The art of photography has become vital in capturing the defining moments of our lives. These days, it’s easier than ever to pull out your own camera to take photos of among friends, or even for larger, more significant life events. But there are times when it’s best to leave it to the professionals.
History
But first, let’s take a look at the progress cameras have made in the past few decades. Making photographs once involved using a dark room and film. It’s a lengthy process, but one that is preferred among some traditional photograph fans.
When the digital camera came onto the scene in 1975, it allowed for digital storage of photos. This was the first step in ensuring you would no longer have to wait around for days to see how your photos turned out. The first digital camera, though, weighed around eight pounds and only uploaded low-resolution photos onto a cassette. It was about the size of a lunchbox and took a maximum of only 30 photographs. Thankfully, many of them are no longer so onerous.
Most of us now carry a modern camera with us at all times: our cell phones. However, the quality of a cell phone camera can be hit and miss. On the other hand, professional photographers today carry high-powered, high-resolution cameras that can do a much better job of capturing a lot of quality photos on a tiny memory card that can then be loaded onto a computer and touched up with photo editing software.
Here are some of the primary instances you might need to invest in photography services for hire.
When You Have a Special Event
Traditionally, weddings are an event where most seek out photography services for hire. But the way we observe milestone events have changed, mostly because of social media. Families are sometimes far-flung around the world. As such, there’s a need to share more online — along with the wedding, many people want to see the exact moment engagement rings are presented, each step of wedding planning, and also gender reveal parties in the event of a pregnancy. After the baby is born, parents often want to opt for photos of the new arrival as well.
There’s often a need for professional photography during sad occasions, as well. You might want to consider photography services for hire for a funeral service. With the increasing number of people trying to learn more about their family’s history, capturing these moments is important for helping genealogy hobbyists fill out their family tree. Several online genealogy websites collect this information and as curious people populate the site, even information from a funeral can help connect people in ways that had been much more difficult before.
Another added bonus to hiring a professional to capture these special events is that you, and your guests, can actually enjoy the event yourself, and not worry about whether anyone got a good shot of the cake, or about rotating a group of people out of a photo op so everyone has a chance to be in the photo. Having someone with a strong portfolio in charge of photography means you can focus on the occasion at hand.
When You’re Meeting Virtually
As more people spend time indoors on conference calls with teams that aren’t meeting in person, many organizations look to enforce company culture in one of the strangest of places: virtual backgrounds. Most online meeting platforms provide their own choice of background, which range from artsy to a plain block of color. But some businesses want all their employees to use the same background to encourage uniformity. Designing these backgrounds can be as easy as using the company logo against a backdrop. But if you want to create a look that’s unique to your business or brand for virtual meetings, it might be worth considering photography services for hire to help you develop a distinct look. Maybe it can be photos of the interior or exterior of your physical headquarters location or some shots of the community in which your business is located. But as the way we do business changes, the ways in which we stay connected do, too, and believe it or not, background solidarity can make a difference.
And even though our work surroundings may have changed, the need for ongoing training has not. When there isn’t the option for in-person training, having excellent high-resolution photography and other presentation material can be key in making sure your employees know and understand their duties and are able to continue their education on the job, even from a distance.
When You Work in Media
Traditionally, newspapers and magazines have relied on professional photographers to help round out news stories. But as newspapers have struggled financially, they have had to make sacrifices. According to a recent survey, U.S. newspapers have lost almost one-quarter of its workforce between 2008 and 2016.
Yet, high-quality photos are still needed, and some media outlets have instead turned to seek photography services for hire on a contractor basis. That way, their goals of capturing compelling images are met, and this approach can be a fiscally beneficial one.
When You Want to Preserve Your Memories
Digital photography is relatively new, so there are plenty of people with older photos, and some of them have sentimental value. But photos stored for a long time can be subject to all kinds of damage due to light, water, heat, and other elements. Photography services for hire can come in handy in times like this because they can use restoration technology to repair photos. Sometimes, it’s as simple as scanning photos and saving them. Then an expert can use photo editing software to repair the damage, either with color correction tools, cropping, brushing, and spot correction. Then they can digitize a cleaned-up version.
In addition, professional photographers can also take your old DVDs, film reels, and audio cassettes in order to digitize them so they’ll maintain their quality and ensure they’ll be passed down for generations to come. Your memories can be stored on memory cards or thumb drives, or even downloaded onto the cloud.
When You’re Thinking About Your Business Image
As many people are spending less time outside due to ongoing health concerns around the pandemic, the way your business looks online has never been a more important consideration.
If you’re launching your business or planning to rebrand, this is not a time to avoid finding photography services for hire. Having top-notch photography can be vital to your success. If your business is closely involved with aesthetics, looks are everything. For example, if you own a landscaping business, the ability to showcase your work online with stellar photos can set you apart from competitors. Since aesthetics are one of the most important parts of running a landscaping business, this service couldn’t be more important.
Architecture and design firms rely on sparkling photography to show prospective clients about their workmanship and style. On the other hand, if you happen to be a custom jeweler business, you know that your potential client will be making a substantial investment in your jewelry. If grainy images make them think twice, you’ve probably lost out of a customer.
Of course, social media management is an important component to your success as a business. According to a recent survey, posts with photos tend to be retweeted 35 percent more than those without images. It’s fine to use your own photos for your personal websites, but using an expert photographer can land your social media content before more eyes.
It gets even more important when your business is on social media. If you’re an influencer and you rely on your relationships with brands to build your brand, it’s definitely important to find the best photography services for hire. It also helps you gain followers across various social media platforms. If this is the case, this isn’t the time for trying to get by with a selfie stick. Investing in high-resolution photography will pay for itself in time.
As more people join the gig economy, they need high-quality shots to sell everything from homes for rent to hailing a taxi via an app. The number of independent contractor businesses grew over 15% over the last decade. Their customers are finding you online and there’s no brick and mortar place to visit. So your photography can determine your gig’s success.
Even if you are looking to sell your own skillset to hiring companies, photography is important. If you work with an employment agency or headhunter, photo evidence of your work can set you apart from the crowd. Employers are also looking more and more to websites such as LinkedIn for potential hires. This is where a small investment can lead to a substantial reward.
When You Have Insurance Issues
In the event of an accident or natural disaster, you might need to call in an insurance adjuster to assess the property’s value and the extent of the damage. This is another time when you want to get photography services for hire because not having clear and high-resolution images of the damage your business has sustained can actually cost you money. Whether you’re dealing with water, fire, mold, or storm damage, it can be difficult to capture the detail and scope of the damage. If you hire a company that specializes in business owner adjustments, they’ll understand the need for this level of detail and likely either have a photography business they partner with or they have their own professional digital camera equipment.
In this case, it’s important to take a lot of photos from every conceivable angle, so that no question can be left unanswered. Of course, this is just one part of the claims adjustment process, but having the best possible photos can mean you get all the money you deserve to deal with your damage.
When You’re Selling Real Estate
When it comes to selling homes, it’s tempting to consider cutting corners and taking your own photographs. But take your realtor’s advice and search for photography services for hire. According to a recent study, homes that are photographed by a professional sell 32% faster.
More experts believe that strong staging of your home can have a huge return on investment. Staging is setting up your home in a way that allows potential buyers to see themselves in that house. Those in the market for a house are often heavily swayed by the appearance of the kitchen, bathroom, and living room spaces. So the photos in these areas can be quite helpful in presenting the home.
Also, recent statistics show that more than 95% of people buying a home use the internet. Some of this online searching is done at home, but some of it is done while those on the hunt for a home are driving around a neighborhood. They do a quick online search, and if they like the photos they see during that online search, they’re that much more likely to stop and take a closer look. So high-quality photography is that much more important when it comes to selling your home. Most real estate agents already have photographers they trust that they can refer for selling your home.
This rule doesn’t just apply to homes — the same goes for commercial renting. Depending on where you live, finding executive office rental space or other buildings for your business, can be difficult because there’s so much competition. This can be especially true in high-traffic urban areas where job growth is booming. Having the best possible photography of your property can make an incredible first impression and allow you to attract the best tenants.
Conclusion
It’s never been easier to capture photos and show them to the world, thanks to the advent of the digital camera. That’s great when you’re taking snapshots of your lunch at your favorite restaurant to post on an online review site or of your family for your social media feed. But the quality of your photography in various situations is important.
In most cases, such as a wedding or a reunion, you won’t have the opportunity to simply reshoot. In other cases — when you’re trying to sell a house or when you’re trying to demonstrate your skillset to a future employer — the impact of your photography can be measured in dollars and cents. So don’t hesitate to look for a professional photographer with an impressive portfolio when you need to make sure your photos speak loud and clear for you.
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