Business Advice Daily

Reprint and Repost Policy

by Matt Berkley

Every now and then Bill Sawalich gets a call from someone wanting him to shoot a family photo or maybe take a daughter’s senior picture. He tells them no. Not because he doesn’t like them. Not because he doesn’t have the equipment. Certainly not because he doesn’t want the money. “It’s just not my job,” he explains.

Sawalich is member of what some designate as a dying breed: professional/executive business photographers. As a manager of photographic services with Barlow Productions, he does professional work for professional clients. “We do different things and work towards different results than general photographers. We get a lot of customers who are putting the photos we take on their websites so prospective clients can see who they’re dealing with,” he says.

Ultimately, executive photos are promotional tools. They can be plastered on business cards, brochures, proposals, newsletters, direct mail pieces, etc. But, by far, the photos are most frequently used to accompany press releases. Carol Kovacik, senior vice president with Millennium Communications Inc., makes an effort to attach professional shots with every press release she can. Her reasoning is simple: Attractive images draw attention. And not only from the editors. “People don’t have time to read every announcement when they’re quickly browsing through publications, but when they see the photos, the customers get more comments about it and more recognition.”

It all boils down to a person’s image, says Mike Haller, owner of Haller Concepts. His firm also serves a clientele heavily invested in business-to-business transactions. These companies must decide whether they want to portray themselves as professional or second rate, Haller says. “It’s definitely more of a perceived value when you have something professional done to create that image, making sure it’s first class as opposed to a photo that’s a straight-on camera shot.”

But regardless, Haller points out, the professional business photography has taken a big hit; due in no small part to the introduction of digital cameras. “You can go out and buy a $600 camera right now and be at almost a professional level.”

Sawalich can’t help but shake his head when he sees amateurs at work. “Everyone who has a digital camera thinks he or she can snap a few shots and they’ll look great,” he says. But they’re not fooling anyone. Professionals, such as Sawalich, know not only about flattering lighting for different skin tones and body shapes, but also how to best pose subjects, how to elicit comfortable reactions, what angles look good, and how a subtle turning of a shoulder or tilt of a head can make a big difference.

“It’s certainly more about the interpersonal relationship and the knowledge that a photographer has about how to bring out the best in a subject, whether it’s how you light them, how you pose them and how you interact with them,” he explains.

In a fast-paced, high-tech world, businesspeople still enjoy personal connections, Sawalich says. “We get a lot of people who use business portraits to personalize their proposals, their marketing materials and business cards to show clients the person they will be dealing with. Ultimately this affects the bottom-line because you aren’t dealing with some faceless entity, you’re seeing a person, looking at his or her picture, and consciously or not saying to yourself, ‘I trust him, he looks like he knows what he’s doing.’”

Kovacik always recommends that her clients use a professional photographer. One of the reasons being image consistency. “If you’re going to have everyone in the company have a headshot, we like to have the same background and look to the photo. If you do it on your own, you’ll have people set against different walls and you won’t have consistency for use in a website or brochure, etc.”

Before committing your business to photographers, Sawalich says, make sure to take a close look at their portfolio. “See their work,” he advises, “whether that means doing it online or calling to schedule time to come in and take a look at samples or getting them emailed. Everybody’s idea of a professional looking business portrait might be slightly different.” Most importantly, he says, you shouldn’t have to compromise by going to someone without the right experience. Shop around. There are plenty of options.

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