So you need to source a photographer to take some commercial photos for your company. Where to start ?
Obviously you can do a google search for commercial / advertising photographers in your general area. But before you do any of that, you first need to ask yourself a number of questions.
Why do I need these photos taken ?
What message do I want these photos to convey ?
Where do I intend these photos to live ?
How long do I want these photos to be relevant ?
Am I concerned about using existing employees (is the high turn over in your company) ?
What do I have allocated in the marketing budget for this ?
Do I need to have more money allocated to the marketing budget to do this properly ?
Most importantly, how much time do I have to commit to this project ?
This last question is maybe the most important of all, because if you are like most people working full time in a marketing position, you are flat out as it is, so hiring an experienced commercial photographer is really the wise move, because you are getting their guidance. Experienced commercial / advertising photographers add instant value by being able to provide what is required to execute the project and not waste any of your valuable time.
Okay, I know this sounds like a lot of work, but it really isn’t that bad, and it’s short lived. By planning properly you won’t need to revisit this photoshoot thing for quite awhile. We have been called upon on more than one occasion to do a shoot that was previously completed by a photographer that simply lacked the skill set to realize the clients vision. It’s not a blame thing, it’s most often a lack of experience in knowing what the right questions to ask are and being able to realize that vision and more importantly add value to that vision. That is really what you should be paying for. My goal is always to try and over deliver on whatever the ask is. We want our clients to say that we exceeded their expectations, however big or small the shoot is.
To sum up, do some research on who the best commercial / advertising photographers are in your area, look at reviews, look at websites, look for years of experience. Basically, don’t rush into any decisions before doing a bit of homework. It’s a big investment and you want to get good value like any other large investment.