Creative Brand Photography

San Francisco Bay Area

Creative brand sessions are for makers and creative businesses of all types.

Man in green sweater touches trunk of redwood tree while looking upwards.

Whether you’re a sole proprietor or have small team, you need beautiful, effective imagery to promote what you offer. Artists, therapists, interior designers, physicians, chefs, textile makers, podcasters - I’ve helped all kinds of small Bay Area businesses create imagery that communicates the heart of their brand.

Creative brand sessions are collaborative experiences between you and me.

Artist Hope Meng sits at drafting table with open notebook, shot in studio during brand session in San Francisco.

Together we ideate, share inspiration, and strategically plan the exact images your brand needs. The resulting collection of images we make will feel aligned with your brand values, will be visually compelling, and will offer you a cache of cohesive imagery to use in a variety of ways to promote your creative business and brand.

Four women in active wear give low fives while laughing in white walled room, shot for Every Mother in San Francisco.
Flat lay of interior design materials, shot for Katie Martinez Design in San Francisco.
Dating by Blaine matchmaker, Tara Bratt, sits in dune grass at Crissy Field with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background.
Woman in light green active wear poses in downward dog in white walled room, shot for Every Mother in San Francisco.

Kind Words

  • Wow! They are all STUNNING! Thank you for your eye, this couldn't have been a better collaboration and you captured exactly what were going for.

    Camilo G., Biomimicry Institute

  • Hands placing leather wallets into gift box, shot for Poppy Gifting in San Francisco.

    Working with you was an incredible experience! We truly appreciate your approach, style, collaboration, and overall presence. We look forward to more opportunities for working together in the future.

    Peggy O., Poppy Gifting

  • Woman in white sweater and pants lies in field of flowers at sunset.

    I just saw all of the photos...they are so beautiful!! Thank you so much for these, they exceeded my expectations.

    Maya P., Artist

Crop of toddler holding christams garland while standing on white blanket, surrounded by presents.
Woman's arms and hands rolling out cookies to bake, shot for Copper Stove in Oakland.
Macro shot of pink California Yarrow bloom, shot for the Biomimicry Institute in Berkeley.
Woman types on laptop while sitting in a gray chaor inside a peach colored office with minimal design.
White walled office with paintings of sullen young women and a modern pendant and mirror.

Quarter-Day Session

$1850

  • 2-hour shoot at 1-2 locations

  • Large gallery of hand-edited, best images from the set w/ high-res download and commercial usage licensing

  • Pre-shoot planning meeting and custom shot list with lighting plan to ensure your photos are aligned with goals and vision

  • $300 deposit due at booking, with balance paid on shoot date

  • Perfect for solo-preneurs who are building a website and social presence, or a small team that needs a website refresh.

BOOK HERE
Yogi in gray leggings and marron top poses in front of water at Ocean Beach.

Half-Day Session

$3050

  • 4-hour shoot at 1-4 locations

  • Larger gallery of hand-edited, best images from the set w/ high-res download and commercial usage licensing

  • Pre-shoot planning meeting and custom shot list with lighting plan to ensure your photos are aligned with goals and vision

  • $300 deposit due at booking, with balance paid on shoot date

  • Perfect for any brand needing to build a large collection of imagery to use across multiple platforms.

BOOK HERE

Full-Day Session

$4250

  • 8-hour shoot at various locations

  • Largest gallery of hand-edited, best images from the set w/ high-res download and commercial usage licensing

  • Pre-shoot planning meeting and custom shot list with lighting plan to ensure your photos are aligned with goals and vision

  • $300 deposit due at booking, with balance paid on shoot date

  • Perfect for businesses with small teams, folks who need a diverse array of locations, or any visual-heavy, product-based brands.

BOOK HERE
Woman in orange dress runs with motion blur across Baker Beach with Golden Gate Bridge in background.
Over the shoulder view of two women wrapping a gift with branded Poppy Gifting tags on it.
Acorn lined bowl with pink roses, an art piece by artist Danielle Mourning.
Over the shoulder view of woman architect in black sweater drafting plans.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Um, yeah, you kinda do! If your current website has a mix of stock images and a couple photos taken of you in 2019; or if your website has zero images of you 🫣 - you’re doing your business a disservice. It’s well-known that people buy products or services from other people and your face needs to be on your website, regardless of what you offer.

  • If you’re unsure of your photo needs, I recommmend schedling a brief call and I can advise you. The majority of one-person, service-based brands book a quarter-day session.

  • When you schedule a session, I send you a booking form with a contract and request for your deposit. All bookings require a $300 deposit to be confirmed. Once confirmed, I send you a prep guide and we get our planning meeting scheduled.

  • Most small brand book wih me about 6 weeks out, though you shorter and longer lead times are possible. I recommend a minimum of 2-3 weeks so we have time to plan, pin down our shoot location(s), and gather any resources needed for the shoot.

  • Once your session is confirmed, we set a date for our planning meeting. During the meeting we discuss short and long term goals, brand mission, aesthetics and palette, and toss around all the cool and crazy ideas we have. After the meeting, I make a custom shot list based on our meeting notes and any Pinterest boards we share. By the time the shoot date happens, I will understand your brand and we’ll both have a clear blueprint for all the shots we want to get.

  • My branding sessions are not fussy productions with a big team, a bunch of equipment, and an inflated budget. For most shoots, it’s just you and me. For product-based brands or shoots that need a prop or wardrobe stylist, we sometimes have an additional person with us. Ultimately, I want the session to feel more like you and I are hanging out for the day, and I just happen to have a camera.

  • Believe or not, most of the faces you see on this webpage had the same concern. The good news is that I consider half of my job is making you feel comfortable and relaxed. Brand clients consistently report the their session experience felt easy and fun, even the ones who were nervous beforehand.

  • Yes! I give you guidance on the best colors, fabrics, patterns, and how to coordinate your clothing with your brand identity and website colors. I encourage sharing looks and moods via Pinterest, and I also give specific feedback on your clothing and outfit ideas.

  • I tell folks it will take 1-2 weeks but most of the time, I’m able to get your images to you around the 1 week mark. All the images in your gallery will be lovingly edited to enhance color, light, shadow, and skin tones.

FREEBIE

Bay Area Brand Photos: Location + Outfit Guide

Where to shoot and what to wear for branding photos in the San Francisco Bay Area. Plus, get inside scoop on how to best pair your clothing with your shooting location.

GIMME, GIMME, GIMME

Browse the portfolio below to see what your brand images could look like…

Physician Reshma Vasanwala of Refine Anti-Aging wears a white suit and sits on window sill with trees outside.
Latina chef in black apron holds metal bowl of lemons while smiling at camera, shot for Culinary Artistas in San Francisco.
Black woman with shaved head wearing active wear sits on white couch at Every Mother Headquarters in San Francisco.
AskNature podcaster record nature sounds at in redwood grove at Blake Gardens using long microphone on pole.
San Francisco artist, Suzanna Baxter, in olive green coveralls and vans sits on a stool in her studio in the Mission.
Over the shoulder view of two women placing leather wallets in gift wrapped box, shot for Poppy Gifting.
San Francisco-based artist Danielle Mourning stands wrapped in large colorful quilt in front of a large colorful rug wall.
Woman in cream suit sits on white couch and reads design magazine held in front her face, taken during creative portrait session in Berkeley.
Woman in bright blue bikini swims under the surface of the water, shot at the Yuba River.
Brunette woman wearing sunglasses flings her long hair on sunny street lined with palm trees in San Jose.
Photographer Toni Toscano holds camera in front of face with Golden Gate Bridge behind her.
Designer Jacqueline Norrise wears a green dress and sits in front of mood board and arranges textiles.
San Francisco artist Hope Meng sits on blue and white quilt with fabric stacks behind her at her home studio in Bernal Heights.
Woman in cream suit sits on white couch and reads design magazine held in front her face, taken during creative portrait session in Berkeley.
Overhead shot of five large coi fish grouped together at pond's surface, shot for the Biomimicry Institute.
Artist Suzanne Baxter walks through painting-filed colorful studio in San Francisco.
Wall of angled brooms stitched together and spray painted hot pink, taken at the studio of Danielle Mourning in San Francisco.
Overhead scene of hands measuring a quilt pattern on a green work mat.
Woman peeks out from dark blue velvet curtains with wallpapered wall behind her.
Woman sits on windowsill and laughs while using banana like a phone.
Crossfit athletes do kettlebells swings, shot for Exhale Gym in Richmond, CA.
Artist sits on floor and paints watercolor in white studio surrounded by paint supplies.
Women architects sit around large wooden table and discuss architectural drafts.
Hands of ceramic artist Scott Jennings build sculpture from clay with colorful tools nearby on table.
ADL Interiors CEO sprays branded room spray, wearing white boucle suit.
Musician Francis England sits in front of colorful mural with keyboard in lap.
Artist Ben Vilmain stands at table with paint and fabric in front of black metal wall at studio in San Francisco.
Photographer Toni Toscano walks through filed of tall flowers in the Presidio, laughing with camera in hand.
Photographer in white sweater faces the camera, smiling with camera in hand.
Healer Melanie L. Wood stand under redwood tree as light filters down through branches creating light and shadow on face.
Detail of drying wood and paint project with clamps, by artist Ben Vilmain.
Lay flat of boutique baby gifts - pajama, rattle, sight cards - against blue seamless paper.
Illustrator sits at wooden table in crowded cafe with sketch pad and pencil.
Crossfit coach helps woman on rowing machine, shot for Exhale Gym in Richmond, CA.
Artist Scott Jennings stands near window in studio wearing blue potter's apron.
Toddler model for Ellis Littles runs through lupins and bubbles, shot at Baker Beach in San Francisco.
Lily pads on pond surface with reflection of trees overhead, shot at Blake Garden in Berkeley.
Therapist Fanshen Thompson sits at kitchen table with bare feet up, surrounded by plants.
Physical therapist smiles while looking up at patient with knee injury, shot for the Stone Clinic in San Francisco.
Doctor Reshma Vasanwala administers injection to patient at her clinic, Refine Anti-Aging.
Nutritionist Leah Kern holds mug of tea and gazes out window.
Overhead view of orange and blue bespoke chair with ottoman against an orange rug.
Naturalist holds viewing loupe in front of tiny redwood cone, shot during brand photo session for the Biomimicry Institute.
Detail of colorful mobile against light blue and gold-patterned wallpaper.
Baby wearing Ellis Littles romper crawls in studio with light green seamless.
Woman in blue tank top sits amongst greenery and flowers at the San Francisco Botanical Garden.
Blond woman in orange sweater stand in front of light wooden shelves.
Chef puts whipped cream on top of chocolate dessert for Culinary Artists in San Francisco.
Woman's hands assemble gift basket with luxury items for Poppy Gifting.
Blond woman in white sweater smiles with hand under chin against navy wall with white shelf and plants.
Woman holding camera and wearing all black stands on icy mountain and smiles

Allison Busch is a seasoned photographer serving small brands across the San Francisco Bay Area.

Hey, there! I’m Allison! I’ve been offering my signature style of flattering, natural light photographs that make you feel something since 2011.

I’d love to make photographs for your small brand, and by extension - YOU! All brand sessions include a mix of portraits and working shots, showing you doing the work you love.

Online self-scheduling is available, or we can chat by phone before you book. It’s easy either way.

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