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With the advent of the internet, quality photography has become increasingly important. Customers often shop products and services online before ever stepping foot in a store. In fact, many customers decide wether to call or visit a business by the images they see on the internet.
This means that your customers are probably searching google, Facebook and peruse websites by name to learn more about you and the images they see are going to form their first impression of your products and services before they event meet you.
At Social Margarita 360° Marketing, we guide our customers in making the best decisions for their business and thanks to our preferred photographer, Kristin Fuller, we have gathered some insights that you need to know about photography if you own a business.
When Should You Hire a Professional?
The average phone has a built in camera and with a little imagination you can use it to take nice pictures for use on social media. You can also invest in a decent camera and get some nice point and shoot images as well. But if you have a business and need to showcase yourself or your products, you may wish to hire a professional photographer. This is especially true if you will need to create printed marketing materials materials that require higher resolution print-quality images. You could use stock photography for some projects but customers tend to react more favorably when they see actual images of your work, your team, your office, your products.
How to Select the Right Photographer
The right photographer for your project will depend on the scope of your project and your budget. Most photographers have a specialty and it is important to ask our prospective photographer what their specialty is and request samples of their work. Each specialty requires different types of cameras, lenses, lighting and techniques. If a photographer knows what they are doing, their work will reflect it. In many cases, so will their price. More experienced photographers tend to command a higher rate. But it may be worth it for you, especially if you are selling a high ticket item like a house or legal services.
The photographer you choose should also know how to edit on the back end according to the way you wish to use the pictures. For example, photos that are going to be used on the web should be formatted as web ready photos with lower resolution and smaller sizes. Meanwhile, photos that will be used for printed materials should be formatted as larger files with higher resolution so they will print out as crisp images. Your photographer should provide you with web ready and print ready versions of your images if you are using them for both.
Our photography partner, Kristin Fuller is well rounded and has multiple specialties. In fact, below are some examples of Kristin Fuller’s work by specialty along with a few tips on what you should look for in a photographer for each of these types of projects.
What to Look for in a Product Photographer
Kristin recommends looking for a product photographer who has experience photographing products that are similar to yours. For instance, if your product is clothing, you should look a photographer that has photographed clothing or models.
If your product is small objects you should look for examples of smaller shots. As you review their portfolio, take note of how well they capture groups of products with consistent, lighting and backgrounds. How consistent is the lighting in a group of photos? Are the backgrounds in a group of product photos the same etc. A good product photographer will make the shots as uniforms as possible to showcase products nicely for easy perusal in a catalog still presentation online or in print.
Select the Right Photographer for Head-shots
A consistent background is also important for head-shots, especially when you will have multiple shots taken for a company website. You can put a headshot on your business cards or online to showcase the your company personnel. A good headshot can help you improve your image on social media as well.
In addition to reviewing examples to see if a photographer has the lighting, backdrops and camera lenses it takes to get a good shot, you may want to consider chemistry. Some of the poses that make you more flattering require poses that may feel a bit awkward and it takes someone with a friendly personality to help you smile while you are uncomfortable. For instance, poses that can make you more flattering will require you to put your neck up and stick your chin out. A friendly photographer like Kristin Fuller that can help direct your poses and get you to relax, smile and have a little fun is ideal. This es especially important in you are shy in front of the camera.
What Should You Look for in a Real Estate & Architecture Photographer?
Photographing large objects such as homes, furniture, land and buildings usually require a whole set of specialized equipment. An experience real estate photographer will use a wide angle lens and a tripod to get a big broad view of a large object.
As you review samples, look for a photographers ability to show the expansiveness of the large items such as the flow of the house. Look for consistent lighting too. Ambient lighting in conjunction with a flashlight can create a nice effect. The HDR (High dynamic range) technique also yields fantastic images. It involves taking multiple exposures of a single, still object, on a tripod. The different exposures are then reconciled or stacked in editing to shadows are as well as overly bright spaces.
How to Evaluate a Photography Quote
More experienced, specialized photographers usually command higher rates. Additional factors can also affect the costs. Most photographers price according to the amount of time they expect to take in shooting and editing as well as the equipment, lighting, set-up, props, backdrops and any travel that your project will require. Make sure that the prices you pay are fair for both you and the photographer and consider that a beginning photographer with a DSL camera with pop up flash may be less expensive but they are just not going to be able to give you the same quality of work as photographer with lighting equipment and a 5,000 camera with the high end macro lens. You may be able to get a deal with a good photographer based on volume if you can save the photographer time by getting a batch of photos taken all at once in a single place, rather than at multiple locations over several days.
For more information www.captured-by-kristin.com or atlrep.com. Contact us at Social Margarita 360° Marketing about special rates for our friends and clients.
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