Professional Corporate images not only market your business and sell your products and services, but also capture your message, values and people. 

The problem is, how do you determine if a photographer is right for you and your business?

It can be difficult to interpret a photographer’s professional, technical and creative abilities from their portfolio. 

Buying a tangible product is pretty straight forward in terms of what you receive for handing over your hard-earned cash.  However, some are a little more ambiguous which is often the case when investing in the services of a photographer. 

A reputable photographer will set your expectations at a Pre-Shoot Consultation, not only for creativity and design purposes, but for costs and delivery timeline. 

Determine straight up what you are receiving for your money.

How many images do I receive and what format are they in?

Commercial clients generally request digital images as they are uploaded to websites, social media platforms and utilised for their marketing products. 

Consequently, you need digital images in both lo res and high res formats.  Lo-Res is perfect for online use as it has less pixels, so it is small in size, takes up less space and loads faster.  High-Res is required for printing as it has more pixels and therefore more detail, creating a sharper quality.

Occasionally a Commercial client will also request images in printed format for their business premises.  Ensure the paper-type (ie lustre, gloss, matt, metallic etc) and size of the print are clearly captured as any revisions can alter the price.

Does the cost include a licence to use the images? 

A licence is provided by the photographer to determine how, when and where you can use the images.   

Check the licence for hidden costs such as an expiration date with a requirement to renew the licence; or a clause that only permits the photographer to manipulate the images (consequently charging you for any edits, or not allowing the changes at all).

In short you want to be able to use your images wherever and however you choose for as long as you feel like it.

How long with the photoshoot last?

It is the photographer’s responsibility to get the job done within the prearranged time. 

Admittedly, it is possible the shoot will overrun.  What you want to know is, will you be charged for that additional time.   

For digital images, two weeks should be enough time to download, sort and post process the images. It depends on the number of images and the amount of editing required. 

Printed images will take a little longer to arrive.  We use a professional printing laboratory and generally make allowances for an additional week. 

If you have any questions about hiring a photographer contact us or call 07790 753852

The header photo is an Emotipic® - curious to see how they bring personality to life? Check out Gary’s story here

As seen in our column in TopicUK Magazine