Photography And How It Can Make Or Break Your Brand.

Written by 5ivecanons Staff

When approaching a brand’s social media content, companies often fail to post quality photography consistently throughout all channels. The lack of creativity and professionalism creates the perception that a brand is being managed by a millennial with an iPhone. Is that a bad thing? Find out in our scathing review of 20-somethings who think their phones are good enough to represent your brand.

What Makes Your Brand’s Content Worth Sharing?

Quality photography is the first step in putting the right foot forward. It represents who your brand is and the quality of the products that you put out. Low-quality photographs can be a representation of a low-quality brand. Or better yet, a representation that your brand is being poorly managed by a 20-something who has an undergraduate in advertising.

Who cares? A picture is a picture.

Would you have your niece shoot your wedding with her cell phone? She has 1,500 followers and all of her bikini pictures have 30+ likes. Why not? Is there really a difference between her and a professional who has experience with lighting, depth of field, shutter speed, positioning, aperture, etc.? 

That was a rhetorical question, but for the few who may think there isn’t a difference let me point out a few things your niece doesn’t think about when she’s taking her beach selfies:

• The creative process.
• The equipment.
• The technical knowledge of how to put it all together.

You might not notice the difference between an Instagram post and a photo taken by a pro, but your customers can. And that’s who really matters. Not you, not your niece or your marketing assistant. 

So here’s some advice to make your content and brand look better:

1. Have a vision.
2. Take a few minutes to think about the composition of your photograph.
3. Make a shot list.
4. Shoot it with professional equipment.
5. Take a series of photographs at every angle you possibly can.
6. Review them on a larger screen than the display on the back of the camera.
7. Select the best one.
8. Retouch and finalize it for distribution. (And I’m not just talking vignettes and auto-color correct.)
9. Share it one more time. (That can be with your niece, your marketing assistant or even your CEO.)

Conclusion

The iPhone’s quality has come a long way since it’s inception, but the options that a DSLR can give you will never be matched by the simplicity of smart phone photography. A DSLR gives you the option to adjust aperture, shutter speed, white balance, depth of field, and ISO. These options can give you specific results that can change the look and feel of a photo, and as a photographer you always want the photograph’s look and feel to match the brand. For example, a brand with a dark and grim theme should have photography that complements the dark and grim, and the same should be true for a brand with a bright, uplifting persona.

A good photographer understands the brand’s messaging and uses specific photographic techniques to create high quality results that speak to the brand’s consumers.

 As a creative agency based in Jacksonville, Florida we always aim for high-quality production. We want our clients to be well represented, whether it be in print or on Tumblr. We don’t let our nieces do the shooting. In fact, we told them they couldn’t work here. Instead we hired the best, had them continue to train and learn new skills – and by doing so we are able to provide the highest-quality work for our clients. The brands we support and the content we distribute reflects that.