Three perceptions about using commercial photography that are wrong, wrong, wrong

When you invest in advertising and marketing for your business, what are you hoping to achieve?

The answer to this question should be impact, interest, curiosity and reaction. Reinforcement of your brand. Conveying an impression of quality, individuality and recognition.

Bespoke photography can be a key factor in delivering this.

So why do so many businesses, when spending significant budgets on advertising, leave good quality photography out of the mix?

As a commercial photographer, the benefits seem obvious to me. But from speaking with businesses, particularly Small Medium Establishments, I know that there are some misperceptions which deter the commissioning of photography.

I’m going to take these common myths, and bust them. I’m going to explain why photography is a good investment, why it’s better than using stock images and why to improve the impact of your advertising, it’s the right thing to do.

Myth number 1: Commercial photography is too expensive.

This is probably the biggest and most off-putting perception for any business without a huge budget. Completely understandably, if you’re an SME, you need a cost effective website and advertising campaign. Quite possibly, you’ve looked into it before and photography costs were immense. However, it does not have to be this way. And here’s why;

• Like any service, there are a wide range of companies providing it in the market. Many photographers are highly cost effective, charging very reasonable hourly rates, including the production work, and organising shoots as carefully as possible so as to keep costs down. Many photographers also have arrangements with models and venues in place in order to keep the costs affordable for clients.
• Most commercial photographers will include the initial briefing meeting for free (and I’ll even provide you with a profile shot should you need it for your social media, all included in the cost of the shoot).
• The alternative to bespoke photography, the use stock shots, is not always a cheap solution. Well they can be, but you do get what you pay for. You may be lucky and find the perfect royalty free shot that fits your campaign. However, be aware of the hidden costs of using stock images;
  • You’ll often be charged for the time graphic designers take undertaking time consuming image search. Instead of paying for half a day of image search, this money could have been invested in a photoshoot.
  • Unless an image is completely free, most will carry at least a small charge, which could represent an hour of photography. Many good stock images will carry a substantial charge, and if they are not royalty free you will need to pay every time you use it. Compare this to bespoke photography – once you have your disk of images, they are yours to use whenever you wish. It’s a one off investment.
  • Stock images are not exclusive. Your competitor, or another entirely different company, could use the same image in their campaign or on their website. Imagine the embarrassment. You’ve paid for imagery only - to look the same as someone else. Enter bespoke photography – it’s yours for life, it’s individual and no one else will have it.
  • Stock images will still carry production charges from your designers, as they may need to be cropped or altered in order to fit the campaign or website requirements.

Myth number 2: Commercial photography will take too long, I need to get my website up and running or an advert out asap.

Not so fast! Most commercial photographers will arrange a briefing meeting as soon as is needed. Photoshoots can be arranged quickly and photographers will deliver the production work within the timescales and deadlines of your project. I have a mobile studio which I can bring out to you or the relevant venue at very short notice. Properly arranged, you’d be amazed at what could be achieved within one hour of photography, let alone half a day. Unless it’s a very complex campaign, undertaking photography simply does not have to be a lengthy process.

Myth number 3: Photography is not appropriate or necessary for my business, we don’t sell products online and we’re only a small company.

I can assure you that this is not the case. Agreed, if you are selling products online, great photography is even more crucial in enhancing the customer’s ability to appreciate your products and reduce the number of returns. However, for any business with a website, and who invests in marketing, this is your ‘shop window’. It’s your ability to get noticed by potential customers. Even your profile shot is part of the impression you make and can engage or deter interest in your business.

I have undertaken bespoke photography for cleaning companies, hairdressers, pubs and florists. I have produced creative portrait pictures for a motivational speaker, photographed products for a clothing store and worked with hotels and golf clubs. Every type of business, with any level of budget, can benefit from investing in photography.

So don’t let these 3 popular misperceptions put you off exploring bespoke photography. The chances are, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by what can be done and delighted with the results.

"Thank you Amanda we are delighted with the food and lifestyle photography for our website which has really captured what we are about, with the bespoke photography that you have created for us.  The images are professional and of the highest quality".  Damien Man - The White Hart, Chipstead.

For a no obligation chat about my prices and how I can help please contact me at [email protected]

Looking through the many commercial magazines I wonder why the corporate portraits are all very similar.  All these professional business men and women have many different personalities.  How can we express this in a portrait?  It does take a little preparation work, understanding what occupation they do, what hobbies they have, sometimes adding of an item into the portrait makes it fun and expresses something of their personalities into a photograph.  Making an image seem more 3d than 2d.  There are so many variables that a photographer can use.  White background, black background, grey or color??  Studio lighting, location shoot with natural light.  Black and white and or color.  Digital effect or natural the list is endless..........

Here is a fab example I shot recently, guess what work they do??

If you are looking for some creative corporate portraits contact me Amanda at [email protected] or call 07767 776839.  Happy photographing!!!

• How do you find a good Event Photographer?

When looking for a good photographer the best way in my view is recommendation - if you have a connection with someone that can give you the photographers details this is excellent.  This means they have worked with that individual or company already and can give valuable feedback as to how they work and the quality of their images.  For example I did a lot of work in the past for WISE they are a company for women engineers, therefore because of their ethics they wanted a female photographer.

So the event organiser asked colleague she worked with and my name came up therefore a good recommendation for her.

• How do you know if they are good?

A good event photographer will know how to take amazing photographs in every possible scenario.  First point of call is to check their work.  This can either be done by seeing a portfolio or their website.  Every photographer has their own style.  Ask yourself do you like their work.  What do you look for in a great photograph?  The images must be sharp.  The colour balance should be excellent.  Often this is the hardest thing to get right, as if the event is held indoors there is always different lighting to contend with, fluorescent, tungsten, stage lighting.  So the images mustn't appear too orange for example.  For example this image was photographed using stage lighting very difficult to get right.

Arrange a meeting, do you like them?  This is important as you will have to work with them. Are they team players, will they listen to you? Will they be professional and well behaved with your clients?  For example I have worked with the royal family a few times and as an event planner you need to employ someone you can trust.  There are several rules you have to follow when photographing the royal family and you want a photographer who is respectful of this.

Get testimonials from past clients this will give you a good over view of them as a person and of their work.  Check if a photographer has a public liability insurance this will confirm that they are serious, also when photographing children they need to have a CRB certificate.

• Pricing Structures

This depends very much on the event.  Do you want just a CD from the day, prints on the day, photographs displayed on a website, there are so many variables.  Here are the main questions to ask.

• How do photographers charge for an event?

For an award ceremony event photographers will charge for their time by the hour, half day or day rate and then extra for a disk or prints.  Some companies need to offer prints on the day at an event for example at a Golf Pro Am tournament.  

A mutual rate will be negotiated as the photographer will have a lot of outlay for the day for example photography paper, inks, mounts, bags etc they may not pay site costs but may give a percentage of the costs of the prints to the organisers.  The event maybe charity driven so some of the proceeds will then go to the charity.  It all depends on the event and making sure all the relevant partners involved get benefits from the day.

• Who controls copyright of the images? 

The rule of who owns the copyright of a photograph is by law whoever took the photograph.  Therefore if you want to own the photo you will have to negotiate with the photographer for the rights.  This is important if you want to publish any images at a later stage. Some photographers will release copyright on a disk some won't.  If they do release the copyright then they will include the price of the disk into the daily rate.  If they don't release copyright then the photographer will sell the images on their website at an extra rate after the event.  If you are given the digital file you can use them however you wish. Upload them to Facebook, turn them into table mats, send them to your family. However, for corporate events and PR/Press events client usage will need to be negotiated in advance there are options to globally buy out the copyright.

If  you have an event coming up shortly please contact Amanda to schedule your complimentary event consultation on 07767 776839 or [email protected]