Public relations photography, or PR photography, is about producing editorial photography that puts the client in a favourable light and increases their name recognition.
PR photography must be editorial in nature simply because that’s the style demanded by publications which use public relations photography. Newspapers, magazines, trade magazines, news websites and other publishers of PR photography use only editorial photography and not, for example, advertising photography because it directly impacts the publication’s credibility.
Advertising photography is trying to sell something. Readers generally shun anything that looks like advertising. Notice that most people change TV channels during the commercials and most web ads never get more than a fraction of a second glance.
Editorial photography is trying to provide information. Editorial content is why people buy newspapers and magazines and why they visit news sites. Readers want useful information.
It follows that the best public relations photographer is someone with a background in press photography or editorial photography. Who better understands the needs of a newspaper or magazine than a photographer who has worked for such publications?
Putting a client in a favourable light is much more than just having people smile in a picture. It’s about knowing how to:
• attract viewer attention.
• structure a photo to enhance the business message.
• lead the viewer’s eyes through a photo.
• compose a photo to allow for variable cropping.
• write full and proper photo captions.
Most of all, the best public relations photography is about knowing the value of human interest.
