When done right, professional headshots and collective images of your organization work with your branding to send a message of professionalism and credibility to your audience. Here’s how to find a photographer who will see your vision and showcase your corporate or personal brand through photos. In the business world, professional headshots and collective images of your organization are an important element of your overall corporate or personal brand. They send a message of professionalism and credibility to your audience. So, it’s important to find the right photographer who specializes in taking these types of photos. On the corporate side, this can mean images for your company website, headshots for business owners, executives or team members, and photos of separate departments or the entire company. On the personal branding side, this may include headshots for your LinkedIn networking presence or a personal touch for your resume, portfolio or business card. Whether for your personal or corporate brand, there are 5 qualities to look for when choosing a professional photographer. They should...
Know the Importance of Branding
Your brand is about how others perceive you or your company. It sets the tone for your personality. Is your company fun and quirky or more professional and authoritative? On the personal side, are you looking to attract executive roles or to join a laid-back, less formal team? A professional photographer has the eye to guide you through photo sessions that highlight these traits.
Understand Marketing
Your professional photographer should understand the basic concepts of marketing. They will work as an extension of your marketing team, creating visual content that supports the elements of your brand, while appealing to your target audience. This is just as important for those seeking personal headshots and for organizations with no marketing team. When your photographer appreciates the basics of marketing, they can draw on this knowledge to arrange the most appropriate shots to bring out the story and brand that you represent.
Work with Your Schedule
Between meetings, networking events, travel, and off-site employees, it can be a challenge to get your team together or get yourself to a photographer, even for simple headshots. A strong photographer understands these challenges and works with your various schedules to a
void loss of production time on your end. While most photographers venture on-site or only offer in-studio sessions, many are now incorporating additional options like a combination of the two. This means half-day or full-day headshot or branding sessions at your location can be paired with a backup in-studio option for those who can’t make the initial session. As an additional convenience, you will find more photographers are also using a scheduling program, allowing employees to choose a time slot that works with their schedule.
Have the Necessary Skills
Photography is about much more than simply taking a picture and adding a filter. Whether for business or personal images, a strong photographer must have an eye for the best location and understand how the lighting of an area and the angle of the shot will affect the look and feel of your pictures. They must have strong editing skills in order to balance colors and shadows and remove imperfections. Even more, they need the skills to handle more challenging tasks like combining several of the same images in a way that ensures everyone in the picture has their eyes open (think: company photo) or to make sure they have the best indoor and outdoor exposure (think: real estate style shoot).
Involve You in the Process
A good photographer will talk you through the process and make sure you feel comfortable throughout your sessions. They will show you a few images on the back of their camera or on their cell phone or laptop to ensure they are capturing your vision.
So, how do you make sure you find a professional photographer that meets all of these qualifications? One way is to look through their portfolio to see if you like their images. Look for clear, crisp photos of people posing in natural positions and stay away from images that look too filtered. Try asking a few employees or friends to offer their opinions on the portfolios you’re looking at. When vetting photographers, ask them how they feel about the qualities listed above; how do they exemplify them? If you are looking into a photographer who was recommended by a friend or colleague, ask that person if they felt the photographer demonstrated those characteristics. Looking for these five qualities and doing a little bit of homework will help you find a stellar professional photographer for all your business or personal branding headshots and corporate images.
Contact us (513-912-0022) if you have any questions or want to learn more about Cincy Photo Pro!
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Cincy Photo Pro
Cincy Photo Pro are a group of experienced and professional photographers and videographers that listen to your desires and know how to fulfill them. Since 2011, we have been helping businesses and families in the Greater Cincinnati area to show off their businesses, services, events, and portraits!
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