For Customers

Size Doesn’t Matter

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A potential customer asked why a business portrait would cost $500 when the photo is just going to be used small on their web site.

Up through the 1990s, many companies had no problem paying hundreds of dollars, or more, for a business portrait. Back then, the cost to publish a brochure, annual report or other form of print marketing was relatively high. The cost for business portrait photography was only a small fraction of the total publishing cost.

Today every company has a web site where the cost to publish is essentially free. This zero cost has made some folks think that corporate photography should also be very cheap. “Why should we pay hundreds or thousands of dollars for pictures that cost us nothing to publish?”
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Mirror, mirror on the wall

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When a corporate photographer arrives at an office to do business portraits, someone will always say, “I don’t like having my picture taken”, “I hope I don’t break your camera lens” or “I never like pictures of myself”.

The reasons for such comments include:

(1) They’ve never had a decent portrait made of themselves.

(2) They’re exhibiting lateralization of emotion.

(3) They’re very self-conscious or self-critical.

Let’s look at each of these three in more detail.

Better Photographer, Better Portraits

(1) This first issue can be easily solved by hiring an experienced portrait photographer and staying away from cheap, amateur-like photographers. You get what you pay for.

A good photographer can produce a portrait that the customer will like. If you know you’ll be getting a good result, you’ll look forward to the photo session.
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The Three-S Business Portrait

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There was a Toronto photographer who did “three-S” portraits. When someone arrived at her studio for a business portrait, which she hated doing, she would tell them to “sit down, shut-up and smile.” She would then proceed to photograph them as quickly as possible.

Most companies know that business portraits are important. When a business hires a corporate photographer to produce portraits of its key employees, these people should be warned that they will be asked to smile. This is not meant to be cruel and unusual punishment.

A smile need not be a big, toothy grin. But a friendly appearance is important and that comes not just from the mouth but also from the eyes.

By having the employees smile, the photographer is following proven science.

A recent study at Penn State University found that when you smile, you don’t only appear to be more likable and courteous, but you actually appear to be more competent.

– Ron Gutman CEO/founder of HealthTap

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Time to look

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Following on the previous post that photography is much more influential than text, here’s a quote that might be familiar to some:

In a world which is expanding day by day, literature is no longer enough . . . Our busy age does not always have time to read, but it always has time to look.

Those words are from French writer Theophile Gautier who was commenting on the power of visual arts including the new art of photography. The quote is from 1858.
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A Thousand Words

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More proof about the importance and power of photography especially when it comes to corporate image, portraits and public relations:

Words are about information. Pictures are about emotion. Emotion equals power.

Print folks … like to believe that words matter still. But, mostly, they don’t.

The people who put together TV newscasts, as well as the best news photographers, have known this truism for a long time, but they’ve kept mostly quiet about it. Perhaps they don’t want to hurt the feelings of their colleagues, who still vainly cling to the belief that the written word can move hearts and minds. But the fact remains that for voters, for citizens, words don’t matter nearly as much as pictures do.

– from author Warren Kinsella

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Last-place Finish

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During the past few weeks, there’s been much criticism over some portraits of US Olympic athletes shot by an AFP photographer. Let’s just say that these portraits won’t win any medals. All of the pictures can be seen here on the Getty Images site. While some of the pictures are okay, many are definite last-place finishers.

To be fair, these types of portrait sessions are usually done in an assembly-line fashion whether it’s Olympic athletes or players on a pro sports team. A number of photographers will each set up their own mini-studio, all in the same room. The athletes will rotate from one mini-studio to the next, spending only a minute or two with each photographer.
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Air Ball

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Last year, Ranaan Katz, a minority co-owner of the NBA’s current championship team, the Miami Heat, filed a lawsuit against a blogger who was critical of Katz’ commercial real estate business.

Two weeks ago, Katz filed a copyright infringement suit against the same blogger for publishing an unflattering picture of him. The photo was apparently taken while Katz was standing courtside at a Miami Heat game. He’s also suing Google for refusing to remove the photo from the Web.

Katz is claiming that he owns the copyright to the picture without any further proof.
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