The Truest Image
A peek behind the scenes of how we deliver only the truest images to our valued clients
The Truest Image is a blog that helps art directors, potential clients, or for that matter anyone who is considering purchasing food, beverage, product or real-estate photography with guidance on our approach and how we go about delivering imagery to help clients build their brand. If you want your food, drink, products or real estate to stand out in the industry, either locally or nationally then we have the expertise that you need. We want you to stand out, and we want to stand out for you.
This blog does not provide photography guidance per se as there are a plethora of alternative sites that do that. It instead focuses on the business side of our industry. We write it with the intention of providing you with a peek into what you or anyone else who purchases food, beverage, product or real estate photography needs to know. We plan out our posts a long way in advance so it’s quite possible that you may not find the answers to your questions, but if that’s the case then feel free to reach out to us, we are happy to answer any questions that you may have.
WHY IS PHOTOGRAPHY SO IMPORTANT FOR INTERIOR DESIGN BUSINESSES?
have shot real estate photography. Several years ago realtors commonly employed professional photographers to take care of that side of their business as phones with built-in cameras were far more expensive than they are now. But they have evolved a lot in recent years and the price has fallen to a point where almost anyone can afford to own a phone with a reasonable quality camera. But the byproduct of that is that many people also consider themselves to be professional photographers in their own right, something that is extremely common in the world of real estate.
But criticism aside, many of us have the ability to capture reasonably good shots when photographing in natural light. But that is where caution needs to be exercised as stepping across that boundary into the world of interior photography is a whole new ball game, and one that is far more complex. It is so easy to capture interior images that are grainy, especially when leaving all the settings up to the camera. And even non-grainy photographs can lack finesse as it’s one thing to take a picture, it’s another to craft a good image.
HOW DO WE ENSURE OUR IMAGE COLORS ARE SPOT-ON?
Being a professional photographer, I’m constantly concerned about the colors in our images incorrectly representing those in our client’s beverages, food, or products. There have been times in the past that I would have to edit with the image subject beside my monitor. I could be well into the editing process, staring at the image on my screen wondering if that bottle label is the correct hue or whether that lettuce really was as green as it appears in my image. Constantly reviewing image colors quickly becomes obsessive, but then clients are paying for accurate color reproduction, so we must be obsessive. To help address my obsession and take my concerns down a few notches I eventually invested in some tools that would help ensure that our image colors and overall color game are spot on.
WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM?
We are in the business of creating images for you. Yes, they will look pretty, as after all, that’s a photographer’s job. All photographers can produce pretty pictures. Well, most of us can. And like any other professional photography supplier, we’ll do our utmost to create the images that you want from us. Note the poor English there, which was entirely intentional. We can easily provide you with what you want, but that may not necessarily be what you need. Our intent is to discover and help you obtain what you really need.
DOES OUR BUSINESS HAVE A STRUCTURE?
The short answer is yes. I’m a photographer, so that means I’m a creative person, and according to The National Science Foundation, I lean towards using my brain’s right hemisphere. Innovative people are considered to be "right-brain thinkers" whereas "left-brain thinkers" are considered to be more analytical and logical. Us creative types are not exactly known for being structured. When you consider creatives you would be forgiven for associating that with starving artists; I’ll forgive you! And starving artists, if they are lucky make a little money here and there in return for their efforts. But the one thing that creatives are never associated with is structure.
WHAT IS OUR PROCESS? OUR 13 STEPS TO CLIENT SATISFACTION
In my previous post I discussed test shoots, and if you haven’t read that post yet and wish to you can access it here. Test shoots are a key step within our process and are also perhaps one aspect of our service that helps to differentiate us from some other photographers. But that then gives rise to the question “What are the other steps in our process?”. Our process actually contains twelve additional steps that are all equally important when it comes to delivering value to our clients. So, if you are interested in having us help you with a photographic need then please read on to gain an insight into what you can expect from our Bakers Dozen image creation process.
WHY ARE TEST SHOOTS SO VALUABLE?
Recently we were approached by a potential client, who presented us with the opportunity to execute a new project, one that got us very excited. It was something a little different from what we were used to doing, and that alone never fails to spark renewed creativity. The business owners appeared to be very friendly and so we could not wait to meet them. And to make our lives even easier, they were located not far away from our studio, so it was an easy decision to conduct our usual free consultation at their premises rather than by phone. Yes, we have many buttons on our website that you can click to book a free 30-minute consultation with us, but our process tends to be very flexible, it revolves around the potential client's needs, and we simply do whatever we feel is appropriate to meet those needs. Plus, it enabled us to meet them and view their product with minimal delay.
HOW DOES COPYRIGHT LAW APPLY TO OUR PHOTOSHOOTS?
Copyright law is complex and straight off the bat I need to disclose that I am not a lawyer. As with anything that is subject to legalities, its study can be lengthy, and understanding the many subject intricacies can be extremely challenging. But that’s why we have lawyers! I’m going to attempt to tackle this the best that I can in this post, but due to the depth of this subject, I can only scratch the surface at best. So, I’m going to attempt to keep it relatively simple and focus solely on how copyright law affects our business and our clients during a photoshoot. If you are a photographer or a client of another photographer then I suggest researching how copyright applies to your own business rather than relying on just what I include here, as my intention is to write about the subject as it applies to our own business rather than other businesses.
HOW DO WE LICENSE OUR IMAGES?
Imagine for a moment that you decide to purchase a CD or download of your favorite artist. Providing you use the music for its intended purpose, I.e., personal entertainment then you are not expected or required to make any further license payments. However, should you wish to use that music for a public performance then you will need a public performance license, which is an agreement between yourself as the music user and the artist, who owns the copyright to the music. So hold that thought.
Following a photoshoot, there are two methods of transferring ownership of the images to a client, so we’ll start our discussion of licensing by looking at these two methods.
WHY DO WE NOT SPECIALIZE IN A SINGLE GENRE? A STORY ABOUT BOXES
Before I get into the meat of this post, I’d like to tell a short story of a past but relevant experience. A number of years ago I worked in Corporate America for a company that firmly believed each employee should be good at one thing only and never deviate, even if we had a good working knowledge of more than one task, we should never attempt to tackle more than what we were originally employed to do. I should say that prior to that I had enjoyed success working in companies that allowed me the freedom to step up and shoulder more responsibility as and when more ambition kicked in. So my new employer's attitude was one of shock. But perhaps surprisingly, especially to me, was the fact that their attitude was not immediately obvious when I first joined the company. One day we had some guys cleaning the building windows, and being the easy to get along with guy that I am, I got chatting with one of them. He explained that his company specialized in cleaning skyscraper windows. They were all ex-paratroopers who felt more confident being up in the air than being on the ground, and as a consequence, they hated having to clean my employer's windows. My employer, as they are in the habit of doing, had hired the best in the business and then placed them into an uncomfortable box, along with the rest of us. That’s when the penny dropped; I hate boxes.
WHY SHOULD I EMPLOY A PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER WHEN I CAN USE MY SMARTPHONE CAMERA?
Nowadays many business owners opt to photograph their food, drinks, and products themselves rather than hire a professional. They have a camera within easy reach on their smartphones, so I guess the logic makes sense. But is the logic correct? Providing you understand the limitations of phone cameras, along with the differences in color that basic phone settings can introduce, and couple that with having a good working knowledge of composition and lighting, then you are probably well equipped to take on the job yourself. But if any of those things concern you then read on. In this post, I intend to explore the differences between phone cameras and DSLRs, and some of the fundamental differences may surprise you.
THREE REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD CONSIDER PROFESSIONAL BEVERAGE PHOTOGRAPHY
Today I would like to focus on creating images for packaged beverages, which can be any form of packaging, bottles, cans, or even paper cartons. Served drinks can be so attractive and I do want to talk about those, but they deserve their own post. And talking of posts, so many food and drink internet posts seem to lean towards the food side of the genre, but I guess that’s because it is so much easier to discuss. But for me, I thoroughly enjoy glass and liquid photography, and that is even though I hardly ever drink myself!
HOW CAN I GET THE MOST OUT OF MY RESTAURANT PHOTOSHOOT?
Congratulations! You’ve booked a photoshoot for your restaurant, which is definitely one of the better investments that you can make in your business, and you are absolutely right, you really do need to plan for your shoot so that you do get the most out of it. But this question is also slightly subjective, as you could be thinking in terms of how to obtain the most images in the planned time, how to receive the most important images for you, or how to show off your restaurant as well as your food. These are all valid questions and so I’ll cover them all in this post.
HOW MUCH DOES A RESTAURANT PHOTOSHOOT COST?
One of the first questions potential restaurant clients ask us is How much does a restaurant photoshoot cost? Although this is a very difficult question to answer, I will try to do my best here to explain some general pricing guidelines.
WHAT IS IT LIKE BEING A FULL-TIME FOOD AND BEVERAGE PHOTOGRAPHER?
Food and beverage photography is so easy, anyone can do it. All it takes is a phone camera and you have the capability to capture wonderful images. Actually, that’s not far off the mark, providing you know how to capture food and beverages well, which requires a good knowledge of lighting and food styling.
THE CHEAP PHOTOGRAPHY GIG SERVICES AND THE PROBLEMS TO LOOK OUT FOR
Life has been challenging for most of us during the last few years. Maybe it’s me, but there seems to be an increase in the number of gig services advertising for part-time employees to provide skilled work, but offering pay that is incredibly low, just enough for people to keep their heads above water…but only just. These companies list some of the largest companies as clients and then employ those that are financially challenged to do their work, requiring a lot of work in return.
WHY DOES MY BAR OR RESTAURANT NEED PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY?
Some people view professional photography as being expensive, but expensive is relative. What some people will think is expensive others may not. But to some, and here I include some restaurants that have had a massive amount of investment in them, any cost at all is expensive. Perhaps the real question should be “Why do I need professional photography?” And it’s a frustrating recurring theme. But any form of business photography should not be viewed as an expense but instead, as an investment.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE ARRIVE AT A RESTAURANT PHOTOSHOOT?
If I’m totally honest, there are many things that have to be achieved during a restaurant photoshoot, far too many to include in a blog post, so I’m just going to touch on a few of the main things. To cover everything in detail would probably require writing a book. Now that’s a thought. But maybe one for the future. For now, let’s just stick to the basics, but without discounting them in any way as they are important.
WHY DO WE INCLUDE A PREPARATION DAY BEFORE A BOTTLE PHOTOSHOOT?
This is something that is common when creating bottle images, but maybe it’s not fully understood why for professional images it’s not a good idea to just place the bottle on set and photograph it without preparing it first. If you would like to learn more, read on.
Bottle preparation is something that is absolutely crucial to any beverage shoot that includes bottles. If we don’t prepare the bottle the correct way, then it is not going to appear as it should in the final image.
WHAT DOES ‘TRUE IMAGES’ MEAN?…OR, WHERE’S THE BEEF!
The aim of this particular blog post is to take a step back from talking about talking photoshoots to instead talking about our business name. In particular, why we chose our business name. Despite what it could seem to some, it wasn’t some random selection, there was real thought and meaning behind it. Interested? Will it answer a question that you have? Then please read on…
WHAT ARE THE KEY STEPS FOR CREATING QUALITY BEVERAGE IMAGERY?
Have you ever wondered why advertising photography often appears stunning, yet your own images don’t seem to have that same drool-worthiness quality about them? Well, let's get into that. This first blog post may just shed some light on that as it will explain the steps that we take during beverage photography shoots to create quality images.