HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER FOR JOBS
When you take photos for commercial use, it is commercial photography. In this case, “commercial” is defined as being to make money or sales or otherwise for business use. Commercial photography is used for:
Merchandising Product placement Brochures Sales pitches Advertising
It may also be used to create:
Press photos Advertorials Menus Corporate brochures Business cards Leaflets
USING COMMERCIAL PHOTOGRAPHY FOR PRODUCT PROMOTION AND SALES You can use commercial photography to help you sell your product or service. Say you want to sell a single product or a line of products. It’s smart to have some excellent commercial photos for presentation. You’ll want sharp images that can be printed up nicely in newspaper, brochures and other ad mediums. You may also want photos that are focused on product design and features. Say you are selling iPads with rounded edges, and you want to show off this feature. You take photos that draw attention to this feature. You might also do some photos that focus on product function and use.
USE COMMERCIAL PHOTOGRAPHY TO PROMOTE YOUR BUSINESS Clearly, if you have a business you want people to visit your website and spend their hard earned dollars. Using commercial photography to present and promote your business or firm is a smart idea. Good, clear photos that show your business at its best can be reproduced on business cards, fliers, billboards and what have you. Having great photos on hand helps you get good media coverage and the promotion that comes with it. You might also want to have some photos of yourself and/or your staff and co-workers. These can be used to introduce your business to others and show how friendly, skilled, smart and professional you all are. Don’t be shy about this. There is nothing narcissistic about blowing your own horn when you are trying to promote your business. It is the way to success.
CREATE ATTRACTIVE MENUS WITH COMMERCIAL PHOTOGRAPHY A menu can look much more appetizing and appealing when it includes nice looking, appetizing photos of the food. For this type of photo shoot, you need a skilled professional photographer and a food stylist. You’ll want your dishes to be absolutely representative of the food you actually serve, and you’ll want it to look its best.
COMMERCIAL PHOTOGRAPHY HAS BOTH PORTRAIT AND FASHION APPLICATIONS In fashion photography, commercial images are taken for use in magazine advertorials. They may also be used in catalogues. Clothing is an important consideration in this sort of commercial photography. The clothing is considered a working prop that adds dynamism to a photograph. Naturally, the clothes can be a part of your ad.
Portrait photography also has a commercial element. This is especially true when it comes to wedding shoots. A wedding photographer certainly does portrait photography; however, it must also have a commercial element. For example, the photographer must take photos that highlight the bride’s complete ensemble from dress to shoes to tiara to bouquet. The bride must also stand out as the center of attention.
THE BOTTOM LINE IS COMMERCIAL PHOTOGRAPHY IS USED FOR PROMOTION Clearly, there are many purposes for commercial photography. Anything that needs promotion can benefit from having good commercial photographs taken. When it comes to selling products or services, remember that a picture is always worth a thousand words.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHER AND A PROFESSIONAL?
These days many people like to behave as if they have talents that they don’t. One area in which this sort of presumption is very popular is photography. DSLR cameras are quite affordable now, so everybody has one or two or more. This leads them to think of and introduce themselves to others as “professional” photographers. These people believe that the fact that they own sophisticated equipment entitles them to charge lots of money for photos and expect to be treated as professionals, but there’s a lot more to being a photographer than just buying a camera. How can you tell if the person you are dealing with is a real professional photographer or a poser? Here some advice to help you sort the wheat from the chaff.
HOW TO TELL A PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER FROM AN AMATEUR An amateur usually wants to make money fast. Of course, real photographers like to make money fast, too, but that is not their main objective. A real professional is invested in creating high quality photography first. He or she is concerned with the way in which the image is captured, what emotion it evokes, whether or not it can be considered art and so on. An amateur is mostly focused on the money. He or she will talk about rates and pull out contracts for clients to sign and try to hard sell clients into buying things they didn't ask for. A true professional photographer wants to do a good business and make money, naturally; however, it is apparent that a real professional is working in photography because he or she loves the art and craft of it. A professional photographer is always studying and learning. He or she will take a great deal of time to study the work of other photographers
and to take courses and read books on photography. They take time to practice, improve and hone their own knowledge, skills and abilities. An amateur tends to present an air of knowing it all. They do not take the time for self-improvement because they do not realize that it is always necessary. They feel that they have already arrived at professional status and there is no room for improvement. A professional knows that photography is a growing changing field and an art form. There is always something new to learn. They feel that they must evolve and engage in self-improvement to become the best possible photographers.
A PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER IS RECOGNIZED BY UNIQUE STYLE
A true pro will have his or her own style and way of doing things. Amateurs just imitate what they have seen without developing their own style. Their advertising materials may even say “Get results just like…” followed by the name of a real professional! Having a unique style is very important to a true professional. It defines an artist and makes him or her different from all others. A unique style will attract clients whose own personal style meshes and resonates with that of the true professional photographer. HOW TO FIND A COMMERCIAL PHOTOGRAPHER If you are looking for a good commercial photographer, check listings in your local phone book and newspapers. You may find excellent listings for local photographers there. Also, do a Google search and have a look at their website and view their work. A professional photographer will have a website that complements their work