The midlands Photography blog

My last post  gained more responses than any other i’ve written over the last year and as somebody whose work is in the vast majority in the public space knowing that the security industry was taking the rights of the individual seriously. although i’m lucky, I was able to study these things whilst at college so came to the world of professional photography armed with the knowledge that I could say ‘no’ to a police officer and get away with it. It also taught me how to deal with being in a public area and having people complain that they are being photographed…. which when you are stood on a high street with local politicians and senior executives of businesses can be a problem if the said high street is busy with shoppers. In case you are interested the quickest way to diffuse an irate shopper in the above scenario is a simple apology and an explanation of what you are doing followed by a tactful pause whilst irate shopper leaves your field of view.

There was also the time, when shooting a council leader and a local MP with a senior person from a German manufacturer, that I was stopped by a police officer who demanded to see my camera permit. He got a short response and was soon sent packing after I showed him the error of his ways.

So what has any of this got to do with specialist V generalist? As with any supplier you need to hire you need to look not just for quality of skills but professional competence as well. Quality images can make a real difference between being seen on a page and being turned over.

When looking for a photographer you may come across somebody who offers a great menu of services from weddings to portraits to product shots all the way to press and PR. now I’m sure they are very competent in a proportion of those services but in my opinion if you want a wedding photographer then you need to hire a wedding photographer who only does weddings.

In the same way if you want a PR photographer then make sure you choose one that specialises in PR. At the very least they should be able to demonstrate experience in working in a Press and PR environment, with and for newspapers and magazines.

More often it will be a specific event or opportunity that sees the need for a photographer so look for someone who has a good relationship with local media outlets and is flexible to your needs such as sending out a number of different images to different media such as print, web, trade magazines. Somebody who can identify and shoot several different images to suit the needs and style of different publications. There is nothing worse than sending a happy group image to a magazines that specialises in the technical side of an industry, but your local newspaper will take the group shot rather then a picture of your branded lorry racing down a motorway.

But, whenever possible it is always better to plan ahead. I have been working on a series of projects for clients aimed at ensuring they have up to date, contemporary imagery suitable for a multitude of uses from websites and promotional brochures to press and PR releases. The advantage of the image style being that it is flexible and can adapt to nearly all needs. The important thing is to plan ahead and not be rushing around trying to scrape images together at the last moment.

So here are a few tips that could help:

• As an absolute minimum, ensure you have headshots of all people mentioned in your press releases and spokespeople representing your organisation, have a good and strong selection of images taken which picture them in a natural working setting representing your specific business, both with your company logo and without. Make sure you get wide and upright orientated shots.
• If you are ‘telling a story’ in your press release, make sure the photo also tells the same story. Ensure it has enough impact to immediately grab the attention of the editor and then the reader.
• A feature picture instead of a simple headshot is the biggest single thing you can do to bring your story to the top of the pile. Sometimes the most mundane story can be published as the lead story on the page thanks to a superb photo.
• Have some generic shots taken that represent your business and industry sector. Both internal and exterior shots should be produced showing your business at work. Sometimes having these generic shots available when a picture editor is looking for a photo to go with an existing story can result in your organisation being asked to comment, but make sure you are told what the basis of the story is before supplying pictures.
• Make sure all your photos meet media specifications so they can easily be sent by email and will not overload the mailbox of the journalist you are sending them to. This really wouldn’t help your cause.

To be honest, if you are not sending pictures out with your press releases, you are missing a vital part of your PR campaign. A release with a photo has a much higher chance of being used and could elevate your story from a few column centimetres on an inside page to a more prominent position and possibly the front page. So plan ahead, make sure you’ve got everything you need to make an impact and keep your images up to date.