Choosing a Professional Corporate Photographer
In our most recent blog post, we dove into what corporate photography is and how important it can be for your business. When you need a professional photographer to capture your brand, locations, team, or events, you turn to a corporate photographer.
But how do you go about finding the right corporate photographer? Follow these tips from Jonathan Fanning Photography.
What to Look For in a Corporate Photographer
Check Their Portfolio
Any photographer worth their salt will have a comprehensive portfolio of their previous work available online for you to peruse. Beyond looking for general quality, you should consider whether or not their style matches your branding.
Professional Credentials
You want to work with a professional who specializes in corporate photography, not just any random person with a camera. Check your potential photographers’ websites for listed credentials and accolades (for example, Jonathan Fanning has a Certificate of Commercial Photography from the Pinellas Technical Education Center). It is also important to make sure your photographer is registered to operate a business and has professional liability insurance. If they don’t have anything listed, ask the photographer to provide you with them or move on.
Referrals and Testimonials
Ask around for referrals from colleagues in your industry. Chances are, they have a photographer they’ve worked with, and they might have good (or cautionary) things to say about them.
Professional photography websites will usually have a testimonials page where you can read what their happy clients have to say. You can also check Google Reviews.
Budgets Matter
You should know what your company’s budget is for corporate photography before going into the conversation. Be prepared to discuss how much time you’ll need them, what kinds of photography you need, and other factors that may impact cost.
Communication and Timeliness
This may go without saying for some readers, but you’ll want to pay attention to how well your potential photographers communicate and how prompt they are with those communications. Opinions about photography are inherently subjective, so good communication is key to setting expectations.
Timeliness may be difficult to gauge in the early stages, but it’s very important for event-based corporate photography. If it takes a long time for a photography vendor to return your emails or calls, they might not be the best fit for your tight-window ribbon-cutting ceremony.
What to Watch Out For and Avoid
Choosing the right photographer is more than checking for the right signs; you also have to look out for red flags.
Suspiciously Low Rates
The adage “you get what you pay for” is just as true in professional photography as it is in other sectors. Some professional photographers can cut costs and operate so efficiently that they undercut the competition, but you should be wary of rates that are significantly lower than others in your area. It’s a always good idea to read reviews and check the photographer’s previous work; that low price might be too good to be true!
Photographers Without a Track Record
This point ties back into something we’ve already discussed: checking existing portfolios. We’re not saying all new photographers shouldn’t be trusted, but if someone doesn’t have a proven track record, you might not want to trust them with your high-budget corporate photography.
Find a Photographer You Can Trust With Your Brand
High-quality corporate photography is a great way to convey your brand’s personality and what makes you stand out. If you follow our guidelines on how to choose the right corporate photographer, you’ll be well-prepared to take your company’s visual representation to the next level.
If you’re in the Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Clearwater region, you don’t have to search much further for a corporate photographer with experience you can trust: contact Jonathan Fanning online to request pricing and availability!
