Why Hire a Photographer

January 25, 2010 @ 10:20am

Updated — January 23, 2010 @ 3:22am

by Wilfredo Valle

Everyday we are bombarded with marketing visuals. It can be a photograph, an element of graphic design, or a video. For this blog entry, lets focus on that first item, photography. In the age of digital photography, where everyone and their neighbor has a digital camera and can essentially take a “good enough” picture for their business, I have to ask myself; Why hire a professional photographer, and what is it about a professionally photographed image that makes a business potentially stronger?

For example, as a photographer, I am constantly aware of the trends in photography being pushed by some of the big Fortune 500 companies, including Apple, Gap, Target, Macy’s, Zara, etc. The images seem simple enough; a white backdrop, one or two strobes, and a good model. The perfect combo for a great photography-based advertising campaign! But how easy it really? What kind of skill and understanding is needed to successfully pull off such a campaign? Simply owning the tools and becoming a shutter bug isn’t quite enough.

So how does a professionally photographed image become important to a company? Well, for starters, the obvious is that the people who stand behind the cameras are thinking in layers; after years of training and years of experience, what you are really paying for is not the final image, but rather the journey, the process to the final image. What businesses should consider is not just the final product, but how we get to this final product. Concept, creativity, and skill are all reasons why companies such as the ones named above produce such memorable and clean photo campaigns.

A few weeks ago I conducted a one on one training session and I remember saying to my client that what differentiates the working photographer from the occasional photographer is that the images you see produced by a working photographer is deliberate, not mere happenstance or a mishmash of happy accidents (though that can happen at times). A single good photograph for the most part can be done by anyone with any camera, but to produce a successful photo campaign requires someone with skill, creativity, commitment and an excellent understanding of the clients needs.

My suggestion for any company looking to incorporate photography into their marketing plans; don’t settle, photography done well is a proven tool. A single image might not be enough, so think in terms of a photo campaign in such cases.

Look around at advertising by Nike, Apple, and Gap; the images they use are all part of a larger campaign. They are unified and simplistic in getting their messages communicated to the viewer. One of those messages includes “our products are great, look!”.

Also, find a photographer that you can bond with; relationships are huge. A happy client + a happy photographer = happy results.