The Importance of Having Professional Photos!
Within the past couple years, having an online presence has become more important than ever. People are no longer going out to do their networking, its being done mainly online. From Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc., your online page is probably the first impression people see of you. Whether you’re a business man/ business woman representing your company, a career salary individual looking for a new job, or a model looking to get represented by an agency; the quality of your images can be the difference between earning that new client, getting signed to that agency or landing that job!
Your business presence online
Like mentioned before, your online presence is usually the first time someone views your brand or business, so you really need to make sure your content stands out from others in your niche of work. The simplest way to stand out is to raise the quality standard of your content. When people first lay eyes on you or your product, they are deciding everything from quality, professionalism, legitimacy and experience.
Think back to the most recent time you viewed a clothing brand online or maybe even a restaurants page. Did you take more or less interest in their page when you scrolled and viewed lots of high quality photos and video vs when you viewed low quality content?
Maybe you’re looking for a realtor to help you search for a new home. The one who has more high quality photos and videos to showcase the various homes you can buy is probably going to be the more trustworthy realtor to go with.
Remember, cheaping out on any aspect of your brand or business is noticeable!
Its an experience!
Over the years one one of the things I’ve realized I’ve enjoyed most about being a photographer isn’t the photos themselves but rather the experience of meeting new people and working together to get the shot. Getting your pictures taking by a professional is so much different vs having a fun little shoot with your friends or by yourself. This might seem obvious but you’d be surprised as how uncomfortable some people get when they step in front of a camera for the first time. However, this is a learning experience that is part of the process and its my job to make sure you look confident, professional and approachable in your shots. Its common for me to hear “I don’t know how to pose” or “I don’t like how I look in pictures”. This is normally because these individuals never had a real professional photoshoot before, no professional lighting was used, no guidance on posing, outfit choices, hair styling, etc., no ability to view the images to see how they’re doing and most of all weren’t provided a space to feel good about themselves. The goal I have for each session is to create a safe, welcoming and empowering space where you can feel confident in yourself.
For businesses and brands you should feel confident in knowing your brand/ product will be shown in the best light possible. You worked too hard to create a product that people would want to waste it away with mediocre photography. One of things I cringe at most when viewing various clothing brands is seeing the product look like stock imagery, shot with an iPhone or just processed in the worst way possible. When your product looks low quality people don’t stay interested and thus there is no traction to stay supportive for the business. Taking your brand seriously from the beginning is going to yield the best outcome overall, lets do it right the first time so that you’re not spending tons of money redoing shoots.
Ephesians Beauty branding image
A great photoshoot vs a bad photoshoot
With cameras getting more and more affordable there’s been a large saturation in new photographers both in full time and hobbyist individuals. There are so many different types of photographers and many genres of photography out there, so it is very important to research your photographer so that you can make the right decision for you and/ or your business. It is very easy to book a photoshoot that doesn’t work for you so below I’ve listed some common issues that people can and have run into when looking for a photographer.
They don’t pick the right photographer: expensive photography doesn’t always mean good photography. You need to look at their work and see if it fits your personal style. For example do you want a bright and airy look that is shot with natural light or do you like a more natural look where lighting is more balanced? Do you like images that are retouched but still realistic or do you like images where the subject is completely untouched? I always have clients and models create a moodboard for me so that we can go over it together and discuss how we’re going to approach the session.
No preparation is done: as professional photographers there’s a lot we can do but we do need to know how to best prepare for your session. This means sending us outfit choices, backdrop ideas, lighting, mood, etc. This also means you need to prepare properly as well; hiring makeup artist and/ or hairstylist, hydrating and getting a good nights sleep!
Hiring a cheap photographer: sure, there is always someone out there that can do your portrait session for $250 or your headshots for $150. However, you’ll never get the results you want for that price. With those prices a photographer can’t even go full time, not enough to pay for rent, bills, gas, studio costs, gear, education, taxes and so much more. A full time professional photographer is providing a full service and needs to charge to be able to properly attend to the need of each project. Cheap photographers are just not going to be a great option for you no matter how you look at it.
A good photoshoot is created when…
The client and photographer works together to properly prepare before the shoot and both bring create energy to the shoot thus creating better images because of it.
Client budgets well and finds a photographer that he/ she likes and fits their style.
Photographer helps guide during the session and doesn’t leave the client/ model hanging.
Images don’t just meet the technical needs but actually solve the clients problem.
Check out these links below to read more on why video is just so important for your business!
5 Reasons every business needs professional photos - Jessica Tracy
Benefits of professional photography for your business - Melissa Soliano
Conclusion
I started shooting when I was a junior in college and over the years I’ve enjoyed working with countless individuals helping them build their modeling portfolio, shoot their official headshots or help them capture their new product line. These people are doing well because they took the initiative and invested in themselves to improve the quality of their online presence. Many blow off the importance of this and in doing so miss out on so many potential opportunities I enjoy what I do and I strongly believe that is reflected in my work. If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to shoot me an email and I would be delighted to talk to you to solve any problems you may have!
-Michael
