cosy jumpers, roll necks, and thicker fabrics.
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Layer with coats, scarves or hats that complement your brand colours.
PROPS & SETTINGS:
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Warm drinks, twinkly lights, pine branches or candles (without going too “Christmassy” if that’s not your vibe).
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Indoors with natural light, by a big window, or styled home/office spaces.
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Outdoor Wiltshire backdrops work beautifully – frost on grass, or a wooden bridge, a quiet lane, or a local Christmas market scene.
PHOTO IDEAS:
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You planning your year ahead or writing in a journal.
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Desk shots with a wintery twist (like a hot drink and soft blanket in frame, or log fire in the background).
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Christmas trees or bokeh lights in background.
Blending Seasons with Your Brand Colours
While it’s important to stay seasonal, don’t forget your brand palette. Your colours can be woven into each season, through your clothing, props, accessories, etc to still keep the consistent brand feel and look.
For example, if your brand colour is teal, you might use a scarf, notebook or mug in that shade against a warm autumn backdrop.
That way, your images still feel you – but fitting with the season.
Autumn & Winter photo locations around Swindon & Wiltshire
- Bourton-on-the-Water
- Avebury
- Stonehenge
- Lacock Abbey
- Colesbourne Gardens
- Castle Combe
The importance of planning
It’s really best to start thinking about all this in advance – we all know how quick the year and seasons go by!
Start off by working out a basic shot list for the next four seasons ahead. Then think about your upcoming seasons and look around for props, accessories, clothes, etc and locations so you can be ready for when the time comes.
You don’t need loads of seasonal images, but scattering a few throughout your usual brand content can really make a difference.
Imagine only having summer style photos to use in your winter/Christmas promotions like this!!
Want to Stay Seasonal, Effortlessly?
If this all sounds like a lot to plan – that’s where my Regular Photography Memberships can come in.
My Brand Visibility Membership is designed to give you fresh images all year round, so your brand visuals never feel out of date. With a photoshoot every 3 months, you can be sure to capture images for your current business offers or promotions along with adding some of each season too.
Together, we plan each shoot around your business, your photo needs, and the time of year, along with monthly marketing support it’s aimed to make it easy to produce content and keep your brand visible and beautifully consistent all year long. (If you prefer not to do the content creation there are options for that too!)
You can learn more about it here: http://www.photographybyfran.co.uk/membership/
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