The business side of photography
Earlier today, the Western Canada Lottery Corporation released this handout photo of a $40 million winner:
Maybe I’m being too critical but someone at the Lottery Corporation doesn’t know how to fill out a cheque properly.
Sure, it’s just a ceremonial cheque being used as a photo prop (which is much better than using the actual little cheque). But why not take an extra minute and do it right?
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In a 1989 interview, Steve Jobs was asked, “Where do great products come from?”
His response included:
I think really great products come from melding two points of view – the technology point of view and the customer point of view. You need both. You can’t just ask customers what they want and then try to give that to them.
(…)
It sounds logical to ask customers what they want and then give it to them. But they rarely wind up getting what they really want that way.
Commercial and corporate photographers need to think the same way. Successful business photography comes from knowing what the client really needs and then building a good photo from there.
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The usual way for a commercial photographer to quote a job is to provide the client with a price for the requested photo assignment. But another method is to provide the potential client with a few variations of their proposed assignment along with the corresponding price for each variation.
Wedding photographers have always done this. For example, a wedding photographer might quote: $6,500 for full-day coverage plus a large album and a DVD; $3,500 for half-day coverage and one album; $1,500 for two hours coverage and an album of small prints.
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Here in the Toronto area, the Ford Motor Company is currently running a radio commercial promoting its new vehicles. During the radio spot, a man exclaims that the technology in his Ford is so advanced, “I feel like I’m driving a computer!”
Huh? Who wants to drive a computer? Who wants their car to feel like a computer?
Many car companies promote the high-tech gadgets in their cars because that’s the easy thing to do. But technology isn’t an end point. It’s a tool. It’s a description.
What does this have to do with photography?
Clients don’t care about the technology behind photography. They don’t care about megapixels or megabytes. They don’t care what’s under the hood.
All they care about is results. Good pictures on time. No surprises, no excuses.
Clients want value not technology.
A business portrait is essential for any professional, executive or entrepreneur. Business headshots can be used for media handouts, press releases, public relations, social media, corporate publications, company web site, business cards, vCards, etc.
A portrait helps build a personal connection. There’s a reason why every politician uses a business portrait in their campaign, on their web site and in brochures. It works.
If a politician is caught in a scandal, a good portrait can help mend a lot of credibility problems. Why? Because we trust an honest face, a smiling face. For better or worse, we judge a book by its cover.
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We all know that the economy isn’t what it used to be. Budgets for business marketing, public relations and advertising are tight.
This is precisely why a company should avoid cheap photography or doing the job themselves. Why spend less only to get less? A company’s reputation can never be enhanced by going cheap.
If a company has a limited marketing budget, why waste it? It’s important to spend wisely and make every dollar count. Make sure the photography produces a good return on dollars invested.
Commercial photographers don’t waste their client’s time or money. The photographer’s experience means they know how to get the job done right the first time. Their talent means first-rate photography that will make the best impression.
You might say that professional photography doesn’t really cost anything. If $2,000 worth of photography helps generate $20,000 worth of revenue, publicity or goodwill, then there was no cost for that photography.
Something that’s worth more than it costs is called an investment.
Chasing a dream can sometimes turn into running from a nightmare if you’re not prepared.
