The business side of photography
People know which pictures they like but they may not understand why. Few people understand the art and craft of photo editing.
There are few publications today that still have a photo editor. It would be surprising if any non-media business has a photo editor. Instead, photographers are left to edit their own work and then someone at the client-end selects the pictures they like to look at.
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If you made products for digital cameras, what kind of camera would you show on your web site to help market your products?
If you’re Eye-Fi, which makes WiFi-enabled memory cards, you would use an old film camera from last century. [Sorry, the link has gone dead. Screengrab below]. And to make it worse, you would state “The power of WiFi for the camera you love.”
When a company needs a number of business portraits, is it better for those headshots to have a uniform look or a uniform style?
A uniform look means all the portraits have the same, or very similar, lighting, background and pose. This shows consistency and a strong brand.
Having a uniform look in business headshots is common at law firms, insurance companies, banks and any other company that wants, or needs, to create a feeling of stability, consistency and comfort.
A business that has many locations may want a uniform look to imply that the company is the same no matter which location you visit.
A consistent appearance creates a consistent message which helps build customer trust.
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Do you look like your business? Does your business look like you?
A business is judged by its various appearances: appearance of the store, appearance of the web site, appearance of the employees. A less than favourable appearance will create a less than favourable impression on the customer.
A “good looking” appearance encourages a customer to trust that business. A poor appearance makes the customer suspicious.
You look like your business:
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According to former US Navy Rear Admiral and computer scientist Grace Hopper, the most dangerous phrase in the English language is: “We’ve always done it this way.”
Hmmm…
We’ve always used stock pictures.
We’ve always done a big group photo.
We’ve always done our business headshots against that wall over there.
We’ve always had our president photographed at his desk.
We’ve always done a cheque presentation ceremony.
We’ve always done our product shots on white.
We’ve always used only small pictures on our web site.
We’ve always had little media interest in our press releases.
We’ve always thought business portraits were like passport pictures.
We’ve always chosen the cheapest photographer.
There’s a well-known saying that states, “A confused mind always says no.”
This also applies to customers who are confused about a sales offer. They will always take their business elsewhere.
When searching through photographers’ web sites, a customer can become confused when they don’t understand exactly what the photographer is offering, the benefits of hiring that particular photographer, or any of the claims made by the photographer.
A photographer’s web site can create confusion by:
— Having too much information or too little information. Oddly enough, the correct amount of information might be related to the photographer’s prices.
— Offering too many choices.
— Using too much technical jargon.
— Showing a lack of consistency in presentation or message.
— Having no differentiation from other photographers.
Some businesses intentionally try to confuse customers. This is done so that one company’s products or services can’t be easily compared to its competitors. This practice can be common among companies that sell a commodity in an oligopoly, such as telecoms and home energy companies. How much do you enjoy dealing with these companies?
A confused customer is always an unhappy customer.
Many photographers use one of those dubious haze filters on their lenses to eliminate “haze”. Perhaps putting a clarity filter on their business might be more effective.
Some photographers offer their customers a disc with all the pictures they shot on that particular job. Similarly, some customers want a disc containing all the photos taken. Why?
To me, this suggests that the photographer can’t edit, the customer can’t make a decision, or the customer doesn’t trust the photographer to do the job properly.
Certainly there may be times when having all the photos might be a good thing, for example, when the pictures are used as evidence in a trial. But quantity is not quality.
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