Many people think that the art of photography is simple to master. The advent of smartphones makes it easier than ever before to snap a picture and upload it to your website or social media in seconds. So why isn’t that good enough for your business? And why don’t the pictures you take on your phone come out quite as well as the ones the professionals take? A DVISER spoke to commercial photographer Stephen Belcher about the best ways of taking photographs to improve the What are the main points that a business needs to think about when working with a photographer? I always tell businesses that the main point So what happens on a commercial shoot? If you watched a video of a photo shoot you would see lots of people moving in and out of shot, perhaps hundreds of times over the course of a day, moving the props and lighting around and adjusting everything,
image of your business. Stephen, who lives in Bures, Suffolk, has studios in London and Suffolk and works with a number of big name clients including The Conran Shop, Heal’s furniture, Pure radios and Twinings tea as well as a portfolio of East Anglian clients including Titchmarsh & Goodwin, Made by the Forge and Andrew’s Butchers in Hadleigh. How do you approach a new job? It’s very important to have a proper consultation with the client so that both of us are clear about what’s required. I familiarise myself with whatever is being photographed, and discuss the location and budget. It’s vital to understand what the client wants to get out of the shoot. Is it a seasonal campaign or a suite of photographs that they will use for years to come? Often I will draw diagrams to show them ideas, as it’s easier to explain a concept with a picture.
of the photograph is that it has to hold the viewer’s attention. That is true both for the printed and digital page. You have a matter of seconds (if that!) to engage with the user, and to hold their focus on that page. A good strong image is so important. Remember that lots of people view websites on their phones, so you need pictures that can reduce to thumbnail size and still be identifiable. It’s a good idea for businesses to review their images regularly to elevate themselves above their competitors. When would you say it’s acceptable to use a picture taken with your phone? ‘Point and click’ phone pictures are great for social media when you’re reporting where you are, or if you’ve seen something funny or interesting that your friends might like. But the quality will not be good enough for commercial use. Professional pictures take hours to set up and shoot. They are then edited which often means hours of painstaking correction work with the latest software.
sometimes by millimetres. If the budget allows there will be stylists and lighting technicians on the team who are experts in setting up the location and creating the mood. It’s all about getting the product photographed in the very best conditions. What’s best for showing off a product: studio or location? Both have their place. If you are creating a campaign for hundreds of products – for example an online sale – then cut outs against a white background might be best. However there is strong evidence that photography showing people enjoying a product in an aspirational setting will maximise sales. One of my furniture clients had always used technical studio shots, but I persuaded them to try some lifestyle pictures and sales went up by 20%. That’s an extreme example, but lifestyle images really do work!
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