Do your photos communicate your brand message?

Photos have the ability to create in the viewer a sense of emotional connection with your brand. They help them to visualize themselves experiencing your brand. They provide that all important first impression.

It's been shown time and time again that we no matter how logical we would like to think we are, our decisions are almost always made on an emotional level. We then look for logical reasons to support the decision that we've already made - often by first impressions.

It's imperative in this overcrowded marketplace to stand out and be different. You must stand for what makes you unique. Then you must then communicate this uniqueness every way that you can. This includes your photos.

Always remember, we buy with our eyes.

Are your photos on message with your brand? Are they unique to you? Do they inspire trust?

Could a competitor use them? If so, then they're too generic.

Your images should communicate qualities that you want buyers to associate with your business. They must be of professional quality and consistent with each other in style, a style that is consistent with your brand.

You can't do this with stock photos.

Quote of the day

"Always remember that you are unique, just like everybody else."

Margaret Mead

Group photo for an ad.

(click on the image to see it larger)

This was created for an ad for a foundation with ties to lacrosse that raises awareness and funds for cancer research. We were granted brief access to a radiology room in a hospital. The mood was to be that of a team of people united in the quest to beat cancer.

The lighting was set up, the people arranged and images taken during a period of about 15 minutes. When working with a group of people who aren't models it's imperative to work quickly so no one gets impatient and annoyed. In cases like this I rely on experience and intuition to know how and where to set the lights and arrange my subjects. The last five minutes were spent shooting about 30 images.

It's also very important to control the mood and thinking of all of the members of the group so that their attention and mood is "focused" in the way that is appropriate for the intended message. I do this by getting the group in the proper frame of mind and instructing them what I want them to think. Their thoughts project outward naturally through their body language and the camera is capable of capturing this.

A low camera angle and a very wide angle lens was chosen to make the group look more heroic and make the image more visually interesting. Three lights were used in addition to the ambient lighting.

Quote of the day

"The only really valuable thing is intuition."

Albert Einstein