commercial photographer

Choosing the right commercial photographer for your brand

While anyone with a camera can refer to themselves as a photographer and feasibly charge a fee for taking a picture, commercial photography is almost never about good quality photography for its own sake. Commercial imagery is commissioned with a purpose in mind and with an end objective which usually involved a measurable return on investment. Making a brand stand out from the competition and driving sales.

Choose the right commercial photographer to work with your company and you’ll be rewarded with imagery that syncs perfectly with your vision, adds to it and draws in your target audience. Choose the wrong photographer and you’ll spend good money on content which delivers nothing other than a few pricey pictures.

 

Professionalism

You want a commercial photographer to turn up on time, be able to work without causing disruption and to reliably produce work to fit with your deadline. It’s hard to assess all of that from a first meeting, however, you can generally get a feel for how easy they’ll be to work with.

While a suit and tie might not always be appropriate, pitching to a potential client would normally require a bit of sartorial effort, so the manner in which they dress could well be an indicator of how they’ll treat your photoshoot. Observe their manner when speaking with you and others. Are they easy to talk to? Do they have a friendly air about them? Do they listen more than they speak? Are they more interested in impressing you with their skill, or are they more keen on making you and your brand the best they can be? All questions which might help you assess what the potential photographer might be like to work with.

 

Examine their portfolio

While years of experience and an impressively large number of companies worked for might well make a photographer sound like they have plenty of experience, it’s a must to check out the actual work they’ve done.

Photographers will normally be able to show you a portfolio detailing their previous work. Not everyone’s vision is compatible. If you see lots of skillfully created pictures but dislike all of them, then chances are that you might not like what the photographer does for you either.  Look for work that has some similarity to the project you’re considering them for, and if you like what you see, then you might have found your photographer.

 

An obsession with detail and design

A good photographer is usually extremely passionate about their art and about the possibilites a new project might create. When discussing your requirements, a little excitement from the photographer and a feeling that they’re already engaging their imaginations on what the job might entail are good signs that their artistic drive will be fully engaged when working on your photoshoot.

That obsession to detail should go well beyond the photography process itself. Be prepared to answer questions you might not have considered and have questions answered you never thought to ask.

 

 

At Ikon we pride ourselves on the standard of our work and our ability to reliably deliver eyecatching, engaging and shareable imagery which your brand will be proud to display in your marketing materials. Get in touch to discuss what we can do for you and your brand.