News & Views

New Site Launched!

As this is more of a general photography site, with the exception of the theatre galleries which are aimed at my theatre client base, I have launched a new website aimed at commercial business photography.

Aside from the arts and media work that I do, I also work regularly in PR, event and general commercial photography. With this in mind, I have launched www.businessphotography.co.uk. .

This site showcases some of the work I have done in this field, please click the above link to go through to the site or click on the screenshot below.

BOOKING A PHOTOGRAPHER - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

I speak to a lot of companies these days who seem pretty fed up with the standard of photography they are getting but don’t want to go through the rigmarole of trying to find a photographer to do the job. The net result is that they hire the same photographers they have always hired and get the same tired results.

So to try and help the process along, I thought I’d put together a list of the 10 key things I adhere to which I believe no client should hire any photographer without considering. 

1. The Photographer Should Listen To The Brief

Sounds obvious doesn’t it? You’d be surprised how many clients I talk to who complain of sessions where their brief has not been met. I work on the basis that any client of mine will get their brief met  first and foremost.

2. The Client And Photographer Should Meet To Plan The Shoot.

The number of times this happens is very rare. In all most all cases, I insist on a planning meeting to ensure that everyone knows what the objective of the shoot is. This prevents wasting time and ensures the shoot comes in on budget and on time. At very least a detailed planning session by telephone should be scheduled.

 3. The Photographer Should Contribute Ideas

Again, this sounds fantastically obvious. But it never ceases to   amaze me how little effort some photographers put into contributing  interesting and stimulating ideas. If your current photographer is quite happy to accept the brief alone and contribute nothing extra, change your photographer.

4. Photographers Are Experts - Use Their Expertise!

 Following on from 3. You don’t go to a doctor and say “Doctor I’m ill” for him to turn round and say “What do you think it is?” do you? The photographer’s job therefore, is to take the brief and add inspiration, pointing out the technical aspects of the shoot, including limiting factors which may prohibit the original concept, or provide work-arounds. 

5. Agree Time Constraints.

Time is always expensive and seems to contract, with the time allowed for photography many times suffering as a result. Consult with the photographer as to how long the job should take and commit to it.

6. PHOTOGRAPHS ARE IMPORTANT!

 Following on from 5.  Commercial and promotional photography is vital in helping your business sell your product or service. Human beings are visual creatures, our pupils dilate when we see something we like or are interested in – we literally want to “see more” of something. This sounds obvious but it is so often forgotten. I have lost count of the number of times the shoot time has been cut from say four hours to one, with the same fulfilment of the brief expected. You are about to spend money for images to spearhead your campaign; they are an important part of the selling process, so try your utmost to ensure that the right amount of time is firewalled.

7. It Is The Photographer’s Job To Manage Expectations

 The conditions for a shoot can be fluid. Sometimes this can be environmental factors such as light, weather or temperature. These can have dramatic influences over the nature of the shoot. The photographer should advise on how this will influence the photographs will turn out. For example,  I do a lot of theatre photography. There are many times when I have turned up to a shoot for productions which are so dark they should be watched in brail. In this instance, whether you are using digital or film, you are going to need to use either high sensitivity or high speed film. With digital this results in higher “noise” and with film, higher graininess of the images – which equates to a lower quality definition to the photos.  Photograph means “to paint with light”, so the photographer needs light! Again, this sounds obvious, and some consideration to this needs to be applied. However, it is the photographer’s job to point this out at the time, so that something can be done about it.

8. Agree Sensible And Achievable Delivery Deadlines.

If you do a full day’s shoot on a Thursday, and require the photographs for the following Monday, don’t tell the photographer that you need the photographs in an hour’s time, expecting fully edited, colour corrected photographs. However, it is also the photographer’s responsibility to suggest delivery times which he/she can reasonably be expected to meet.

9.Communicate, Communicate, Communicate!

If things change, tell the photographer. Don’t assume a single thing. If you move from an outdoor to an indoor shoot, don’t assume that the photographer is going to turn up with studio lights and backdrops suitable for an indoor shoot. The same onus rests on the photographer.  The responsibility for communication is an equal one. The photographer and the client must have a comfortable, open dialogue. If you are working with a photographer that you feel uncomfortable talking to, change your photographer. 

10.   Review The Shoot On A Rolling Basis

The client and the photographer should be talking regularly and discussing ideas during the shoot. This way, the client feels that their objectives and needs have been met. Similarly, ideas should be discussed once the photographs have been delivered, this includes checking customer satisfaction levels. If your photographer doesn’t care about the photographs once they are delivered, how much does he/she care about your business? After care is every bit as important as pre-care.