A Guide To Hiring A Professional Photographer For Creative Content
Many business owners simply purchase images from stock photography sites to fulfill creative projects. Whether you are looking for images for a catalog or promotional, web or event content, you can usually find suitable images on stock photo sites. However, these sites are not the best. You need to compromise and settle for an acceptable image. They certainly aren't tailor made to your brand. If you want truly unique and memorable content that fits within your brand identity, you should hire a professional photographer instead of spending hours and hours searching stock photo sites. In the end, you will end up with a set of images that meets your expectations.
Paying Per Image
When hiring a professional photographer, make sure you agree to pay per image instead of paying an hourly rate. When it comes to creative photography, you don't want to end up paying for creative, shooting, post production, and delivery hours. Furthermore, many photographers may have already shot the images that you end up buying. So, paying per image ensures that all parties get a fair deal.
Exclusivity
When drafting up the contract, make sure you have exclusive rights to the images. Some photographers will sell the same image to multiple companies and might even post them on stock photo sites. In some cases, the images will be edited differently, but you can often tell that it came from the same photo. An exclusivity clause will make sure that you don't end up investing in a set of images that undermine your brand.
It's All in the Post Production
It is also important to remember that a large part of the image creation is done in post production. This is where you, as the eventual owner of the images, needs to make sure your needs are met. Also, your costs will increase if your images are heavily edited. However, post production is a skill unto itself and you should let the photographer handle it. Don't be tempted to buy the unedited images from the photographer and let your design team do the post production. The photographer will have shot the images with the post production process in mind. So, trying to edit images that you did not shoot can often end up with sloppy and confusing results.
The best creative photographers will deliver unique material, while also taking into account the brand identity of your company. Be open to their ideas and listen to their advice, but always make the final decisions according to what is best for the brand. Contact a corporate photography specialist to learn more.