Corporate Photography : a profitable opportunity!

You are a professional photographer and wish to widen your fields of competence while being profitable? It is possible by choosing corporate photography. For this, you will have to use you perseverance and your professionalism.

What is a corporate photographer?

A corporate photographer is above all a professional photographer. So what is so different? It’s simple : it is the type of pictures they take ! A corporate photographer will be consulted for needs related to the business of a company. It can be for taking pictures at meetings, events, or of offices and facilities, etc.

The purpose of the client is to get a portfolio of images that will reflect their business. The purpose of the corporate photographer will be to meet the client’s needs in order to enhance their company.

To become a corporate photographer, you need to prove that you have the required skills. First, you will need to absolutely take into account the requirements of your client. For this, you’ll have to listen to their needs to translate them into images. Also, you will have to be very professional : punctuality, politeness, patience, determination… Your work has to reflect your image, and vice versa!

Corporate photography, what is it really?

There are a lot of different types of corporate photographies. As a photographer, the goal is to precisely identify the needs of the client. And he will probably have precise expectations! Industrial photography or portraits of the associates, you will have to master all fields of corporate photography, taking into account the natural limitations, interfering elements, and what you have to work with.

Corporate photography

Corporate photography includes different elements and subjects. Facility pictures, associate portraits to put into the trombinoscope, staff and managers pictures to use on communication materials, etc. In other words, corporate photography intervenes at the center of the company to show a universe, a corporate culture, and a quality brand image.

Industrial photography

Industrial photography will be directed more on the projects, the technical and human means of a company. The photographer is likely to take pictures of construction sites, production units, infrastructures, workshops, etc. By choosing this type of service, your client will want to illustrate his involvement in large-scale projects. You will thus have to value these elements to satisfy the request.

To obtain quality images, you will need to rely on the right equipment, such as a tripod, a wide angle lens or a timelapse camera to bring the project to life.

Event reporting

Event reporting touches everything that makes a company dynamic. It can concern company parties, conferences, seminars, inaugurations, cocktail parties, etc...
By soliciting you for this type of need, your customer expects you to be everywhere! So be sharp and relevant in your shots. There is no need to take pictures of everything, select the strong moments, the smiles, the reactions, the sharing between people. This type of photography will have its place in the communication strategy of the company : social media, internal communication, website...

For this kind of service, you will not be able to use a reflector or a projector to help you bring light to your pictures. So you'll have to rely on your technical knowledge to make your camera illustrate the captured moments with quality.

Architectural photography

Architectural photography is a niche market. If you focus your photography business on this type of photography, you already know your target audience. This can be of interest to hotels, shops, tourism actors, interior designers, building companies, real estate companies, etc. Architectural photography will be used to highlight a place by reflecting the work done by your client.

You will therefore need to provide equipment that will allow you to take quality photos : a wide angle lens, a tripod, projectors, even an assistant to keep an eye on the elements that appear in the frame (make sure that there are no objects that interfere with the image).

Aerial photography

Aerial photography is developing year after year to offer a more global view of a project or a subject in its environment. It can be used by tourism areas, construction companies, and even in events, to give them a more celestial dimension.

Aerial photography implies mastering equipment adapted to this type of need. You must be a professional drone operator, have a quality drone and fully master the piloting techniques.

Associates portraits

To capture the portraits of the employees of a company, you will necessarily have to equip yourself to face the natural constraints (light, space, ...). For that, you will need a projector, the right lens, and to master all the settings of your camera to obtain a perfect contrast during the shooting. This will avoid you spending too much time on post-production.

This type of photography can concern big national groups, as well as a little restaurant of your district eager to develop its team within its communication.

Product photography

Product photography targets both shootings in a photo studio and situational setting of an element in its environment, we call it product staging. You will have to show creativity and originality to carry out this type of service, very sought-after by brands to enhance their communication on the web. Moreover, this can concern a wide range of customers, from the decoration store to the local wine shop... The opportunities are endless!

To ensure the best photo service, we advise you to invest in a studio lighting kit, a lightbox to take product pictures on a white background, and make post-production processing easier, and other elements that will only be useful on a case-by-case basis (e.g. a matte spray to avoid reflections on glass).

Job/Profession photography

Your activity as a corporate photographer allows you to dive into the heart of your client's job. To ensure a dynamic and attractive communication, you may be asked to illustrate trades, manual projects, actions that take place in a production line, etc. This type of photography targets manufacturing factories as well as manual businesses (garage owner, dairy producer, baker, hairdresser, restaurant owner...). The list of your potential customers is long!

The keys to being a successful corporate photographer

Any job can be learned. However, we can give you some tips on how to make your job a profitable one in the long term!

To be a corporate photographer : make yourself stand out

We hear it all over the place : stand out from the competition, provide better value... Here's how you can thrive as a professional photographer :

Stay active on social media : Instagram, Linkedin, Twitter.
Create a showcase website to highlight your projects : opportunity to connect with your potential clients.
Cultivate your professional network
To be a corporate photographer : Keep in touch with your clients
To keep in touch with your clients, their projects and potentially their future needs, you'll need to maintain the contact. This means sending newsletters, emailing or calling your main contact for feedback on your work, or visiting your most important clients to say hello and build your goodwill.

To be a good corporate photographer, it is not enough to take pictures. You have to show a professional image, reliable and very attentive to your client.
Don't forget that a satisfied customer is a customer who comes back... And who talks about you! Don't miss an opportunity to expand your network.

To be a corporate photographer : identify the needs of your prospects

By identifying your prospect's needs, in addition to correctly meeting your client's expectations, you optimize your chances of being able to advise them on how to promote your work. As the years go by, and thanks to the experience you will have acquired in this field, you will be able to bring concrete and relevant solutions to your interlocutor. You will be able to suggest taking advantage of your photos by publishing them on the company's website, by spreading them on social networks, and by setting up paid communication campaigns on the web.

To be a corporate photographer : conduct competitive and strategic intelligence

Don't hesitate to take inspiration from all the new production techniques to bring quality and novelty to your work. Keep a regular watch on your competitors, stay informed about image processing techniques, keep an eye on new innovative equipment to facilitate your work... In short, always be one step ahead!

To be a corporate photographer : look out for new clients

Don't wait to be asked to work. Force yourself to get in touch with new prospects, make yourself known to the people you are targeting, and present yourself at dedicated trade fairs. This is a way to be visible and to make a first quality contact. You can also discover the best job offers here.

Many opportunities are available to you. So, it's all up to you!