Why commercial photography isn’t always what it seems

You want professional photography for your business or design project, but there’s just one problem…

It’s strange how things go in cycles. This week, within the space of a couple of days, I found myself talking to two business owners who were thinking about hiring a professional photographer, but were worried that they wouldn’t be able to supply everything needed to create the required shots.

One was weeks away from opening a new hair salon. One was a similar distance from opening their new kennels. Their websites were both nearing completion and they wanted personal, non-stock commercial photography to help get things off to a flying start.

The only issue was that the salon was still a building site and the kennels only had one dog (the owner’s).

So, they both asked, how can you create shots for a new site when the subject matter doesn’t exist?

Model answers
The solution, of course, is to use models, props and sets to do the job for you. Then, once things are up and running, you can always revisit and refresh the photography.

I take on commercial photography commissions for businesses (and design/ad agencies) large and small. Often the shots are completed at the business premises with real staff, clients and products. But sometimes, there’s a little sleight of hand involved.

Those shots of fresh produce tumbling across the farmhouse table? Actually, it’s not a farmhouse but a studio set. The people in your images or video? If you don’t have clients yet, use actors. And yes, when your kennels need dogs, or your salon needs heads, animal and model casting can provide the solution.

Full service commercial photography
If pulling all that together sounds like an almighty faff, don’t worry. I run photography projects from start to finish, so from booking studio time and models (human and animal) to providing the completed shots, one call to me is all it takes. And you can do that here.

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