“To me, photography is an art of observation. It’s about finding something interesting in an ordinary place… I’ve found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.”

— Elliott Erwitt

Importance in Photos

With the decent quality of phone cameras and cheaper Point & Shoots or (base DSLRs), sometimes people feel they don’t need to get anything more. For those who want more quality for less money may go with stock photography. But why aren’t these the best options?

Note: With that said though, you can use all the above, in conjunction with your professional photos (in the case of social media or updates).

Representation:

Photos are a way to let your customers see what you want them to see about your product or service. Having professional photos that aren’t all stock photos shows people who YOU and YOUR BUSINESS are! Whether a small, or large company, people like to feel connected to the places they are going or spending their money on.

Trust:

Whether we like it or not, usually a clean, cohesive, and crisp look (whether this be your store, website, product, photos) is more enticing to people. Low quality photos /branding = low quality business/ product / service (or so it may look, even if that’s not true).

Quality and Composition:

Some people know little about the world of photography or video. Others are really good at composition, but don’t have the tools. When you a hire a professional, often they see things in a whole different way. They also have the knowledge of composition, lighting, and equipment. With that knowledge you get beautiful, high quality, photos with the initial quality to work for prints, advertisements, branding, and marketing. Unlike a phone or lower end camera, you can blow up that image pretty large without loss of quality.

A good example of this is cars. I do photos for a dealership. I get each angle in good light (people can get a gist of the paint and body condition). After this I go inside get all the base photos (in high quality), again, to get the condition (which includes the engine & trunk). Then start going to town on all the close ups of the special beautiful details many brands put inside (carbon fiber accent, shift knob, analog clock, logo, etc.) to show off the character and atmosphere of  the vehicle. Sometimes I’ll do a quick walk around (high quality) video w/ interior as a bonus (because it’s real and people can trust there isn’t Photoshop). Sometimes I question why we do so much. I figure people will judge the rest when they come to look. But then… I realized, after looking for my own car and finding one in a different state, I really wished more people did this. There was so many questions on things different dealers didn’t take photos of. The quality was soft, blurry, pix-elated, low resolution, not white balanced, and so on. Even my fiance commented on this without me saying anything, as he was helping me look. Someone didn’t get my sale, because I questioned buying based on their photos. Their photos made me feel they were hiding things (in reality, I think they just didn’t know how to take a decent photo). Quality, composition, and amount of photos really does matter!

Atmosphere:

A photographer (videographer) can really show off your product, service, or atmosphere in a way that brings a feeling out in your audience. All these photos can be used across Social Media, Websites, Advertisements, Print, & Product Portrayal, etc.

Branding:

Photos (videos) fit into branding as much as a logo, graphic design, and colors. Having a cohesive look among your photos (and other other branding) can be key in showing people your business. Videos specifically can show real time, trustworthy, and maybe fun (depending on your company’s culture) incite into why they should buy into you and your business… with a professional look. Either or both will help you stand out more, or stand out to be at the level of higher competitors.

Continuous Assets:

When you buy those photos, you can use them again and again in different ways. Even if you can’t reuse every photo (in the case of my car story above, where each product is its own), hiring the same good photographer, will greatly improve your branding by continuously have cohesive quality and look.

Team:

When your getting professional head shots and group photos, as said above, it helps people get to know you better. A photographer can bring your employees personalities out, while still cohesively sticking with your branding. As a possible plus, it can be a fun time and experience between the team.

Searches:

Photos help with your standing on the web and in searches (standing out on an image search for one). It helps in SEO (however I am limited in this specific knowledge).

So whether you only need 1 set of photos to use over and over, about us photos, or want to have a continuous supply of photos. Think about hiring a professional photographer and / or videographer the time you need. It will help you and your business, whether that be in the short term or long run.

“I don’t (always) trust words, I trust photographs.” — Gilles Peress