Ads, Annual reports, Websites
Successful commercial images visually relate the exact message the client intends, and is best achieved through good planning and open communication between the client, the art director, and the photographer.
My style is to employ a “team approach” by allowing everyone in on the shoot, whether it is a food shoot or an annual report. I find the process to be challenging and fun as my preplanning allows me to understand the concept, and work out logistics of the shoot.
I have almost three decades of experience in this field, as I started doing brochure work for the UpJohn Company and Batson Cook Construction when I was in college. My clients have included Coke, Microsoft, Capricorn Records, Nike, Johnson & Johnson, Curtis Mathis, and Meriel, as well as 7 banks and most companies in the Athens area (see partial list).
Each job has a unique need, and a wonderful story to accompany the finished product….from alluring images in the Bahamas (Bahama Gold), to casual photos of George W. Bush and friends on a fishing trip (Reynolds Plantation), to physically demanding jobs like hanging out of helicopters (Georgia Square Mall), doing inside loops in fighter planes (Ben Epps Airfield) and handling the curves of Road Atlanta at adrenalin-racing pace (Georgia Trend Magazine).
Hints: Considerations for commercial work:
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Corporate headshots only capture the waist-up part of the subject, so clients need only bring half of a wardrobe, and trying different options is as easy as a new shirt, coat and tie!
Preplanning means shorter sessions and ensures we get the image you want. 75% of commercial work requires at least an hour of planning.
Studio work needs to be scheduled, to avoid conflicts with other jobs. Some sessions may require bringing the products a day in advance of the session, which is not a problem!
For product and food work, I prefer to have an art director/food artist present for the shoot. My expertise is greater in the area of photography/lighting than in styling of the product.
I can allow clients to proof the work by viewing the images on a computer during the session, if the client desires. If the job is on location, I need to know this in advance, to ensure I have a laptop at the site.
Aerial photography involves more preplanning: I need to reserve the right plane (side view, or bottom view), ensure I know exactly where site is (the pilot has to file flight plan, we don’t want to waste time looking), and ascertain best time of day (angled or overhead lighting, avoid summer haze…)
Group Photography
Corporate groups, reunions, dances and proms are all easily handled by me and my staff, and we can deliver prints (with company logos/dates embedded in the photos), electronically via email or our URL site, or by posting on our website store. Much of our event work calls for large group photos, and we use studio lighting to ensure that everyone is seen well. We can add any type you wish to the group prints-company logos, names, or dates. My studio has an archival digital printer, so we can deliver up to 150 8by10 prints within 24 hours. Preplanning is important for the best location, and we are quick at working with groups to minimize the time it takes (usually 10 minutes maximum). We can get the images posted and to the clients in less than 24 hours!
Events
My event photography records the occasion from every angle. When you hire us to document your event, you can be sure we will have photos of the people who are in attendance, the happenings, speakers, presentations, and everything from overall views to details involved. Preplanning gives us the agenda, tells us how to dress (business casual, suit, or black tie) and allows you to make specific requests of people or groups, but count on us to record your special event as only our professionals can! We offer onsite printing options (see separate category under “Commercial”), so your guests can leave with photographs, and we can post photographs of any event on our website within 24 hours for viewing or purchase!
Onsite Printing
Digital technology allows us instant printing of photographs, so guests at your event can leave with pictures in hand. This is an exciting option for occasions such as Christmas parties, and grand galas. In this “instant gratification” era, this is the ultimate in delivery and service. To do onsite work, we need to have space for a 6 foot table, to accommodate our computer and printer. Guests need to be photographed as they enter the event, so the prints can be made and inserted into folders for pickup. Using your company banner or special backdrop is a good idea, and folders can be customized to include your logo. The cost of onsite work can be borne by the event sponsor (preferred), or individually by guests (phone line for card machine is required). Ask about this service for your event!
Publication Work
As a UGA journalism graduate with 3 decades of experience in publication photography, this is my specialty. As a college student I started doing ad work and brochures for large corporations, and my work has since included every type publication imaginable: Magazines, books, ads, annual reports, brochures, directories, posters, and catalogs... I’ve been printed by magazines such as Life, Time, U.S.N. &W.R., and Sports Illustrated, and have done contract work for Sports Illustrated for Kids, Georgia Trend, and Georgia Magazine. My vast experience is pre photojournalism, but I can create images to suit the style requested by the publication’s art director. My work includes release of all publication rights to clients, and my rates are very competitive for anyone with my experience!
Websites
A professional website dictates the need for professional images. My website work is growing steadily, as more clients realize that quality photographs not only create a more polished site, but also relay information that best show their product s, people, and facilities. My clients include banks, law firms, medical practices, restaurants, real estate companies, food manufacturers…businesses that want to introduce themselves to clients online. I usually take portraits of the staff (in groups, and individually), photograph the facilities, and document procedures, not at all unlike a printed brochure! All my work can be delivered in any format desired, and great effort is made to make the work amendable for the future (consistent style/ backdrop for portraits, so staff can be added to). I have met the most demanding needs of many clients and can make yoiur website stand out from the rest!
Products
Pictures sell products, and getting creative images of your product is my goal. While my favorite session was a recent catalog shoot for a candy company, I can also photograph Quarterhorse studs to show perfect conformation, highly-reflective monuments, minute custom jewelry, and machinery that fills a room. If you know what you want, I can work to create it; if you don’t know, we can discuss to arrive at the image that best sells your products! My studio is very large, with a 20by20 shooting area, a loading ramp, and 26 ft. ceiling. I also have massive infrared-equipped location lighting that I’ve used to light UGA’s Stegeman Coliseum!
Business Portraits
Business portraits can be done any number of ways-in the studio, on location, with backdrop, with a natural (botanical) backdrop, or even as an environmental portrait (in the working environment appropriate to the subject, i.e. a lab for a scientist, in a plane for a pilot…). For most corporate work, I bring a backdrop and lights to do them on location, so I can photograph many people onsite, with minimum interruption of the work schedule for employees. I most often have two sessions, so employees who are unable to be there for one session, can make it the next. (I use the same lighting/backdrop for continuity). For press releases, I suggest a white backdrop, and digital retouching is included in the price of my services. Let me help you with a more professional image!
View the Slideshow: Commercial - Corporate
View the Slideshow: Commercial - Portraits
