Lets face it, some of us don’t speak, “photographer.” It’s much more complex than just pointing and shooting. The trained eye of a professional photographer can capture emotion, convey quality, and communicate value. They are capable of capturing a specific message you’d like to portray to your target audience.

Whether you’re photo savvy or not, it’s important for every business owner to educate themselves on what it means to use (and have) strong photography. The next step is to take a hard look at what you or your business may be communicating through your photography.

Take a look in the mirror.

An easy method to identifying good photography vs. bad photography can be accomplished by simply learning about yourself. Sometimes it’s as easy as being aware of your own tendencies when it comes to shopping, browsing, viewing posts, or searching online. Ask yourself a few questions:

• What images grab my attention?
• What images do I give a quick glance, but keep scrolling?
• What images have me saying, “I’d never shop from here.”
• Do these photos make me want to trust this company?  

Ouch. That would be a tough pill to swallow. What company would want to appear untrustworthy? Photography has that sort of power. Scary isn’t it?

There’s only one chance for a first impression.

Essentially, if your photography shouts out “poor effort,” it’s fairly logical to assume that your products or services must be saying the same thing. In order to understand why photography is important to marketing, we must understand why we are wired to think this way.

We are creatures that are victims to “first impressions.” We glance, we judge, and our mind is made up. Once our opinion has been formed, chances are it’s not changing without some heavy convincing (which equals more money out of your wallet).

Let’s say that you’re launching a social media campaign, and you use poor quality photos for visual content:

• Bad lighting
• Bad angle
• Bad composition
• Pixelation

You have officially decreased the value of your brand, and (unintentionally) missed your target audience. Images should reflect the quality of your product or service. Don’t waste your hard-earned money by creating amazing products, or offering valuable services, just to ruin it with a bad first impression. By spending the extra thought and effort to get it right the first time, your business stands to gain new clients, engage current customers, and boost brand awareness– all through an image.

4 Quick Fixes

Here are some quick solutions you can begin implementing into your business photography:

1. LIGHTING – There may be brands in which dark photography is acceptable (perhaps you’re in the haunted house industry), but chances are your business would benefit most from well-lit photos. Good lighting can be achieved through white balance and ISO settings.  
2. ANGLES – Try changing up the orientation of your camera to your subject. Shots at different angles can affect the style, by making the subject appear more interesting. Try shooting your subject from above, below, or the side versus straight on.
3. BACKGROUND – Your choice of where photos are taken have a major influence on how your service or product is received. The background should appear like it was given thought and effort. Don’t just position someone or something and take the photo. There needs to be a sense of consistency that is creatively integrated within your brand’s style guide.
4. RESOLUTION – Avoid cheap, grainy looking photos shot with your smartphone by investing in a higher resolution point-and-shoot camera. This will help your shots look great on the web!

Every photo tells a story.

Like they always say, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” What is your brand’s photography telling customers? Imagery should convey your quality. So go ahead and start inspiring your target audience with better images, to want to know more, and ultimately gain their trust!