Tell Your Story with Photos that Speak…

May 2, 2010 at 1:53 pm · Filed under Marketing, Photography and tagged: Businesses, https://lindasimonvb.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=98&action=edit&message=10#, Marketing, photography

With marketing your business, you want to tell a story
about your product, service and/or people. There are so many possible outlets – Web Site, LinkedIn, Facebook Page, Blog, Brochure, Poster, Flyer, etc. Tell your own story the way you want to before someone else does via the media.

Your story can make THE difference. Do you sell Media Equipment? Then zero in on what the outcome is – an incredible auditorium with the big picture. After you define the big picture, then take secondary photos. Zoom in and capture those specific things that achieve that goal – say the best speaker system in the world. Then go in for a macro shot of the speakers and components. Tell the story frame by frame. Images with words bring the story to life. That is why 3D movies are breaking sales records in theatres across the world right now. People want to experience a story.

When photographing people, find out what they possess that is unique? Do their eyes sparkle and dance? Do they have an incredible infectious smile? Is it their hair that says something different? Or, do they walk with a “swagger” For portraits, point your camera and capture that unique “X Factor” quality. It is called having an “eye” for artwork or photography. Your eye and instincts figure out what that special “IT” is and snap on it.

Most people are limited by a tighter budget these days and can’t hire a professional photographer? If this is the case, take your point and shoot camera and get creative. Here are TEN TIPS for telling your story through a lens:

1. ZONE – Get in the zone before you shoot. Be in an incredible mood when you pick up and hold your camera. Makes a huge difference where your energy level is and how you are feeling. Make it fun. Get out of your left-brain and pull from your right brain – the creative side.
2. IT FACTOR – Spend a few minutes talking with your subject before you shoot them so you know what that “IT” is and can capture it. Or, brainstorm about your building and/or product and shoot that concept you want to sell.
3. RESOLUTION – Use the highest resolution on your camera setting so you can do different things with the photo. If you take it with the lowest setting, you are limited to web use only. With the highest setting, you can crop, you can enlarge, you can go to offset printing without blurry images, etc.
4. PREPARED – Pick up an extra photo memory disk so you don’t run out of space. Make sure your battery is fully charged or carry a spare.
5. LIGHT – When shooting, try to have the light source (sun, lamp, etc.) coming from your back or shoulder area to light up your subject. You can also purposely shoot with the sun coming from your side or in front behind your subject. For a more professional portrait, put an extra light on their hair. Take a few different shots with lighting and see which ones you like best.
6. PERSPECTIVE AND ANGLES – Shake it up a little bit. Get down lower or up at a different level to get some unique perspectives instead of the straight on shots. Place your subject off-center. Look for lines and follow a line in a photo. Think about the final uses of the photo to determine if you should take a horizontal or vertical shot?
7. BACKDROP – Make sure you survey your backdrop area first. Is it solid? Is it too busy and won’t let your subject speak? Clear the clutter or set the stage for what storyline you are telling. It is better to do it first or you’ll have to invest in a lot of photo editing afterwards.
8. STAGE – In order to tell your story, you need to have some ideas in your head and rearrange or stage your set, the people, the backdrop, props, etc. to let the photos speak. This is your moment to be the director. Enjoy it. Get in the moment and have fun with it.
9. FLASH – Experiment with your flash. Sometimes you need more flash for a portrait on someone’s face. You can use it indoors and outdoors. Try one with and without.
10. FOCUS – Make sure you lock in the focus and make your photo sharp. To get a really crisp photo, press the shutter button half way down. Re-frame your photo while continuing to hold the shutter button. Then, finish by pressing the shutter button all the way.

Speak to your demographics about what you do and/or sell. Most businesses are posting their services and products online today. It is important to provide realistic and eye-catching photos of your product(s) that make a difference quickly or have someone react to your call to action. When talking about your management, showcase the uniqueness and personality in an artistic journalistic style. Try to evoke an emotion through your camera lens for your potential client or customer to react. Tell your story the way you want to before someone else does it for you.

Published in Inside Business May 2, 2010

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