What is the first thing you notice about this picture? People see thousands of images every day and intuitively sort them. What pile does this one go in?My first reaction is that no meeting of business people actually looks like this. Beyond that I don't know what to make of it, because there is no real context and it could have been taken anywhere. For me, this image would go into the "void" pile.
If you are trying to convey a sense of presence for your "brand" why limit yourself to sterile and generic images?
The answer, of course, is that they are low cost (or free), of reasonable quality, and easy to obtain. The problem is that your material will look just like everyone else's. Remember; people are constantly sorting the images they encounter, and dismissing those that are uninformative. The general public has become exceedingly image savvy and they know phony when they see it.
A modest additional investment can dramatically increase the impact of your marketing material, digital or printed.
The investment is to have a local photographer spend an afternoon with you to build a library of your own images. This is not free, and involves an investment of time as well, but the quality will be excellent and the connection to your organization will be direct. People will notice this, and have a better sense of who you are and how you relate to them...which is what you're trying to accomplish in the first place.
The two images below (from separate jobs) sum up what I'm trying to say; one says indisputably who the people are and ties them to their pet-related business. The second conveys a sense of community, because anyone in Tallahasse knows it was taken at the beloved Maclay Gardens, and a sense of motion because the orchestra was moving to temporary quarters.
(Click on image to view full size.)
My good friend Michael Calienes explores this topic with more experience and perspective than me here. I recommend his blog and this post wholeheartedly. (At the end of his post he lists several Tallahassee area photographers.)
There is always a role for high quality, carefully chosen stock images in that they can provide an idealized notion of what you want to look like, but they can't do that by themselves. Such images must be an integral part of a strong, coherent layout. My point is that using generic pictures as a crutch or shortcut is just plain selling yourself short by telling only half of your visual story.
The extra effort can help you win the message race in the mailbox or inbox...Remember; People will notice!
Hugh Butler
Your Friend in the Printing Business
Acknowledgments: Per the terms of use for the free image at the top of the page here is the contributors link. The image of the two ladies and Mojo the dog was taken by Robin Adams. The TSO cover layout was done by Rob Gelhardt.
5 comments:
So true! Thanks for fighting the good photography fight. Greetings to you and Michael both. Hope all is well!
Yes, yes and yes! Great points! It really is an investment to find a great photographer and to create your own library of stock. Otherwise, stock you find online might show up who knows where and your credibility and professionalism can be lost.
It's usually a hard sell getting a client to think about digging deeper into the budget for custom images but it truly is an investment that pays big dividends. Tallahassee is home to some extremely talented photographers, not to mention some stunningly photographable natural landscapes that give your images a sense of place that can't be faked with generic stock.
I've also worked on a project where the client actually preferred the it-could-be-anybody stock over some terrific custom images already available in their own archives. A pity.
Having said that, I do feel somewhat sorry for the pretend/happy businesspeople in the photo! Clearly they have just arrived from some other planet and need help transitioning to office dynamics on earth.
Well said, Hugh! Consumers want to know who they are dealing with and what the local business person and their business look like. Quality photos working with a well designed print piece (naturally!) can make an instant connection for your customers. Those same photos will also tell your story online.
Of course I want to be the person to help businesses tell their visual story, but if I can't help I'll do my best to point them to someone local who can.
For nonprofits (and believe me, Broken Hearts is NONprofit!), you might have someone in your organization who may not be a professional photographer but a pretty darn good one. We have a lot of folks in our group who shoot beautiful photos of their kids and at our events. If I want to use them in a brochure, flier, etc., all I have to do is ask. They love having their photos featured. And they're photos of OUR heart kids. Not some generic, happy faces from a stock photo website. :-) Great advice, Hugh!
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