Mississippi Magazine Cover, September/October 2010 Issue

From the feature story about Magnolia Hill, the home of Sam and Mary Haskell in Oxford, MS.

Art Director: Bonnie Dickerson
Photo Assistant: Ellen Rodgers

What Does “Good Enough” Photography Mean To Your Bottom Line?

I wrote this article/talking points memo for Reults Revolution last month, and since then it’s been picked up and run in the current issue of Greater Jackson Business Magazine.  I thought I’d put it up here as well.

WHAT DOES “GOOD ENOUGH” PHOTOGRAPHY MEAN TO YOUR BOTTOM LINE?

04 AUGUST 2010

Editor’s Note: Thanks to Tom Beck, owner and commercial photographer extraordinaire, at Beck Photographic for sharing his thoughts with us… Tom is the best in the business, check out his web site or connect with him on Twitter to get to know him better.

Why would you want your brand (advertising) photography to not look professional?  What purpose does it serve, except to make your business look unprofessional.

A good portrait photographer is not necessarily a good commercial photographer, and vice versa.  Photographers tend to have specialties, and just because one shoots great portraits doesn’t mean they can shoot products, or food.  Research who you’re hiring, and notice what photos of theirs stand out.

What does a “good enough” photo mean to your business and your ad?  If it looks blah, then it’ll get lost and forgotten in all the other ads out there.  And even if you do see results, how much better would the results be if you actually had a GREAT photo in your advertising?

When you hire a pro photographer, you’re insuring that you’re going to get great results.  Does the person you hired for $100 off of Craigslist have pro equipment?  Backup equipment?  A certificate of insurance in case they break your merchandise?  Are they going to behave professionally on the shoot?  Do they know the technical specs of what you need delivered, and will they deliver in a timely manner?  These aren’t (usually) a concern when you hire a true professional.

If you (or your graphic designer) is purchasing microstock photography (iStockphoto, Shutterstock, etc.), then your competition can too.  How embarrassing will it be to see the image you’re using being used by your competitor (and yes, it HAS happened, more times than you know)?  Also, is that image “good enough”, or does it stand out?  If the image is just “OK”, even if you didn’t pay much for it, how much is it costing you in business you COULD have had? In other words, are you getting the biggest bang for your buck?

What say you? What is your experience with good enough vs. great photography?

Behind The Scenes Video

Last week, I shot a photo spread for Hannah Bryan at the Kind Edward in Jackson, MS.  My friend Philip Scarborough shot a short documentary of the day.  Take a look at the video here.

Thanks to everyone who was a part of this shoot:  Executive producer (and client) Hannah Bryan, Producer Opie Cooper, Makeup and Hair Stylist Leah Vincent, Wardrobe and Prop Queen Mary Goodson, Photo Assistant William Patrick Butler, and a big thanks to Philip for shooting and editing this video.

Look for more behind the scenes material coming soon, as well as the finished product.

Photo Of The Day, 08.09.2010

Gort from the original The Day The Earth Stood Still.

Photo Of The Day, 07.30.2010

Cinerama, Seattle

Photo Of The Day, 07.27.2010

State Hotel sign, Seattle

Photo Of The Day, 06.03.2010

William Goodman works on one of the pieces from his show, “Erotic Serenity”.

Photo Of The Day, 05.20.2010

Another Diana photo I shot documenting William Goodman’s latest body of work, “Erotic Serenity”.  There’s three exposures in this frame, shot on Kodak Max 400 film.  One of the things I love about this photo is that William looks like he’s become a part of his artwork.

Photo Of The Day, 05.18.2010

Here’s a photo I did for the May issue of Portico Jackson magazine, in the “Picks” section.  The whole theme of this month’s picks was “cupcakes”, and this is a German Chocolate cupcake from Cakes And Candles.  Assistant Editor Amanda Manning and I styled it on the orange “comma” plate that my wife and I had bought from CB2 a couple of years ago.  I love how the orange really plays into the brown of the frosting.

Photo Of The Day, 04.30.2010

This is a photo I took documenting William Goodman’s new show “Erotic Serenity” which opens May 6 at Fischer Galleries in Jackson, MS. I shot this on a Diana F+ using Kodak Gold 400 film, with an amber gel over the flash.  There’s actually 3 exposures on this frame.