The world of advertising is all about the "image". A photograph will relay more information to a consumer than a thousand words of creative prose. In today’s market the advertising photographer is often called upon to help establish the "brand" of a product or company. In days past stock photos would be used to help offset the advertising costs however recently there has been a call for more current photographs so as to keep things fresh.
A corporate photographer’s talents for rendering usually stoic company images into metaphors for the corporation’s mission statement is worth gold. A good corporate photographer will look beyond the traditional set ups and search for the right angles that will translate an otherwise boring business sentiment into a passionate visionary statement.
For the advertising photographer, each new assignment brings challenges. Many of these are not just a matter of proper lighting or dealing with unusual pieces or environments. Successful advertising photographers have to put on their diplomatic attire because a key element to shooting for clients of any size is how you interact with them.
When you are hired as an advertising photographer you must be able to talk to many different people of various levels of authority and creativity. Sometimes you will talk directly to the client, other times only to the Photo Director. Maybe you’ll be conferring with the advertising account executive (sales guy), and then you may have to work with the Art Director. For large accounts and projects the chances are good you’ll have to speak to everybody.
The best advice to give is to be patient and take deep breaths. Every one has a job and sometimes they feel it is their job to tell you what yours is. Take a breath. If you can establish before hand, whom your chief contact person is, use them as both your director and your shield. The old saying, "too many cooks…." can come into play very easily during these kinds of photo sessions. Generally the Art Director is the person telling you want they want so if the Ad Exec, (sales) starts getting into your face the best thing to do is direct them to the Art Director. Trust me, they’ll handle it.
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