Photos are one of the most important elements of your portfolio – if a picture paints a thousand words. What do you want your story to look like?
Whether you’re a real estate agent with online listings, a custom builder with a renovation complete, a restaurant owner with menus, or a retail manager with flyers and in store advertisements, photos are needed to represent your product.
Your business portfolio is an essential tool for marketing your brand and attracting new clients. A strong portfolio showcases your skills and talents and conveys the unique style of your work. But in order to make a lasting impression, your portfolio needs more than just great content – it also needs high-quality photos.
Professional photos will make your portfolio look more polished and professional. They’ll also help you to stand out from the competition, as most businesses use low-quality, amateurish photos. And if you’re targeting a high-end clientele, then poor-quality photos simply won’t cut it – you need to show that you’re serious about your brand, and that you’re willing to invest in its image.
So, if you’re looking to take your business to the next level, make sure you invest in some quality photography for your portfolio. It’ll be worth it in the long run!
Poor Quality Or Outdated Photos Can Hurt Your Chances Of Getting Hired
Hire a Professional Photographer
You need a professional photographer to take quality photos. Hire a professional photographer to shoot photos of your products, projects, and facility/building/office environment.
Have professional portrait photos of your team/staff/sales professionals- photos of your staff standing with a wall behind them and shot with a phone camera does not look attractive or professional.
Lighting is key for good photos- Photographers understand this and they know how to use pro-lighting techniques for the best-looking images.
The competition online is huge these days. Your photos need to stand out and look professional – they’re a representation of your business. It’s so easy for potential clients to just click on the next image and find a higher quality representation from your competition.
Edit Your Photos Before Presenting Them To Customers
Design & Editing Your Portfolio
When potential clients or customers look at your website or portfolio, they should see high-quality, professional photos that accurately represent your brand. Poor quality photos can make your business look unprofessional and poorly managed, which can cost you a ton in lost business. You could be losing business right now and not even know it! In contrast, well-chosen photos can convey confidence and competence. They can also help you to stand out from your competition, generate more leads, and more sales.
When selecting photos for your business portfolio, it is important to choose images that are both eye-catching and informative. Headshots, product shots, and shots of your work environment can all be helpful in conveying who you are as a business. Taking the time to choose the right photos for your portfolio will pay off in the long run by helping you to attract more clients and customers.
Whether you’re using them on a marketing piece, social media, or your website, have some sort of order to how you design the marketing collateral or upload them to the internet, so it doesn’t look like random photos or a bulk upload of mix matched photos. Take the time to and have a cohesive look across the board of all of your company photos.
When You Need To Take Photos Without A Pro Photographer…
Tips For Taking Photos At Company Events
Although hiring a professional photographer to capture your portfolio images and website photos will almost always provide the best end result for your company brand, there are many other opportunities where you want to take photos of special events in the office. Whether it’s a birthday or retirement party or a training event, you’ll want to have photos for social media, and often it’s not feasible to have a pro photographer on location for every event.
Event photography can be a tricky endeavor – after all, there’s often a lot going on, and you want to make sure to capture all the important moments. However, with a little planning and forethought, it is possible to take great photos without hiring a professional photographer. Whether you have a digital SLR camera, or you are using a high-quality cell phone camera- Here are some tips to help you get started:
Find The Right Location For Posed Group Shots
If possible, with good natural lighting and plenty of space for guests to move around. This will make it easier to get clear, well-lit photos. When shooting your group take inventory on what distractions could be in the background of your subject. For instance, if you are taking the shots outside make sure there are no awkward trees sticking out behind someone’s head and position the group according to height, with the tallest in the back row.
With a large group it’s best to have some seating for the first row with taller people standing behind, and possibly another row seated at floor/ground level. If you are shooting inside, try to avoid windows as your backdrop, windows let in light and people will be in the shadows. It’s better to have the group face the windows. If you’re using a wall as a backdrop, don’t position your group right up against the wall as this can cast a shadow on the wall. Test out a few shots using your flash and adjust the brightness accordingly. Taking the time with these pre-photo precautions will be worth it.
Plan Your Shots In Advance
Decide what kind of photos you want to take – posed groups, candid shots of guests mingling, etc. – and map out where you’ll need to be positioned in order to get them. Have a list of important people and group shots that are a must have and check them off as you go. And try to avoid taking candid shots while people are talking, eating, or holding drinks. The candid surprise can still be there if you give them one minute to acknowledge they need to look at the camera for a quick shot.
Take Several Shots Of Each Group For Best Results
We’ve all been there where you have a great group photo, and someone has their eyes shut. Taking several shots of each group can help. Also, it’s important to tell your group when you are ready to actually shoot the camera. This is key to have less movement and eyes closed. While you are framing the right shot and making sure everyone looks comfortable, your subjects are holding a smile, and if it takes a few minutes, they have time to blink. So, by saying “okay on the count of three look at the camera and smile” you will find much better results.
Lighting Is Everything
If you are taking group photos outside, it’s important to know where the sun is in the sky for best lighting effects. Look up to the sky and have the group be facing what is called “open sky” meaning they are not looking into the sun, nor should the sun be behind them. They should be facing just blue sky. If it’s cloudy outside, then you have more options for where your group can stand. Whether it’s overcast or sunny outside try a few test shots using your flash. Not only will it help with shadows on faces, but it can also illuminate the faces while casting a darker look for the background, which really makes the people stand out and look more like a pro portrait.
Editing Photos With Care
Once you’ve taken all your photos, take some time to go through them and select the best ones for editing and printing. With most computers or camera phones there are editing tools for fixing brightness, sharpness and adding special effects. With a little effort, you’ll be able to capture beautiful event photos that everyone will enjoy. Afterall, if you’ve taking the time to have professional photos for you company’s portfolio and website, it’s worth the effort to have decent company event photos.
Conclusion:
As a business owner, you know that first impressions matter. When potential customers or clients see your website or social media profile, you want to make sure that you’re putting your best foot forward.
There are a few reasons why professional photos are important for your business portfolio. First, they help you to look more polished and professional. Second, they show that you’re serious about your business and invested in presenting yourself in a positive light. And finally, they can help you to stand out from your competition.
If you’re looking to take your business to the next level, make sure that you have a strong selection of professional photos that represent you and your brand in the best possible light. It’s an investment that will pay off in the long run.
