We are often asked “how can I make sure the investment I am making in this photoshoot will get me the exposure needed?” Regardless of the subject, the answer is always the same – it depends on many things, which I admit is not very helpful. So, in an effort to provide a more meaningful answer, here are the steps needed to ensure the photos from your next shoot tell the right story to the right people.
1. Planning
This doesn’t just mean making sure the travel is booked. Planning means actually thinking why you need the photoshoot in the first place, what you are really wanting to communicate and to who. Once you know this, the key is to tell us before the shoot so we can work with you in advance to determine what actually needs to be photographed and how. Simply saying ‘just shoot everything, because we only have one opportunity to capture it and we need it all’ will result in frustration for all and risk delivering compromised results. By the way, if you need help with working out the ‘why, what and who’ let us know, as we have the experience to help.
What’s more, good planning will help make sure the budget and delivery deadlines are kept in check because we won’t have to spend extra time selecting and editing the photos to compensate for bad planning.
2. The Shoot
Regardless of the location or subject, communication and flexibility are the two factors with the most influence on a shoot being a success or not. Everyone involved in the shoot needs to be told about it and understand their role, regardless of how important their role is. They also need to be prepared for the inevitable changes to the shoot plan, because if one thing is for sure, there will be change. Changes can happen because of weather, new ideas and inspiration we get once on location, or unforeseen issues like a helicopter malfunction.
One last piece of advice when it comes to the shoot is – trust us to get what you need. Our expertise is what you are paying us for, so relax. Micromanaging our every move is a recipe for disaster. Our best results have always come from shoots with minimal client management on location.
3. Studio Magic
This is the bit that clients don’t get to see and have limited understanding of. But it’s actually the part that takes the most time and is a major factor in making sure we give you the best selection of photos possible. On the big shoots we can head back to the studio with up to 10,000 RAW images. These are culled to an initial selection and then reviewed again to find a final selection of anywhere between 300 and 800+ for final editing and output. This selection is adjusted for exposure, colour, dust removal, composition etc. From this selection we will often choose a small select group and apply further enhancements including custom filters, cropping and fine level editing to really bring out the best from the photo and the scene.
It’s important to remember post-production is where we bring ideas to life. Inspiration and vision we saw while on the shoot takes time. It’s these ideas and inspiration that will deliver you photos that have the greatest chance of making the shoot a success.
4. Show it Off
It’s amazing how many great photos never get seen by the intended audience. The opposite is also true, photos that do nothing but damage a brand or product will be seen by thousands.
If you do everything right to this point – plan, manage the shoot and allow the studio magic to happen, but fail to have a promotional strategy in place, then the photographs will never achieve their objective. You would have just wasted all your time and money.
Serious time and effort have to be put into a strategy that allow the photos to communicate your intended message to the right audience. A cohesive well thought out strategy that includes online, printed products, social media, show stands, advertising etc needs to be developed.
A well planned, well managed photoshoot will generate images that you can use throughout an equally well-planned promotional strategy for many years. This will give you the best return on your investment and result in your most successful photoshoot.
Article by Robert Gleed