Ensure A Productive Photo Shoot That Delivers the Commercial Photos That Suit Your Vision.
In the current age of modern technology, photography has become accessible to almost anyone. But truly great photographs are made only by truly great photographers. When it comes to representing your brand or products online, it’s important to remember that your commercial photos are your strongest brand representation. And with studies showing that 65% of people remember the visual marketing content they see, compared to just 10% of the written content they see, you need a photographer who carefully understands your needs, has the expertise, the adaptability and creative ideas to get the results that take your vision forwards.
We know exactly what great professional photography takes. We champion your business’ growth, so it frustrates us to hear the types of concerns companies reveal after hiring under-qualified photographers at very low rates, then having to re-schedule with professionals to reshoot their projects to the high standards they expected.
As a result, we’ve put together five questions to ask your commercial photographer to help you save time and money. Get the high quality, professional commercial photography you deserve.
1. Does the Photographer’s Past Work Represent the Quality You Hope For?
When it comes to photography, the proof is in the photos. Most credible photographers will have up to date photography portfolios on their websites – see our photography portfolio here as an example – portfolios are excellent indicators of the capabilities and standards that the photographer can work to. So, be on the look out for a variety of photo styles, this suggests the photographer can work well to different client briefs and create new ideas. Unoriginal photos are the last thing you want!
2. Does the Photographer Understand The Purpose of the Images?
This might seem simple, but if a commercial photographer misses the mark on delivering the right purpose, your marketing & product plans are out the window. We recommend not only including the photo shoot instructions in your photographer brief, but also outlining the purpose of your photos in the best way you can. Whether it’s for headshots, product photos, branding or PR, it’s useful to create a checklist for your photo shoot, items on this checklist help you make sure you create the right purpose for your images.
3. Is Your Photographer Familiar With Your Audience?
Commercial photos are audience-focused, so we always take time to understand our clients’ audience before planning a shoot. Your photographer may have an impressive range of landscape or wedding photos, but does this really apply to your audience? It’s a good idea to ask your photographer is they have previously worked within your industry and to see past examples. We also recommend asking for their creative ideas on how to visually inspire your audience; this will reflect their level of understanding about your audience.
4. Can Your Photographer Provide High Res and Web Sizes? Appropriate Crops and Dimensions?
There is nothing worse than getting excited for your images, only to discover that they are unusable on certain online platforms. Please don’t waste your time having to alter the technical sizes and formats yourself, let your photographer know where you intend to publish them to discuss the appropriate formats. After all, your online platforms are central to your business and brand, so it’s important to get it right.
5. Can your photographer work to the time and scale of your project?
If you have ever seen behind the scenes process of a commercial photography photo shoot, you will already know that good photos are the result of excellent organisation and communication. Even during the most creative photo shoots, there has to be method in the madness. Perhaps you have a high volume product photography project? Ensure your photographer is experienced in product photography and has the studio and organisational capabilities to handle high volume tasks.
These are the absolute minimum you should expect when hiring a photographer at Picture Perfect Photography, or any other professional photographer! Whether you’re a budding entrepreneur starting up their new business, an experienced online retailer or a global brand marketing director, it’s important to get commercial photography right by starting with these 5 questions. Ultimately, we would like for you to be happy with your commercial photos and photography experience and move forward with confidence.
