What takes technical skill, artistic ability, an understanding of architecture and a touch of magic?

Interior photography of course!

As a commercial photographer, I know how much goes into producing successful, high impact, professional interior photography. I also know that for many businesses, high quality and beautiful interior photography is absolutely essential to their image, brand, marketing and sales.

So this is a situation where an amateur approach simply won’t do.

If you’re in the hospitality sector, leisure, interior or office design or some retail industries, then interior photography may appear centre stage in your brochures, other marketing collateral and on your website. You may need to capture atmosphere. You may need to portray a feeling of space. It may be the contents of the room such as furniture and décor that need to come alive.

If you’re looking to entice someone to stay in your hotel or restaurant, visit your golf club, use your design service, rent or buy your property or view your selection of goods, it will be an awful lot easier if potential customers can see what you offer at its very best.

And by that I mean looking clear, crisp, detailed and magnificent with as full a view as possible and a strong clear focus on what you are wishing to sell. As opposed to dark and dingy; obscured views; objects poorly arranged, limited perspectives and a confusing focus.

So just how are these outstanding images achieved?

Well it’s through a complex combination of skills, knowledge, experience, patience both on-shoot and post-production. With experience probably highest on the list.

1. Lighting, lighting, lighting. It’s the ability to look at a setting and understand what’s required; from the time of day which will offer the best lighting to how to use the existing light sources in the room. It’s the investment in light boxes, portable studio lights and other high quality equipment to achieve the right level of light. And it’s the artistic vision and interpretation of an interior to take a creative view on the type of lighting that will work wonders.

Changing the lighting can entirely alter the feel of a setting – bright or intimate; upmarket or casual; contemporary or traditional. And by changing the feel we can influence the brand – in turn improving your sales and commercial success.

2. Architectural awareness. Sounds grand, doesn’t it? But an interior photoshoot will often have the challenges not faced by exterior or studio settings; existing structure in the form of walls, doors, windows and features as well as furniture and fittings.

It takes an experienced photographer to look at a room and instinctively know the best angles and perspectives from which to shoot. The room may need to look spacious, or cosy. The image may need to take in a lot of detail or a very wide view. We’re also great at spotting obstructions, moving furniture and items around and adding features where necessary to achieve the best visual impact. And the experienced photographer will know that it’s imperative to use a tripod, to ensure straight lines and crisp images.

3. A sprinkle of post-production magic. Okay, it’s not really magic. But creating a panoramic look from a series of well-executed shots through ‘stitching’ them together post-production, is just one example of a pretty impressive feat that takes experience, time and skill.

The ability to use tricks of the trade and highly skilled production techniques opens up all sorts of exciting creative opportunities to present your venue in the most effective and fabulous way possible.

You’ll be stunned by what can be achieved by an experienced and skilled undertaking of your interior photography, and once you’ve seen the results, you’ll never look back.

If you’d like me to perform my magic, you can call me for a no obligation chat on 07767 776839 or email [email protected]  For more examples visit the Commercial Gallery in my website www.amandaduncanphotography.co.uk

If your website is your shop window, make sure your customers have the best view.

I know, I can’t believe it. It’s crazy, how can it be?

It’s nearly Christmas.

Well for any business that sells products likely to see peak demand in the run up to the Festive Season, you’ll really be focused on Christmas. So you need to pay close attention. But actually anyone who relies on their website for selling products throughout the year also needs to listen up. So come in, the more the merrier.

Let me let you into a secret.

If you sell products on your website, they need to look good.

Imagine going into a shop, selling, for the sake of the argument, lovely gifts. First of all, instead of being able to see shelves full of the actual products, you are handed a miniature tiny version of the gift. ‘’But can’t I see a bigger one you say’’? ‘’I can’t see any detail on it or understand what size it’s going to be in real life’’. ‘’Sorry’’, says the Sales Assistant. ‘’You’re only allowed to look at our products really small, then guess what it’s going to look like in real life’’.

You then realise all the gifts are wrapped in a film that obscures the object inside. ‘’Excuse me’’, you say, ‘’please can you take off this film, I can’t see what material it’s made from, or what the colour is. It’s just all blurry’’. ‘’Sorry’’, says the sales assistant, ‘’you can only view our products slightly blurry, and you’ll have to gamble on the quality of the material and make do with the colour’’.

Sounds ridiculous this scenario, doesn’t it? But when it comes to products on websites, this really is not that unusual.

Getting serious for a minute, there are three excellent reasons why poor product photography is not good news;

 1.Sales

Quite obviously, the whole point of displaying products on your website, is to sell them. To entice, excite and tempt the viewer into placing an order. But if a customer can’t see a product properly, one of these things may happen.

They may get frustrated, and just go back to the search engine, type in the product and find someone else who sells it instead.

They will just give up, discard their search and probably not return to the website.

Or, and this will bring us to the next point, they’ll take a gamble on the basis that if they don’t like it, they’ll just return it. And they are not even likely to take this chance, if you don’t have an easy and cost-free returns solution (very few companies do).

 2.Returns

So what business likes dealing with a high number of returns? Surely no one. It will skew and complicate your sales figures, cause logistical headaches in administering exchanges and refunds and may involve time dealing with customer complaints if they are really unhappy.

 3.Brand and Image

Unless you are in the most exclusive, unique and in-demand market of all time, the chances are your customers will be able to find the same or similar product elsewhere. But you want them to stay with you. If you sell online only, your website is your vehicle, your brand and your link with customers so it needs to be user friendly, attractive and impressive in order to convey quality and professionalism.

So now we’ve concluded that when it comes to selling goods online, photography is king, here’s some tips to get you started.

1. Camera

If you’re taking your own pictures, you’ll need a good quality camera, the pictures should be taken in either Raw or JPEG format.  If shooting in jpg always shoot at the highest resolution which is 300dpi.  You might then want to compress them to the right size i.e. 72dpi for your website before uploading them to avoid issues with quality. You may need to download a photo editor application to do this, for example Photoshop Elements.

2. Lighting & Background

Lighting is absolutely key. The look you want to create will dictate the lighting you use. The image needs to be exposed correctly. Whether you shoot high key (white background) or low key (black/grey background) low lighting, you’ll need studio lighting (light boxes) and depending on how many lights you use, a light meter and the correct white balance and grey card are also crucial. You may need to invest in a special set up kit from a specialist photography supplier. 

3. Consider the item e.g. fabric

If your product is clothes or fabric, taking photography will be a real challenge to get it photographed well. You may have to adjust the fabric on the manikin and be a whiz with ironing and bulldog clips to make the item look good. Digital photography will often need to be tweaked as colours can be distorted, usually done in the retouching afterwards. A texture may be knitted, shiny or cotton, and you’ll need the right lighting in order for the potential customer to be able to tell. You may also need additional shots of close up aspects to show detail.

4.Take from different angles

Depending on the product, you may need to shoot from different angles, to show the side and back. For example with furniture, your customers may not be able to make a decision purely on the front only shot.

5.When to show in context

Depending on your product, you may need to show it in context e.g. it being used or worn, to show what it would look like. This approach can enhance the sales of a product (such as a happy child playing with a toy, or attractive woman wearing a dress). But the staging of a shoot will need great attention to balance the photography style with the detail and focus on the product you’re selling.

6.Managing models

If you are using models, even friends and family, there are some important rules.

They’ll need good make up, hair and clothes that work in the lighting and flatter. They’ll need to be put at ease. And you’ll need to offer firm but clear instructions and exercise patience and constraint to not keep touching their hair, adjusting their clothes or repositioning them constantly – unless they are very comfortable with this. If you’re hiring a professional model you’ll need to work quickly and efficiently as it’s likely you’ll be paying by the day, and you’ll only get one chance to get it right.

 7. Go on a course

With so many online businesses springing up, there are now courses in photography available for small businesses, so it may be worth looking into one near you. Good photography really is a skill and for the reasons listed above, highly detrimental to your sales if you don’t get it right. So if you’re serious about creating wonderful images yourself, investing in training is well worth it.

 8.Use a commercial photographer

You may not have the time or the inclination to go on a course. You know that your photography skills aren’t top notch. You’re relying on a semi-ok camera, have never seen a light box let alone positioned one and don’t know your dpi from your elbow.

This really could be time to call in the professional. You’ll be very surprised how cost effective it is, and your increased in sales and reduced returns will soon cover it. No stress, freed up time, all the top equipment, handling of models and post production work at your disposal. Oh yes, and fabulous shots that sell.

You’ve spent who knows how much money, effort, creativity and talent creating your products. Don’t them down through poor photography.

Let the photography do them justice. Let the photography sell them. Let the photography do you proud.

For more information about my commercial product photography please email me on [email protected] or call 07767 776839.

Why clicking with your subject is key to the perfect commercial portraits

Now I’m not here to get all soppy on you today. But if you’re in the market for a wedding photographer, I know you’ll meet a range of photographers and base your choice on not only photography skills, but social skills and personality. You’ll want your photographer to be someone with whom you feel comfortable and who will put your guests as ease. I know that you’ll choose based on these things because it’s your big day, it will entail months of planning, and you’ll make sure that everyone involved with it is right for you, on a personal as well as professional level.

But if you’re a business owner looking for commercial photography for your corporate website, an advertising campaign, a profile shot for social media or a portrait for a display in your work environment, I’m here to tell you that the relationship between you and your photographer is just as important.

Of course, their photography, technical and post-production skills, understanding of lighting and quality of equipment are absolutely essential when it comes to selecting a commercial photographer. And these are likely to be the key factors in deciding who to commission, based on their portfolio, their experience and recommendation.

But personality, and rapport, are also paramount, and here’s why.

1. It is not your wedding day.

A commercial photoshoot for a new website or advertising campaign, in my experience, generally does not have up to year or many months planning behind it. In fact, on many occasions, the project will take place to quite tight deadlines to meet website go live dates and advertising copy deadlines. You’ll brief the photographer, and then the campaign will go ahead. So your photographer needs to understand you and your needs quickly and if you’re in the picture yourself, get you prepared and comfortable, fast.

2. It’s not your wedding day, and you’re probably not a top model

As it’s not your wedding day, if you are having a profile shot taken for your website or LinkedIn, the chances are the shoot won’t be proceeded with several hours of hair and make up by top stylists. And it certainly won’t if you’re a man.

Now I’ll let you into a secret here. Most people aren’t that comfortable being photographed. And, most people are not over the moon about their own looks – especially women.

This is where the relationship with your photographer really comes in. Making people feel at ease is crucial, otherwise what should be a natural shot can look pained and uncomfortable. The client won’t get the shot they’re happy with, and it will run into many reshoots taking up time and money.

There are many tips and tactics that a good commercial photographer should use to put people at ease. Talking with them to understand their concerns (‘’I hate my teeth’’/’’I always look awful on the right side’’), keeping the process relaxed and lighthearted to extract some natural smiles, keeping the conversation going so the subject forgets themselves and relaxes, asking whether it’s ok to move a hair or reposition the hands, giving the subject something to hold if it makes them less fidgety, and much more.

And a good commercial photographer will need to be patient and accept rejection, taking as many shots as are necessary to make the client feel happy and proud of their final image.

3. Understanding your business

Your photographer needs to do more than photograph. They need to understand your business, the brand, the tone, the marketing messages that you wish to portray. In order to do this, they need to work closely with you, and get a feel for what you like and dislike.

It’s your business, you know how you wish it to be presented. Corporate, funky, quirky, creative, serious, artistic. Largely containing people and movement or objects or landscapes. But if you’re not a marketing guru yourself, you’ll need the photographer to draw out this information through clever questioning and research – what you do, who your audience are and what you want to achieve.

4. Managing the shoot

Once the preparation is done, there is a lot that goes into managing the shoot on the day if in a work environment or elsewhere.

If professional models are being used, the photographer will need to brief them and have them understanding quickly what’s required and what the campaign is all about. After all, models are expensive and you’ll want the best results in as little time as possible.

If a shoot is taking place in a work place, using you and your staff, the need to put people at ease becomes crucial.

At a wedding, people expect and know that at some stage their champagne drinking will be interrupted by the call from the photographer to start the photographs.

But in a workplace, a photographer will be an alien species. Suddenly everyone’s on edge, worrying about what they look like, acting unnaturally. But it’s the photographer’s job to ensure this doesn’t happen. They need to make the day enjoyable and fun. Understand concerns. Get the best out of people and boost their confidence. There may well be some hidden gems among your workforce who really shine in front of the camera – the photographer needs to spot them and make the most of them.

5. Communication and people skills are high on the list in hiring criteria for commercial photographers

If you need further proof of why personality is so important, then look no further than the skills listed on the National Careers Service site for young aspiring photographers. After technical and artistic skills, in third, fourth and fifth place, come ‘excellent communication and people skills’, ‘patience’ and ‘ability to put people at ease’.

And this message is replicated in hiring criteria for photographers in all types of photography, where people are to be the subject, whether it’s weddings, children or commercial.

Ultimately, if your commercial photographer doesn’t click with you, the photoshoot will fail. Whether you’re commissioning the photography for a commercial project, or being photographed yourself for a professional shot, you’ll need your photographer to both understand what you are looking to portray and how you wish to look - whilst keep you comfortable and involved in the process.

"Amanda's professionalism shines through in her work. If you are considering a corporate photoshoot (or updating your existing gallery), and want someone who can bring out your character rather than dull standard photos, Amanda is highly recommended." Ges Ray

For an informal chat about how I can help you and your business look great, contact me at [email protected]