The Importance of Commercial Photography in Modern Marketing

Stillview provides commercial photography to a wide range of clients in Ipswich, London and across the East of England who understand the power that images can have. Sometimes, when a brochure or website is being created, there can be a temptation to regard pictures as an afterthought, just there to illustrate text or add a touch of visual interest. However, using images like this is missing a vast opportunity.

Using our expertise and experience built up over 30 years, we deliver memorable images which can get a message across far more strongly than words alone could ever do. Photographs are obviously vital in advertising products which need to be seen to be appreciated, such as fashions, home furnishings or food and drink. But even with products which cannot be photographed, such as service industries, making a strong visual impact is still important.

Here we look at some of the particular factors that make using images in marketing campaigns ever more essential.

Commercial Photography Ipswich – contact us to discuss your requirements.

Bridging the Gap
In an internet age, it is quite feasible for someone to choose a business and conduct their transactions without ever meeting the person or people supplying their services. Images can work to give a business a more solid presence, with business portraits or pictures of people injecting humanity and a sense of relationship into the process, and helping to put customers at ease.

This is especially important when promoting personal services such as legal advice or accounting, where customers need to trust the people they are dealing with and want a sense of someone's personality. For example, photographs of office staff looking relaxed and smiling at their desks, could help to encourage someone who is feeling nervous to get in touch.

Who Has Time to Read?
Prospective customers rarely have time to read lengthy descriptions of your product – and even if they did, what would make them want to? Headlines can be effective in grabbing attention, but not nearly as effective as pictures. As experts in commercial photography, Ipswich-based Stillview know that the right images can arouse curiosity and make people want to find out more.

As an example, Stillview's many striking images of lorries and farm machinery put across the message of how powerful these machines are. The fact that the lorries are pictured out on the roads and the tractors and combine harvesters are shown in fields makes these images more memorable than static shots of the vehicles would be.

Getting Noticed in a 24/7 World
In our modern world, people are constantly being bombarded with text and images from all angles – whether it is TV, computers and tablets, mobile phones or print. Getting noticed in this sea of media is a tough job, but it is necessary to stand out in order to have a chance of getting your message across.

This means that average or indifferent images which are quickly forgotten just won't do. Commercial photography has to do the job of catching the attention and sticking in the memory to be really effective. One example of a memorable shot is Stillview's photograph of a vivid red sofa in front of the white windows of a London home, with a pair of toning red shoes and a couple of red vases on the mantelpiece helping to emphasise the dramatic colour.

Instant Communication
Visual images are processed by the brain much faster than the spoken word, text or other linguistic means. The human brain can take in, process and make sense of thousands of items of visual information every second – most of it unconsciously.

All this information goes directly to the visual cortex, bypassing the conscious mind. Complex vision evolved millions of years before conscious thought and language. Tiny details which may not be noticed consciously can have a powerful effect on the overall meaning and atmosphere of an image. An experienced image maker can use this knowledge to create photographs which are not only great to look at and highly memorable, but also powerful in conveying just the right message about a product or service.

Using this understanding of the power of imagery to communicate instantly and powerfully with your customer, it's time to consider putting commercial photography at the heart of your next marketing campaign or website design.

Commercial Photography Ipswich
Experts in commercial photography Stillview are located in Ipswich, but we serve customers in a wide area including all of Suffolk, Essex and Cambridgeshire. We are also often called on by London-based advertising agencies and PR firms.

Stillview Commercial Photography – get in touch now to discuss your requirements.

Location photography

I recently undertook a location shoot for one of the country's largest sofa manufacturers.

The brief was to find a suitable location for photography and shoot the new Colorado corner suites, in this situation finding a perfect location is half the battle, I use a London based location finder and having explained to them the kind of images we were acquiring they narrowed down selective locations throughout the south-east of England.

Having viewed these locations on-screen my client and I decided on a location in Surrey, we then made an appointment with the owner and did a recce.

This is extremely important as images on a screen can be deceiving, also you need to know things like, how is the access, can we get the furniture in, where does the light come from in certain parts of the day, if we need to shoot on longer are the people flexible etc etc

The location turned out to be perfect; it was a 17th century converted barn that looked very contemporary exactly what we were looking for to create the right image.

I have carried out many location shoot over the years, most locations are in and around the London area however I have also found great locations for photography in  Suffolk, Essex, Hertfordshire and Norfolk

To see more examples of location photography please go to www.stillview.co.uk/portfolio/interior/

www.stillview.co.uk