5 Questions You Should Ask Your Small Business Photographer
Finding a small business photographer that you vibe with is hugely important to the success of your business branding shoot- clear communication and the ability to get along will make your day that much easier. However, personability is far from the only characteristic you should be looking for in a small business photographer.
Here are 5 questions that you should ask a photographer before working with them.
What’s your strategy?
Note I used “strategy” over “process” here. Strategy is a real zinger when it comes to branded content; it is how the photographer plans to communicate your brand in a meaningful way.
Strategy Do’s: mood boards, shot lists, photo shoot locations.
Strategy Meh’s: “Don’t worry, I’ll make you look good!” “We can feel it out along the way and figure it out as we go.”
The endgame of your photographer’s strategy should be to create a photo that showcases your small business via pictures of you and your company products or services. Strategy is the difference between branded photos, and photos.
How have you made other small businesses come to life?
This is a great followup question to “What’s your strategy?” and an awesome way to get more insight into their strategy in-action. Bonus: Check out their portfolio, website, and/or instagram. Look at their other branded content; do you feel as if you know the businesses just by looking at their photos?
What’s included?
How many finished images will you receive? Does your photographer offer retouching? Will you have publishing rights? What is your photographer’s privacy policy and do you have to sign a model release? These are all super important questions to know beforehand so you can make sure you’re clear on exactly what you’re paying for.
How do you go about scouting/securing locations?
Location plays a massive part in the overall feel of your small business photographs- which light are you going to be seen in? Do you want to shoot on site or someplace else? See if your photographer has a studio space available, or methods of securing one if needed. If working in outdoor spaces, what’s their game plan for dealing with the elements or potential crowds?
What happens if something goes wrong?!
Inclimate weather, medical emergencies, etc., it can be good to know your photographer’s emergency policy ahead of time. While you certainly should be preparing for the best, having peace of mind re: the worst case scenario can save you from a potentially sticky situation down the line.
