As a creative entrepreneur, we hear it everywhere we go. “You need to have a great brand!” And there’s a reason for this. Your brand is essentially the heart of your business, and great brands not only tell great stories, but they attract or repel your dream clients as well. 

I am truly passionate about brand photography because it allows me to tell the story of fearless creatives who want to celebrate and share their passion with the world. 

Click here to learn more about Brand Photography with Laura Lee Photography 

And that is why I dedicate so much time BEFORE the shoot to understand the needs of my clients so I can capture the true essence of their brand on their shoot day. Before I can even pick up my camera, I need to learn more about their brand, their ideal client, their personality, their vision for their site & social pages…everything that will help me tell their story through photography. 

And that, my friend, is why I use Milanote. 

This program seriously TRANSFORMED the planning process my team & I use for our brand sessions. 

This pre-session planning and inspiration searching is my absolute favorite thing that I get to do with my brand clients before their shoot. We spend weeks (even months) searching for the perfect Airbnb or location for their shoot, scouring Pinterest and Instagram inspiration for their ideal shot list, researching the perfect props to complement their brand, Pinning adorable outfits, and so much more. It’s seriously SO FUN! 

Throughout this process, we organize EVERYTHING into one easy-to-use, visual board on Milanote. Think of it as a perfectly organized Pinterest board with videos, tasks, and links all in one place! Honestly, I get giddy thinking about these boards. Check it out…here’s an example of one of our recent Milanote boards for a brand client. 

Cue, swoon…

And Milanote isn’t just for brand photography (or even just photographers!) – it’s a creative entrepreneur’s digital VISION board. My team and I use Milanote for all sorts of other business-related vision planning & inspiration. Things like: 

• Retreat planning & decor inspiration 
• Mapping out workshop materials 
• New product launches 
• Wedding planning (ahem, yes. I totally used it for my own wedding. SO FUN!) 

Seriously, say goodbye to endless Google Docs, email attachments and Pinterest board screenshots. Use this tool to take all your creative dreams & visuals and bring them to life! 

Let me show you a few of my FAV features in there! 

Staying Organized with Checklists 

If you’ve read a few other blogs from Laura Lee Creative before, you probably know that we are OBSESSED with efficiency, systems & organization around here. That is why Milanote plays such a huge role in our entire organizational workflow for brand clients. We would literally be lost without it. We use both the desktop & mobile app to: 

✅ Organize our to-do list 

✅ Write out a detailed shot list

✅ Make sure we don’t forget any key props

✅ Check off the shots we’ve taken (during the session on the mobile app…literally, amazing)

 ✅ And, keep us & the client on track throughout the planning process and at the shoot 

Getting Inspired with Mood Boards 

Obviously this is our #1 FAV features as creatives because it allows us to bring those old school paper, thumb-pin, magazine cut out vision boards to life in digital form with pictures, links, videos, style tips, locations, and vendors all in one place. 

The coolest part – you can create boards within boards. So for our brand clients, we create a master brand session planning board that includes important shoot details, location info, image inspiration, prop lists, shot lists and team detail boards. Here’s a fun example of a board we are currently working on building with a nutrition & wellness expert! 

🌟 Pro tip: The Google Chrome app allows you to clip inspiration/images/videos from ANY SITE (Blogs, sites, Pinterest, youtube, FB) Literally amazing and you can put right onto the board! 

Easily Manage a Project with Your Client & Team 

This is an essential feature for me and my team. Not only can we collaborate with our client on their Milanote board, we also communicate as a team about to-do’s, shots we aren’t sure about including in the final shot list, last-minute inspiration adds, and more. 

Milanote allows you to have a shared workspace where you can take care of all the admin and organization in one place! 

Okay, friend. Are you ready to start playing & planning in Milanote yet? Click here to sign up for a free trial of Milanote – trust me, you are going to be obsessed!! 

Got questions? Comment below and we can share more ideas, inspiration, and info about our new FAV program!