The business side of photography
There used to be a newsroom term called a “Hey, Martha!” I’m not sure if this is still used today.
The phrase comes from an old editors’ tale, (not unlike an old wives’ tale), that said if a story or photo was so unusual, offbeat or funny, a husband reading his newspaper would look up and yell to his wife, “Hey, Martha! Come and see this!”
What’s the number one way to boost your professional presence?
Get a good business headshot.
This proven piece of advice was recently repeated in The Globe and Mail’s career advice section:
Chris Brown, director of talent solutions for LinkedIn Canada, says numbers prove the value of tidy headshots – profiles with images get 20 times more views. Conversely, profile photos with distant shots, cartoon avatars, and photos with pets may decimate your chances of attracting a potential employer.
The same has been said about the business headshots on a company’s About Us or Contact Us page.
How do you choose a good business portrait photographer? Look at the photographer’s own portrait. If their business headshot is missing or is poorly done then you immediately know that’s the wrong photographer. You need a photographer who understands the importance of a business portrait.
One of the nice things about shooting editorial and news pictures for newspapers, magazines and even a company’s social media and public relations, is the variety of situations that come up.
A few days ago, this was the view from my “office”:
The British Columbia Liberal Party recently hired a former photojournalist to photograph its leader, the current premier of that province. The party is heading towards a 2017 election.
The Wildrose Party of Alberta did the same thing a year ago by hiring (on a part-time basis) a freelance photojournalist.
Almost every photographer, hired by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) to cover the Canadian Prime Minister, has been a working photojournalist.
In the first two cases, the photographers are paid by the provincial political party, not the taxpayers.
Political parties could save a lot of money by hiring the lowest-bidder-with-a-camera, by doing the photos themselves, or by not hiring a photographer at all. But these political parties know that they need authentic, story-telling photography to communicate their message. This is marketing 101.
(Added 2018: The Ontario Liberal party hired a freelance photojournalist to photograph the re-election campaign of the premier.)
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Recently I produced a number of photos for a sporting goods retailer to use on its social media channels. The company doesn’t do too much hard selling on social media. Instead it offers fitness tips and tries to motivate people to exercise more.
This retail chain uses a lot of original photography and video to get its message across. And that message is that the retailer cares about its customers’ fitness and well being.
Some companies make the mistake of using social media for advertising. But for long-term gain, you should be showing customers that there’s more to you than just selling product.
Help your customers use and enjoy your products. Cheer on your customers. Otherwise you’re just another store.
LinkedIn offers each user a personalized page of potential connections titled “People You May Know.” From a quick look today at my page of potential business connections (I’ve blacked out personal names and company names), I don’t recognize any of these people:
If any of those faces look like you, perhaps it’s time to put on your game face.
In the old days, photographers priced their photography based on its type of usage. Generally speaking, editorial has the lowest price, public relations and corporate have a mid-range price and advertising has the highest price.
This worked quite well for 45 years or so. Then someone invented Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc.
With social media, the line between editorial, corporate and advertising can be nearly invisible. When a company publishes pictures on Facebook et al., is that editorial, public relations or advertising?
Every type of business communication is a form of marketing. At the very least, social media should be considered public relations rather than pure editorial even though it may use an editorial style of photography.
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