subject: Commercial Photographers And Which One To Choose. [print this page] So you hired a photographer to shoot your daughters wedding last year but now you need to pinpoint a professional photographer to capture your commercial photography.
Many people understandably feel uncomfortable with such creative decisions yet I believe that the vast majority people should simply trust in their instincts. Because of the constant exposure to visual imagery in our everyday lives, I think that everyone is capable of distinguishing between good or bad photography. The chances are that by simply recognising that your business deserves the services of a professional photographer, as opposed to amateur snap shots, already suggests to me that you are expressing this understanding.
If you are the owner of a large national or multi-national company, you will either have your own in-house marketing/design department or outsource your creative work to a specialist advertising or design agency. Either way the responsibility of commissioning photography will be some one else's problem. However, if you are the owner of a small to medium sized business, you may simply not have the budget to have such luxuries and so have to make such creative decisions by yourself. This leads me nicely onto my first consideration:
Money Money Money. Nasty stuff I know but you won't get far in your quest for decent commercial photography without a decent budget. Sure there is always someone willing to do a job on the cheap but do you really want cheap when it comes down to images that will reflect your brand image? Call a few local commercial photographers off your shortlist and ask them for a quote. It in no way obliges you to use their services but it will give you a good idea of the budget you'll be looking at and a fair indication of the variation in photographic fees.
Photographers Niche. You wouldn't book a product photographer to shoot your wedding day so equally please don't book a wedding photographer to shoot your products. A least book a photographer who is both competent and confident working with in the commercial sector and preferably one that is experienced in the genre of photography that you require, be that product, architectural, interior, event or any other kind of photography. To be confident that they can reliably shoot your subject you ideally need to see previous examples of this type of work in their portfolio.
Style. The artistic style a photographer shoots in may or may not be relevant to your job. If you just need some generic pack shots for instance, then a photographers style need not be of huge concern. If on the other hand you need some interior or exterior photographs then photographic style will play a bigger role in your decision. Be it traditional or more edgy and contemporary, try to choose a style that best reflects your brand image. Be consistent yet at the same time brave, as you do want your company to stand out from the crowd; but only for all the right reasons.
Printed or Online Portfolio. There has never nor never will be a better judge of a photographers worth, both technically and creatively, than that of their portfolio. Almost all that you need to know about a particular photographer can be found with in. Obviously check out the technical credentials like quality of lighting, exposure and composition; but most importantly decide whether or not you love, like, dislike or hate the photography. If the answer is that you predominately love the work and others around you agree, then trust your gut feeling and take things further.
Face to Face. Ultimately it doesn't matter how much you love the photographers work, if you can't stand to spend a minute in their company then the chances are they are the wrong choice for you. You won't need to be making a friend for life or even be charmed by the wit and good humour but you will certainly want to at least get on with them, as with a any professional work colleague. The best way is always face to face but failing that a good chat on the telephone will often suffice.
Of course there are many other considerations you may need to think about when choosing a photographer to shoot your commercial brief. However I do believe that if you adhere to the basics, then at least you can be confident that you are making an informed decision rather than a rushed one, and you stand a good chance of enjoying a successful encounter.
