| If you're a business owner or sole trader then almost | | | | However the truth is that it is not. A photograph of |
| certainly you have had to consider the possibility of | | | | a product is simply a photograph of a product. It |
| using advertising photography in some way to help | | | | always will be, and is unlikely to be anything else. |
| boost sales or brand awareness. Advertising | | | | So what has to be done in order to turn a |
| photography is clearly an important aspect of | | | | photograph into an advert? Essentially it's about |
| promoting and marketing a business, but it is also a | | | | communicating something, saying something to the |
| solution fraught with a range of problems and | | | | consumer. It may even involve communicating grand |
| challenges. | | | | concepts or stimulating emotional responses in the |
| Not only that but any cursory search online will | | | | consumer, and it is only by achieving this that |
| inevitably result in a wealth of sites offering advice | | | | advertising photography can really be accepted as |
| on how to go about advertising photography, yet | | | | being distinct from merely a product photography. |
| much of this information conflicts. For example there | | | | But how do you communicate concepts, stimulate |
| are businesses, marketers and sole traders who | | | | emotional responses or otherwise actively engage |
| swear by using in-house solutions rather than | | | | the consumer on a much deeper level than merely |
| professional photography services. | | | | one of retail? |
| Perhaps if the company or business just happens to | | | | The first challenge is to make sure that you fully |
| be a photographic studio then this sounds like a good | | | | understand the consumer. Only when you have a |
| idea, but for anyone else the chance of being able to | | | | crystal clear understanding of who your target |
| create advertising photography that really sells is | | | | audience is can you begin to understand how your |
| somewhat farfetched. | | | | advertising photography needs to be tailored to |
| Let's not forget that advertising photography has | | | | target them effectively. This is another shortcoming |
| been around for decades, but the concept has | | | | many business owners fail to appreciate. |
| changed in that period of time. It has had to, simply | | | | Advertising photography doesn't just mean coming |
| because of the wealth of advertising and marketing | | | | up with a bland please-all solution that will appeal to |
| messages to which we are all exposed on a daily | | | | everyone. Many of the leading names create |
| basis. When there were only a handful of | | | | advertising messages which specifically target |
| photographs advertising products, businesses or | | | | different parts of their target audience so that they'll |
| brands it was reasonably easy to achieve success | | | | have more impact. If you're targeting 30 something |
| simply because there was relatively little to compare | | | | professionals then your whole approach needs to be |
| it to, and little competing with it. | | | | different from an approach that would more |
| But today so many companies are distributing so | | | | effectively target teenagers. |
| many advertising messages that there is a huge | | | | But whilst it's easy to see how advertising |
| amount of competition. Every image has to compete | | | | photography needs to take into consideration the |
| against hundreds or thousands of other images, and | | | | target audience and understand what are the most |
| so its chance of making an impact is very much | | | | effective ways to market your products to them, |
| diluted. | | | | appreciating what the tactics and tools are that will |
| But the problem doesn't stop there, because if you | | | | achieve this is quite another matter. How do |
| do manage to capture the interest of consumer, the | | | | professional photographers create a photographic |
| image then has to achieve much more than simply | | | | image that sells a product rather than merely |
| portraying what the product looks like. This is the real | | | | showing people what it looks like? |
| difference in advertising photography today | | | | To answer this would require many years' of |
| compared to photographic marketing of even a few | | | | experience, and reams of article content to even |
| years ago. | | | | scratch the surface. Far better than trying to blunder |
| Today every image has to communicate so much | | | | through the process in house is to make use of a |
| information and so many ideas and often in just a | | | | professional photography studio and a photographer |
| fraction of a second. Sadly a photograph, no matter | | | | who has years of experience creating images that |
| how good, that simply includes the product is often | | | | sell rather than merely creating images which show |
| not enough. Advertising photography is different | | | | what things look like in an unimaginative way. |
| from photography, yet often business owners tend | | | | Advertising photography is about selling, and it's |
| to focus only on the word photography, perhaps | | | | important to make sure that the camera is your |
| assuming that any photograph of a product is, by | | | | marketing friend and not an impartial outside |
| default, advertising photography. | | | | superficial assessment. |