Professional photography goes beyond your gear

As a Sydney Commercial Photographer, experience is one of my main selling points when it comes to talking to clients and prospective clients. Commercial photography is about experience and knowing how to use it to deliver results that ultimately tell the story, sell the service and connect the two sides of the imagery together. That is the buyer and the seller because at the base level everything is about selling.

To illustrate my point that experience matters, let me share a recent encounter of an experience that I had; with the world rushing to be vaccinated, I too have had mine done. My first shot was regulation as you would expect: file in, follow the instructions of those wonderful healthcare workers and have shot number one. I had the same sore arm as many did for a few days but not much else, I then spent the next three weeks anticipating my second vaccination and everything that I had heard from friends, media and general chatter being that the second shot is when I’d suffer side effects.

When it came time for my second injection, the amazing nurse, Helen, that gave me my jab got me to do something that I have never been told to do in any flu shot or vaccination I have ever had before in my life. With this little instruction my second shot gave me even less side effects than the first one, I had just about zero sore arm and absolutely minimal side effects.

When experience counts, you can count on experience

On a recent job I was found via Google search by a production company in Melbourne, EricBruceTom. The producer Samantha asked about being on a TVC and capturing “stills on set” and if I was comfortable in that environment to get the job done. After exchanging a couple of emails then a phone call or two with her and the client, Jenny Craig, everything was settled for shoot day.

Upon getting to set (early) I scouted the location to plan what I wanted and had to shoot. It wasn’t a large room at all but it was all I had to use. The client was a little nervous on the day talking to me on the phone only as they were in Melbourne and we were shooting in Sydney. I knew it would be fine, I trusted in myself and my experience of some 30 years now that all would be fine and the results would be delivered. That Sydney photography shoot day went as close to clockwork as possible in the commercial photography business.

Delivery and feedback after a frantic photography shoot day

Delivery had to happen quickly as the job was postponed twice before this day, so turn around time was tight. Being a dedicated professional commercial photographer, I was able to deliver the final images to the client within 24 hours (in fact it was more like 12-14 hours). In Sydney commercial photography, deadlines are often very short and delivery has to be quick so as to get work out to desired audience asap. After delivering final images in under 48 hours I had an email titled “feedback from Jenny Craig” I am always nervous to read such things even when I know the job has gone well and the images were right on track with the mood boards. To my delight and contrary to the negative connotations of the subject line word “feedback,” the email was full of praise even so much as saying that the new Jenny Craig Ambassador, Jules Robinson (MAFS), wrote that she loved the day and only wants to be photographed by me for her next Jenny Craig shoot.

You cannot see experience, but you can see the results

How do these two events (COVID vaccination and a commercial photography shoot) go together? I couldn’t see the experience of Helen who gave me my second vaccination. I trusted in what she said and that resulted in me having next-to-no side effects. In turn Jenny Craig trusted in my experience, setting them at ease early on in the process and reassuring them on the day that everything was on track to deliver on the brief and then some.
Experience is what you cannot see when talking to a photographer capturing your story.

Final Thoughts

Experience is arguably the most valuable line item even though it is the most invisible. Because no two photography projects are the same, often commercial photograhy portfolios in and of themselves do not speak to the flexibility and creativity that experience alone can provide.
It is the investment in the photographer you are hiring and the skills they have developed over a career of decades dealing with all manner of situations that arise on a job or at a location.
Get in touch for a chat and quote on your up coming commercial, marketing, branding shoot.
I am more than happy to discuss your photography needs and help you uncover your story.