Commercial Photographer: Your Guide to Marketing, Creativity and Growth

Paul Cooper has been a professional photographer for over 30 years — running Baily-Cooper Photography with his wife Kate, and a photography education business, Master Your Photography, on the side.

Marcus and Sam talk to Paul about the long road from amateur to professional, why he thinks lighting matters more than the camera you own, and what it actually takes to earn a photography qualification.

• How ten years in IT led to a 30-year photography career, almost by accident
• Why Paul’s business has spent more on lighting than on cameras
• The photographer who inspired Paul — and made him a frittata in his studio
• What actually goes into a Master Photographers Association qualification panel
• How Paul and Kate split the work, and when they come together for the big jobs
• Why teaching clients to use their own cameras became a business in itself

A long career built on lighting, teaching, and knowing when to specialise — and when not to.

Long careers come up again and again on this show — The 40-Year Secret: Sustaining a Commercial Photography Career Through Mentorship is another photographer reflecting on decades in the industry.

The ten principals of Flash Photography

These apply to all types of light including natural light.
1. There are only two types of light, hard light and soft light. Hard light is the sort of light you would get at midday in a sunny place. Very contrasting light. The imagine it’s a cloudy day then the light becomes soft.

2. The closer the light is to the subject, the softer thelight. And so the further away the light is to the subject the harder the light.

3 As you move the light source from the subject, the lightintensity drops very quickly. If you double the distance the light is from the subject you quarter the amount of light that reaches the subject.

4. The harder the light is the more contrast you have.Contrast is highlights and shadows. The harder the light the further away from each other the highlights and shadows become. So in soft light the highlights and shadows are closer and have more variations in between.

5. A shadow will have a hard edge with high contrast from ahard light. It will have a soft edge and low contrast from a soft light

6. Light can be direct or indirect / bounced. A direct lightcomes straight from the light source. Indirect light is often bounced off something like a ceiling or reflector. By reflecting the light you are changing the size of the light source.

7. Light travels in straight lines, unless it meets an obstruction. So particles of light behave like snooker balls, they bounce off objects. Grids are objects that go over lights to channel the light to prevent it spreading out and as hard light is becoming more popular, so are these.

8. Light coming from the side of a subject will show moretexture than a front on light. You can see this in landscape photography, when photographers tend to like early morning or late evening light, when the light is coming from the side, which gives more texture.

9. Flash light varies in speed. The speed of a flash ismeasured using it’s T number. If you are capturing moving subjects, like sports then you need very fast flashes so that you freeze the action

10. If using flash outside, especially on a sunny day you will need a much more powerful flash than you would indoors. So for indoor photography you don’t need that much power from your flash.

Once the theory's covered, the next question is what to actually buy. The Ultimate Flash Kit for a Commercial Photographer answers that directly.

This episode is an interview with Fiona Scott a PRspecialist.
To start Sam and Fiona discuss the difference between PR and marketing. Fiona says public relations encompasses every type of marketing as public relations is about any time your business contacts the public. Fiona says that means ifsomeone says they can help you with all of your PR be very wary, that is a very wide field.
Fiona’s specialism is in press communications. Fiona suggests that when you are starting business, get some advice about marketing and PR. You probably can’t afford PR or marketing, but get advice to help you get through the first few years.
Marcus asks about the history of PR. Fiona said that Queen Elizabeth the first was one of the first people to control the images that went out of her. Marcus was thinking of Edward Burtynsky who took the ideas of Froid and applied them toPR.
Sam bring in the idea that images and photography are vital to PR. Fiona says she will only ever work with people who have photos that re renewed every 18 months at the most. Fiona has a retained photographer in her business asphotography is so vital to PR. So PR could be a good source of work. And offering a retainer to regular clients can be a great way to get a regular income as a photographer. It’s important when working on a retainer that you make it very clear what is covered in the retainer deal and what is not.
Fiona says the best photographers she has worked with do a wide range of photography, portraits, weddings etc. She also says that photographers are often awful at getting their own headshots done. They need to ensure they keep their photographs up to date.
Marcus asks how photographers can get involved in PR. Fiona says start localm and get in touch with PR companies within your own communities. Call them up and ask to meet. Fiona says there can be issue with copyright and PR. PRbusinesses need to pass photos on to other businesses, like newspapers. Therefore the PR business needs the right to do that and so the copyright for the photograph. Fiona says that a PR business can send the photographers details with images sent to press. But, the press do not have to credit thephotographer. But a photographer can of course share on social media when their work has been used in the press.

Marcus asks what makes a good PR photograph. Fiona said that if you want to work with the media your photographs need to be media friendly. No plain backgrounds.  The background needs to help tell the story. Landscape only, portrait is rarely used unless you are being used for the front page of the magazine.  Usually they want a 1 to 3 Mb jpg. High end lifestyle magazines may ask for higher quality. Having lots of photographs to hand that you can send at a moments notice can really help you get your photographspublished.  Product photographs are a little different and do need a plain background.

Fiona suggests photographers should get out on strongweather days, snowy, windy etc. Get out there, get some images and then very quickly send them to newspapers, and other media in your community.

You can get hold of Fiona here

https://uk.linkedin.com/in/thefionascott

https://scottmedia.uk/

Brand and PR keep circling back on this show, and Talking to Brand Photographer Emma Bunn is another conversation in that vein worth your time.

Are you a photographer who's ready to finally get found on Google? This week's show is the first in a three part series on SEO, revealing the most important step in the entire process.

• Why doing any SEO work without a proper plan is a complete waste of time, and how to create a strategy that actually works.

• You'll learn how to choose the right keywords and geographic areas for your business and use a simple tool to check if they’re worth going for.

• What your domain score is and why it's a vital number to know before you start any work on your onsite or offsite SEO.

This is part of a longer SEO thread. SEO Series Part Two: External SEO continues it in more depth.

Maureen helps elevate peoples Linkedin profile. She helps them create more opportunities and visibility. That creates more leads and more business.
Maureen tells her story. She started off in the world of sales and marketing. She went from telemarking to field sales. To then running sales teams working with tech startups. As a Sales and marketing director LinkedIn was always her go to platform. She has always known that it is such a great tool.
About 12 years ago Maureen had a son and wanted to work for herself. She started being a general marketing consultant. Before lockdown she was 50% marketing consultant 50% Linkedin work. During Lockdown this moved to being 95% LinkedIn marketing and only 5% marketing consultant. And this has stayed ever since.
Sam asks about LinkedIn recent restrictions for those not paying to use LinkedIn. LinkedIn are now heavily restricting the number of people you can follow. So Maureen says it is getting harder to use, but is still a great platform to use.
Marcus asks the difference between Brits and Americans using Linkedin. Maurenn thinks this just reflects the difference between US and UK culture and business culture. People are happier promoting themselves in the US than they are in the UK.
Sam says photographers do like to hide behind their camera and really need to come out from behind it. Maureen says this is very understandable, but photographers do need to try and get over it. Maureen says having packages can really help, so you can get out onto LinkedIn and sell your package rather than have to sell yourself, which is harder to do.

Maureen says Linkedin is used to give clients value and build a community. But she does do one sales post per week. It might be subtle but she always has one. Marcus said for a commercial photographer then LinkedIn is amazing as it is B2B. which Facebook and Instagram isn’t. Maureen says focussing on a sector really works well on Linkedin. Send out posts for your niche, use relevant hashtags. And connect to people in the right sector. She says with a connection message you should get 1 in 3 or 1 in 4 connections. Butconnection messages are being limited. But, you can still connect with more people without the message.

Maureen says that if you spend an hour a day on LinkedIn youcan achieve a lot. Send time posting, making new connections and follow up messages.
Marcus says also that business people need photos for Linkedin for posts, headshot, banner images and more. So photography for people to use on Linkedin is a great area for photographers to work in.

Sam asks Maureen some top tips for their LinkedIn profile. She says a profile photograph is a must. She has 5 pillars of success on Linkedin and the profile is one of them. Look like the top dog that you are. Your LinkedIn profile needs to be generating work for you. It needs to have an amazing tag line. It needs to really shine. Your banner needs to be excellent. As a photographer you can feature things like images you have taken recently. The more visual your profile is the more you will stand out.

One of Maureen's other pillars is let the other steal the show. So tell stories about other people you have been working with. Maureensays she gets customers by giving out hints and tips and talking about people she’s been working with.

You can find Maureen on LinkedIn (big surprise) or at herwebsite

https://www.linkedin.com/in/maureenlkane/
https://linkedinbreakfastclub.co.uk/

For a very different take on LinkedIn, Get More LinkedIn by Being a Punk Disrupter with Gareth Wax is worth hearing straight after this one.

Marcus has been using three pieces of software for a longtime in his career. Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, Capture one. But initially Marcus goes back to the history of retouching, which started only a couple of years after photography was invited. So “photoshopping” has been around from well before photoshop.
Adobe photoshop was early photography software that started in the 1990s. Marcus remembers using this for the first time while he was at university. But back in those days it was slow to use due to the speed of the computers.  Marcus even had to do a photoshop exam at one stage and became an accredited expert!

Lightroom came out after Photoshop. It is a very easy to use intuitive piece of software. Lightroom and Photoshop are complimentary pieces of software both made by Adobe. The difference between Photoshop and Lightroom is that Photoshop is designed to work at one image at a time, while Lightroom can do bulk editing. You can chose to edit a photo in one way, then apply that editing to lots of other photos. The terminology usedin light room was the terminology of the dark room so photographers easily understood it.

Photoshop also has many more uses than photography. Marcususes it for all sorts of areas of his business such as making reels for Instagram or making posts for Linkedin. Photoshop has so much functionality that it can be overwhelming initially. Also it means it’s very easy to spend a long time on photoshop editing images. This can be a challenge for professional photographers, making sure they don’t spend too long using Photoshop.

Capture one is the third piece of software Marcus uses. Marcus uses it’s ability to tether. That means Marcus works with his cameraplugged into his laptop and the people he photographs can see the photos as they are taken. Lightroom can also tether but Marcus thinks this works better on Capture one. But Capture one is not easy to pick up and use.

For more on getting your tech actually working for you, Meet Robin Thompson, IT Expert is the natural follow-up.

This week on the podcast, we're joined by renowned British advertising photographer and director, Joe Giacomet With his unique and vibrant style, Joe has created an impressive body of work for major clients. He joins us to share insights on his creative process, the importance of personal projects, and how a unique style can be your greatest asset.

What you'll learn from this episode:

Discover the secret behind Joe's distinct photography style and how it sets him apart in the competitive world of commercial photography.

Find out why dedicating time to your personal passion projects is the key to unlocking major commissions and commercial success.

Learn about the meticulous process and attention to detail that goes into creating a high end advertising photography campaign.

If advertising work isn't quite your lane, Alternative Genres runs through some other directions worth considering.

Consistency beats cleverness in marketing - but only if you stick with it long enough to know whether it's working. Sam and Marcus break down what a realistic weekly marketing plan looks like for a working photographer, why it takes more touch points than you'd think before a stranger becomes a client, and how telling someone else your goals changes whether you actually do the work.

This episode is sponsored by Website for Photographers - get in touch at [email protected] or 01482 765871.

Consistency in marketing sets up everything else. Marketing Funnel for Photographers: The Simple Sales Funnel Strategy for Commercial Photographers is the funnel that consistency is supposed to feed.

Toby Lee started taking headshots of fellow drama students because he had a camera and they were spending a fortune on photographers - it's now his full-time business. He explains why the first five minutes of a headshot session are really about talking someone out of their nerves, not taking a single photo, and how business headshots evolved from a plain background and a stiff smile into something far more considered.

Headshots carry more weight than people expect. The High Stakes of Headshot Photography: Why a Single Photo Can Make or Break a Career makes the case for just how high the stakes really are.

Marcus has a wide experience in fashion having worked in it for many years, and then being a fashion photography lectures.

It’s a team sport
Fashion photography involves a team of people, not just the photographer. This might include hair and make up, stylist, model and assistant. Marcus says as a fashion photography there is no need to know anything about clothes. This is the job of the stylist.

Stylist As a fashion photographer you need to buildrelationships with a good stylist. We have a podcast episode where we interview mens stylist Nick Hemms.

Hair and make up people who are good at fashion shootsare hard to find. It’s important to note that fashion make up is very different from other types of make up.

Assistants are very helpful on a shoot. They mean you are able to focus on the model and the look, while the assistant is working inthe background on the setup.

Models are a vital part of the fashion shoot. Marcus says fashion models often look a little different, have a striking look. It isvital to find a model that helps you get the end look you are looking for. The simplest way to find a model is to talk to a model agency. Marcus says they often have new models on their books who are looking for gaining images for their portfolio. But before an agency lets you work with them they will want to see some of your work.
Fashion vocabulary

Look book. This is a photograph usually with a plain background where the garment is front and centre.

Editorial This is a series of shots that often are telling a story
Shooting ahead In the fashion world the photography is for items coming out 6 months ahead. That means that in the summer you could be shooting ski wear and bikinis in the winter
Edging / street look vs. episode
Catwalk / print The look is very different
Call sheet This is a list of everyone on the shoot and all theinformation about the shoot.
Ready to wear vs haute couture Make sure yuo know the difference
The September issue – This is a film about the fashion world that Marcus recommends watching.

Fashion is one genre in a much wider spread — Behind the Lens: A Masterclass in Advertising Photography goes deep on advertising photography specifically.