Get the Most From Your Photography Investment

The product images in your print book and on your Web site represent both a critical creative component as well as a significant financial investment for your business. There’s no doubt that photography sells product.

Whether you shoot your images with an in-house team or use a studio or creative agency, be sure you’re getting the most from your investment — and potentially improving sales — by following these five pointers.

1. Match your shots and the level of aesthetic quality you require to the appropriate photography medium.

You may think the debate is over, and that digital has won. That’s almost the case, but not quite.

It’s true that many catalogers have switched to 100-percent digital photography. Indeed, today’s sophisticated digital cameras are connected to equally sophisticated work stations for display, editing, color management, and even online proofing and viewing of set and shot work. The medium is ideal for most tabletop, food and other shots using a studio environment.

But film may be better for some types of shots, such as:

• fashion and on-figure work that’s heavily focused on editorial shots;

• beauty-oriented facial or body shots where skin tone or lighting is highly nuanced;

• work done on location; or

• shots in which wood tones play a prominent position.

And when it comes to location work ... well, imagine a complete digital workstation on South Beach, FL, battered by heat and sand. You’d need to protect the workstation by placing it in a nearby hotel room or trailer at extra expense.

Because technology is being improved continuously, someday soon catalog photography may be all digital, all the time. At the moment, however, review your shot list carefully with your photographers or studio partner to be sure the right medium is being used.

2. Consider all the costs in your photography estimates.

As noted earlier, there’s no doubt digital has made significant inroads. It saves time and promises reduced photography costs. There’s no need to worry about film, color separations or scanning. In fact, you can expect to save 10 percent to 15 percent by going digital.

However, if you shoot in-house, remember costs of equipment, training and the inevitable learning curve it’ll take to become digitally competent. To stay current, you’ll need to upgrade equipment and update staff training at least every two or three years. Factor in such capital costs when you tally your true savings.

Moreover, remember the costs of retouch/digital imaging. Don’t eat up your savings on digital capture with inordinately large amounts of retouch work at the back end.

Also, be aware that some of your savings will get shifted to costs at the front end of the digital process. For example, you must convert digital images from RGB (red/green/blue) to CMYK (cyan/magenta/yellow/black) for optimal color quality. Images can be batch-converted using Photoshop or can be converted during the shoot.

3. Know the “art of the possible” with a digital technology inventory.

As a marketing or creative decision-maker, invest some time with your photography staff or studio to learn the “art of the possible” as it affects your images and creative vision. Ask for plain-English explanations regarding:

• the features and benefits of the various digital cameras that may be part of the inventory, what will be used on your shoots, and how that technology will impact and affect your images;

• digital workstations and software for things such as color management. It’s critically important that monitors be color calibrated on a regular basis so the monitor matches the digital capture. Again, don’t spend for retouches what you saved in the digital image capture. Color calibration is key.

• new technology in the works or being considered. Can you expect to do online proofing of your images, or do you have to stand by the workstation as the photos are taken? The former is state of the art. There’s also technology to switch out color or fabric choices online. Be sure your in-house department or studio partner has access to that software, so you can give online customers color choices.

• online tools to allow you to view your sets and shot setups. Without them, you have to go to the studio to review and approve sets and shots.

• retouching and digital imaging. Inquire about the software and systems being used, and how they impact your options.

4. Understand quality assurance and your studio’s process orientation.

Image capture for catalogs and Web sites is as much about quality-assurance standards and an efficient process as it is about art and creativity — particularly if you have hundreds or thousands of SKUs in your assortment. Following are some tips on what to ask your studio partner:

• Know the studio’s record for reshoots and its capacity for same. On the one hand, you want the studio to have a record showing very few reshoots for quality issues, but also a capacity to turn on a dime to reshoot if product becomes unavailable or there are other marketing or merchandising issues that affect what will be shown in the catalog.

• Review the systems in place at the studio to handle and track your merchandise. Look at the process to inventory your product, get it to the right place at the right time for shooting and return it promptly to the correct location. Bar code systems can be useful. If something is lost or broken, what are your studio’s procedures?

• Check the studio’s records for hitting its release dates. It should be keeping records of how a shot moves through the studio and whether it’s released on time to your catalog or Web site creative and production teams

• Ask what kind of color management system is in place for capture as well as for retouch/digital imaging. Remember that quality control also involves color clarity for your images.

5. Take charge when using a commercial studio.

If you buy photography from an outside studio, it’s even more important to talk with its managers about all the areas listed above. Good studios will be happy to tell you about their staff members, equipment, creative and technological strengths, quality-assurance practices, process initiatives, and the components that make up their bids and estimates.

Because larger studios have more resources, ask them about their commitment to full-time staff (e.g., photographers, producers, photo art directors, stylists, carpenters) vs. freelancers or contract help.

All this translates into capacity, and you’re using a studio presumably because you have capacity needs and want a team that will stick with you all the way through your project.

Also ask to see the portfolio(s) of the specific photographers who will be assigned to your work. This will give you an indication of the depth and breadth of their experiences and creative styles.

By paying attention to the details as noted above, you’ll be well on your way to making better-informed photography decisions that will translate to an improved ROI for your business.

Dan Morrissey is co-president of Ambrosi (www.ambrosi.com), a leading integrated marketing agency serving national catalogers, retailers and brand marketers. Contact him at (888) AMBROSI.