Photography - it pays to go pro

You are creating a piece of marketing material, you had a copywriter originate or sharpen up the copy, the designer has supplied you with some great visuals, now all you need is the photography - ‘That’s straight forward enough - I’ll do it myself’.

It’s true most of us have a digital camera and most of us probably think we can take a half-decent photo. But it’s just not the same as professional photographer taking the pictures.

We have had all sorts of photos supplied to use. Staff images taken at their desk - nicely posed photo, great smile but the desk is a mess and the flash has bounced off the window behind. A photo of your fantastic new office but it’s a dull grey rainy day, there’s litter outside and an old car in front of the main entrance.

I’m guilty of it myself. I take what I think is a great photo and then get it onto my Mac and look at the photo and think why didn’t I spot the grotty wallpaper or why didn’t I notice the person in the background?

The most common mistake is not taking the photos at the correct resolution. How many of us actually read instruction manuals, and more importantly understand them? Photos taken on mobile phones are a definite no, no.

We hear “you can take that into Photoshop and sort it out’, yes this is true and Photoshop is a fantastic application which can make unbelievable corrections to photos. This all takes time which will probably cost you more in the long run.

A photo might be the the first and and last image a potential customer sees of whatever you are selling. To make as sure as possible it won’t be the last you need a photo that is going to sell your product.

A professional photographer will have all equipment for dealing with different lighting conditions and know the best way to take the photos.

It’s also worth mentioning that some photographers are better at certain types of photography. For a PR shoot, maybe at an event, you want a photographer who can take control and has great people skills. If you are looking for studio based product shots then the personality of the photographer doesn’t make that much difference, but technical know-how certainly does.

We work with some great photographers and can recommend or book one depending on your requirements.

Yes, hiring a photographer will add more cost to the job but it is always worth it!