An Introduction to Photography in Marketing

Photography has become an increasing trend in the social media world, even more so than before. We see millions of images of products, travel, locations, and more - right before our eyes. Compared to marketing efforts in, say, magazines or newspapers, the internet has allowed for an infinitely larger store of images. 

Before I continue, I would like to discuss what this blog will be about. This blog will discuss methods in photography, how photography is relevant in marketing, and how photographers might market themselves when seeking work. Additionally, it will discuss clients and shoots and what consumers/organizations/companies should expect. 

Photography for selling pretty much anything is important . It allows consumers to see what the product they're buying looks like. Online, they won't get to be able to feel and move a product in their hands so it's important to capture what the product looks like from multiple angles. This includes even lighting that highlights product details and functions. Would you shop at an online store that didn't include images of what you were buying? Most of us wouldn't which shows how crucial visualizing what we're buying is. Part of the marketing portion is highlighting the product in the best light it possibly can be - this means eliminating imperfections or details that can be negated without lying to a consumer. Nobody want's to see images on Amazon of used, scratched, or dented products. They expect to see something new. The exception here is used marketplaces such as Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist, however those are different types of consumer channels. 

Product Photography

A melted scoop of ice cream wouldn't be as appealing in an ad now would it. Mashed potatoes on the other hand do not melt and are textured in a similar way that ice cream is when scooped. ​​There can be a lot of effort that goes into product photography behind the scenes that consumers are not aware of. For example, sometimes things are not as they seem. Often mashed potato's are used in place of ice cream. Why? Lights emit heat and heat melts ice cream. This means when going through multiple rounds of photos and getting different angles to figure out which one is best, the ice cream has time to melt. ​

Another great example is shooting burgers. This also translates to commercial videos. Photographers will rig up parts of a burger on strings and then release said strings al at once, allowing the burger pieces to fall in synchronization. Taking the picture at the right time and with a little post-processing power produces quite interesting results.