Photography is one of the most important assets your brand can have when it comes to digital marketing. I’d go as far as saying it’s the FIRST thing people notice about your website, social media or blog (at least, that’s true for me.) So, assuming you’re not a professional photographer, you’ll need to either outsource photos of your products, or rely on stock photos (not ideal) when building a new website or social media portfolio.
It’s helpful to have a few guidelines on what to expect when you do decide to invest in great photography for your brand. After years of facilitating these shoots, we’ve determined 5 things to ask for from your photographer to ensure you’re getting exactly what you need.
A Consultation on Your Brand and Desired Photography Outcome
The desired outcome of any photography session should be to receive images that complement and support your brand. If you don’t have a consultative discussion with your photographer before they start, then there is no way to guarantee that they will capture what you are looking for. Make sure to discuss your expectations and desired outcome with your photographer in detail before getting started. A good way to make sure this happens is to choose the right photographer in the first place! Make sure their portfolio showcases work that you identify with, because asking an artist to create work in a completely different style than they have ever offered is a slippery slope.
RAW Files
I cannot stress this enough! A RAW file is the image as seen by the camera’s sensor. Think of it like unprocessed film. Rather than letting the camera process the image for you, turning it into a JPEG image, shooting in raw allows you to process the image to your liking (read: make it as small or large of a file as you’d like). The kicker here is you’ll need to ask for the files to be shot in RAW format beforehand, as the photographer won’t be able to convert them after the shoot is complete. So during your consultation, be sure to discuss this expectation so you’re not stuck with just JPEGs.
Portrait + Landscape versions of each shot
Depending on what you’re using the photos for (i.e. recipes on your website, packaging, etc.) you’ll need different orientations to fit each situation. It’s so much easier to ask for these beforehand and have multiple versions of each shot than trying to crop one image into a completely different orientation- and it looks better, too!
Step-by-step photos
Sometimes, viewers like to see more than just the end result of a recipe. Photos of the recipe process bring a more dynamic feel to directions and help the reader to visualize a more complete image of the recipe. This is also an awesome way to showcase your product in its many different forms!
Zoomed out photos with blank space
This may seem like an odd request, but many photographers like to shoot up-close and while this can be appealing to the eye, it can really reduce the versatility of the shot. Having versions of a photo with empty space can be a huge asset to your social team, and can increase the usability of the photo x10.
If you’re looking for high-quality photography for your brand, we can help! Shoot me an email at aautrey@dma-solutions.com and we’ll help you find the perfect photographer for your needs.
