THE POWER OF ADVERTISING PHOTOGRAPHY

In a culture filled with phone cameras and thousands of clicks a day, it’s easy to forget the importance of specialty photography. We must remember that everyone can take a photo, but not every photo is worthy of an advertising campaign. Those unfamiliar with the advantage of advertising photography might not understand this and miss out on the benefits of working with an advertising photographer.

Advertising Campaign for BMW North America

Why Invest in Advertising Photography?

Consumers are visual. To thrive in today’s marketplace, companies must tap into this visual nature. Not only that, but consumers are also rapid-fire-visual. Marketers have just a few milliseconds to make an impression. Only images and messages that manage to stand out can fully capture consumer attention. Consumers are bombarded throughout their day:

• Forty years ago, consumers were exposed to roughly 500 ads a day.

• Today, that number is estimated at 10,000 a day.

How many of those 5,000 images make a strong enough impression that they stay in the consumer’s mind? How many draw their attention long enough to entice them to read the accompanying content? It takes the skill of an advertising photographer to craft an image that can capture this focus.

Recent research about the power of advertising photography reinforces this truth. If there were any doubts about the power of images in advertising, they have been dispelled with these findings:

• Articles with relevant images receive 94 percent more views than those without images.

• Press releases with photos attract 15 percent more online views than text-only releases.

• 60 percent of online consumers say they prefer businesses whose listings include an image.

• More than two-thirds of e-commerce shoppers report that product imagery is an important part of their purchase decisions.

Clearly, customers are more likely to buy a product they’ve seen in detail. This means companies need good pictures. This, in turn, requires a good advertising photographer. By applying in-depth expertise to lighting, angles, imagery and advertising techniques, the photographer allows the company to achieve its marketing campaign goals. These, of course, are to deliver a message about their product and entice customers to buy it.

What happens when the image shared with consumers is of poor quality? The company sends the wrong message. Companies need their images to be memorable in a positive way. Marketers want to show their brand’s best side, but bad photos show their worst. It is essential to use professional-quality images to send the right signals to the public. By tapping into an advertising photographer’s expertise, companies can portray their products and services in the best light.

It is ironic that many companies are willing to spend significant amounts of capital on printing and distribution for marketing campaigns but fail to invest in the advertising photography necessary to make these campaigns successful. The materials go out to the public filled with poor-quality images that do nothing to advance the business. The results are wasted effort and pitiful ROI.

On the other end of the spectrum, a company willing to invest in advertising photography can reap a host of benefits. High-quality, impactful images allow them to effectively communicate with and attract consumers in a variety of settings:

• Beauty and fashion photographer: As noted, customers are more likely to buy a product they’ve seen, so quality images are essential to campaigns in these marketplaces. For a beauty campaign, anything less than stunning images simply won’t suffice.

• Lifestyle photographer: The right images can persuade customers that they need what the company is selling. The images depict the lifestyle they want and send the message that they can attain that lifestyle through the company’s offerings. A lifestyle photographer can finely tune this message.

• Celebrity photographer: Impactful photos are essential for the promotion of new releases. Celebrity photographers capture stars at their best to attract fans, share their releases and improve ratings.

• Director of photography: Complex photography projects require the right professional to ensure the best outcomes. A director of photography makes technical decisions to enhance the camera and lighting effects for film and television projects. Their expertise transforms projects from B-list to blockbusters.

These professionals enable companies to execute successful ad campaigns and achieve their marketing goals. Whether the launch is for a local effort or a complex, nationwide campaign, an advertising photographer is an essential member of the marketing and publicity team.

Advertising Campaign for Waldorf Astoria

The Value of Advertising Photography

What emotional response do you want your campaign to evoke? Not all marketers understand the importance of this concept. The right photo can make an audience feel the emotions of excitement, trust, romance, freedom or fear. An advertising photographer knows how to craft images to stir up the right emotions to achieve marketing goals. They help develop the brand’s reputation and cultivate relationships with consumers. Few things can do this more effectively than the right imaging.

Whether the company wants to be perceived as sleek and polished, approachable and friendly, or exciting and innovative, the advertising photographer can craft this company image with the right photos. This contribution gives new meaning to the phrase “image is everything.”

Some companies rely on stock photos or general professional photos. These fail to get the right messages across to consumers. Without the help of an advertising photographer, marketers miss out on the opportunity to truly showcase their brand in the best possible way. Embedding a memorable marketing message in an image requires a level of expertise only a commercial photographer can offer.

Consider the following examples that demonstrate the value of advertising photography:

• New-product photography: When a company introduces a new product, it’s important to highlight two things. A marketing campaign must first showcase the product itself. Images must portray the product clearly, attractively and in the most enticing way possible. Secondly, the marketing efforts must demonstrate how life is better with this product. Consumers who view images of the product must be able to see how it solves a problem for them. Advertising photographers achieve both of these goals. The final result is an eye-catching image that stokes the consumer’s interest in the product.

• Old-product photography: Marketers are faced with a similar task for campaigns for existing products. The goal is to upgrade what the company already has and further increase sales. In this scenario, an advertising photographer applies their skills to share the product with the public in a new and creative way. As with a new product, their images show the public that their life will be better with the product. Consumers will realize they’ve been missing out on something when they are drawn in by the advertising photographer’s work.

• Services photography: When selling a service, companies have to communicate with consumers what the service can do for them. Images must convey that they will feel special or better than others who don’t have the service. Advertising photographers craft images that send these messages. A glance at their well-designed image tells consumers that the service will make them feel better and important.

By utilizing the expertise of an advertising photographer, marketers can successfully make their products and services stand out from the competition.

Advertising Campaign for Nutro Ultra

A Fashion Photographer’s Purpose

Some product lines require specialized advertising photographers. Fashion is one of these arenas. In the world of fashion, expertise is key — and a fashion photographer makes all the difference in this world. In the fast-paced setting of runways and fashion shoots, they bring the necessary knowledge of imagery to make the best use of time and other resources.

The advantages of working with a fashion photographer include:

• Emotional impact: Fashion selections involve emotion. Companies need consumers to have a positive emotional response to their marketing efforts. This will attract consumers to their brand and increase the brand’s influence. Luxury photographers in the fashion industry can make this happen. Their carefully crafted images evoke emotions from viewers and help achieve marketing success.

• Proper display: New product lines must be introduced with care. If not properly displayed, they will send the wrong message. If a company wants its product to be perceived as luxurious, the fashion photographer can ensure this happens. Without their expertise, the marketing campaign can fall flat. The product is seen as run-of-the-mill and consumers decide they don’t need it.

• Creative expression: Fashion photographers give life to the clothes they shoot. Within the focus of their lens, the products become more than cotton and silk — they have personality and appeal. Applying in-depth knowledge of lighting, color and composition, they can transform a product line into something unique and inspiring.

• Professional ethic: Working with a luxury photographer reduces waste. They know how to work with models, stay on task and keep things moving. Shoots run more smoothly and results are of higher quality. When a company needs luxury results, a luxury fashion photographer is the only option.

The Beauty Photographer’s Beat

If a company wants to sell products that make people feel beautiful, it should be obvious they must produce beautiful images. Why would a consumer want to purchase a product or service based on their viewing of a poor-quality image that fails to convey why they need it? They have to be so drawn to the service that they feel less beautiful without it.

This is where a beauty photographer comes in. They know how to develop the right images to send this messaging. Other photographers may be able to create beautiful pictures, but effective advertising photography goes beyond the attractiveness of the model or the beauty of the product. It is more than a pretty image — it’s a message that says you will be more beautiful if you use this product or service. It’s a personal communication with consumers that affects their beauty decisions.

A beauty photographer can focus these efforts in a variety of ways to sell different products and services. Whatever the focus is, the end result is the same. The advertising photographer successfully enhances the campaign for beauty.

• Feel beautiful: Women want to feel beautiful and men want to feel handsome. They want to look in the magical mirror and hear it say they are the fairest of them all. It’s the beauty photographer’s job to convince them, through perfected images, that a certain product or service is the best way to achieve that status.

• Look beautiful: When marketing certain types of products, the end goal is to make the product look beautiful. Lines such as lingerie and swimsuits must be properly presented to achieve sales. Using the skills of a beauty photographer is a great way to show off a product. A company’s offerings never look more beautiful than in the hands of a skilled beauty photographer. This professional applies specialized advertising techniques to make even the plainest of products jump from the page.

• Sell beautiful: The best marketing campaigns tell a story. These stories elicit emotional responses from consumers who then want to buy the product or service that stars in the story. Photo spreads in magazines are one example. A make-up brand can sell consumers on beauty with a series of photos that generate the right attitude and emotion. The company can only do this effectively with the right beauty photographer selling their story and product for them.

Lifestyle Photographers Create New Realities

The goal of a lifestyle photographer is to make the consumer wish they were inside the image. The company’s marketing pictures must depict a reality the consumer wishes were their own. When this happens, the lifestyle photographer has successfully conveyed the message that the consumer’s life would be better with the product or service they are advertising. This is what increases a company’s influence and sales.

A lifestyle photographer creates new realities with several methods:

• Products: What can a product do for a consumer? What are its uses? The lifestyle photographer showcases the wonderful possibilities that are in store if a consumer has the featured product. Through creative composition and product placement, the photographer makes the viewer see how useful the product is and how much better their day would be if they had it.

• Lifestyle: Images can deliver powerful messages if they are framed properly. An experienced lifestyle photographer knows how to create pictures that say “you’re not living your best life without this product.” The image speaks to the consumer on many levels to convey the message that they can improve their lifestyle simply by having this product in their life. Poorly crafted images tell the consumer they are better off without the product.

• Resorts and locations: Resort photographers specialize in making a place look special. They know how to bring out the most desirable features of a location. They make the resort or other destination look so appealing that the viewer wishes they were there. This requires in-depth knowledge of photography, advertising and consumers. A resort photographer possesses this winning trio of talent to produce impactful location images.

• Masterpieces: To influence lifestyles, companies must hire influential people. Stock photos and general photographers may be sufficient for casual, low-end projects, but marketers who want high-quality, influential campaigns require a professional lifestyle photographer. Their insight is invaluable for delivering images that truly impact the public. This expert can offer suggestions for the best outcomes, apply in-depth knowledge to fully meet project needs and deliver a masterpiece.

Celebrity Photographers Tell Your Story

Celebrity photographers connect the public with the stars and their stories. They craft photo shoots and promotions that create the best image possible for the celebrity. Whether it’s announcing a new show or telling the story of their life, a professional celebrity photographer offers the skill needed to share the message the star wants to send.

A celebrity photographer offers several benefits to famous personalities and their publishing agents:

• Promotions and announcements: When a new show, new season or new song is about to hit the scene, a celebrity photographer can ensure the public receives the best images possible to create interest and appeal. With so many options for entertainment, consumers must be immediately intrigued. This is only possible with quality images carefully crafted by a celebrity photographer.

• Professional demeanor: Celebrity photographers are used to working with celebrities. They can stay on task and focus on creating the best images for the desired outcome. Their work will not suffer from star-struck distraction. Celebrities enjoy working with these photographers due to their professional attitude.

• Personal story: When the goal is to show the true person behind the frame, a celebrity photographer is ideal. Conveying personal messages with images requires a specific skill set. Celebrity photographers possess this set. They know what to show and what not to show to connect the celebrity with the public. With just a few images, they can tell an extremely personal story that could otherwise take days to communicate. This is the power of celebrity photography.

• Picture story: Songs and shows tell stories. It can be challenging to relate these stories from music and television in still images for print and online media. This is where a celebrity photographer applies their talents to meet the challenge. With perfected images, they replicate the story a show or song has created and infuse it into a shoot. This can be shared in multiple arenas to increase exposure and drive success.

From simple stories to complex chronologies, celebrity photographers tell the tales waiting to be shared with the public. Marketers can tap into the talent of celebrity photographers to connect celebrities with consumers in a meaningful way: through images with impact.

Directors of Photography Guide Success

Potentially great ideas fall flat without the right hands to guide them. Directors of photography offer expertise to make photography projects a success. Whether the project is a short clip or a complex video, the director of photography has the skill to create the motion and magic needed for an impeccable outcome.

Directors of photography improve projects in several areas:

• Motion photography: If a project requires more than stills, a director of photography can incorporate motion photography to create stirring images that come alive to the viewer. Through professional shooting, production and editing, the director of photography delivers motion photography that leaves a lasting impression.

• Music videos: Every musician wants to attract more listeners. A music video director is the ideal partner to make this happen. Beautifully crafted music videos attract attention, are widely shared and spread the musician’s work like nothing else can. The music video director ensures the video incorporates the best mix of images and sound to draw fans and enlarge the artist’s audience.

• Media: Some websites draw visitors in and establish a relationship with them. Others are quickly forgotten as visitors lose interest and click away. A director of photography provides motion photography that adds appeal to a website. Visitors are more likely to interact with, remember and revisit the site. Messages become more dramatic and memorable. The overall result is greater market impact.

Custom Advertising Photography

To achieve successful outcomes in any of these areas of advertising photography, the photographer must provide customized services that meet unique client needs. No two products, celebrities, videos or marketing campaigns are alike. An advertising photographer must be able to craft each image to match the vision for that project.

At Mark DeLong Photography, this is what we do. We offer all of this and more. Our professional advertising photographers create custom photography for brands based on their individual needs and vision. Catering to clients in this way allows us to deliver iconic images that are timeless and identifiable and truly stand-out in the marketplace.

To achieve impact with your next image, contact our team.