Most of us are into snapshots, screenshots, professional portraits, amazing landscapes, wildlife photography, artistic photography, and other styles. I mean, who doesn’t love taking pictures? Especially if you have great equipment or even a fantastic phone. Your passion for photography will help you make memorable shots to last a lifetime.
On that note, professional photography has boomed more than ever before. Professional photographers can make or break your celebrations, gatherings, business meetings, and other events. Hiring a professional photographer is necessary if you care about quality over quantity.
Now, when it comes to professional photography for business ventures, that’s something else entirely. We all know websites and social media will bring traffic to your business. Yet, including professional photography to present your business on a much higher level will drastically change the traffic influx.
Professional photographers will help boost engagement and brand perception. Besides, it’ll elevate your business further.
Let’s talk about commercial photography some more.
The Power of First Impressions
They say you never get a second chance to make a first impression, which holds true in the business world.
Let’s pretend you’re a customer, not a business owner. What’s the first thing you notice when visiting someone’s website or social media page? It doesn’t take much to figure this one out. You’ll notice the page’s visual elements and not their product descriptions or the company’s ethos (who does that anyway?).
What if I told you that, per Sweor’s research, 75% of users would judge a company’s credibility solely based on its website design?
While this is huge, what’s the main takeaway? Three-quarters of your potential customers will judge your business based on visual elements.These elements are photos, images, videos, infographics, etc. The importance is massive!
Why Professional Photography Matters
Speaking of professional photography, it’s a whole other level than making your standard Instagram holiday shots. The main question you should ask yourself is, “Do I want my business to resemble a hobby or a real professional business?”
Probably a professional business. Why? It’s simple. Professional photographers will capture your brand’s essence while focusing on every detail. They’ll ensure to convey trustworthiness and quality. These things are crucial for your potential customers. They’ll help them decide whether to spend their money with your business or elsewhere.
Visual Content Drives Engagement
Let’s start with a metaphor to break the ice, “As honey attracts flies, sweet and incredible visuals attract potential customers.”
The constant visuals they see daily push people to their limits. These visuals come from all over the place. You’ll see them on social media platforms, websites, and mobile phones. Moreover, you’ll find them in various ads, mobile apps, etc. They’re everywhere! Yet, not all those visuals bring back positive results to those businesses.
It’s true. Stunning visuals will capture users’ attention. Then, it’ll give them a nudge toward your business. If your social media posts include professional images, they’ll drive engagement two or three times more. It’s needless to say, professional images are a must-have for gaining more followers.
DIY vs. Professional Photography
You just bought your iPhone 16 MAX/Giga/Ultra or whatever the name is, and you’re confident you can perform miracles with its camera. This might be true to an extent.
Yet, this isn’t all that true regarding professional photography. Why is that, you ask? It’s simple.
Phone cameras can’t adjust room lighting or stage the room, and they lack many other fundamentals of photography. Yet professional equipment can do it all.
Professional photographers know how to highlight specific items under specific conditions. An amateur photographer named John Doe doesn’t know anything about shutter speed, photography features, etc. That’s when our amateur John thinks making a photography scene isn’t crucial and fails. That’s wrong on so many levels!
On another note, buying stock photography is a good thing to an extent. Still, it’s not the best solution either.
Stock photography is generic. Finding a specific stock image you need and aligning it with your brand is tough. It doesn’t happen that often. You need high quality images and custom-made photos made by someone who has received professional training.
Brand Storytelling Through Imagery
Photography and video have always gone hand in hand. Chances are, if you’re preparing your business for a photo shoot, you’ll also need to do so for a corporate video production.
In fact, it’s important to make sure that both your photography and corporate videos are aligned with your branding guidelines. This allows you to incorporate both into all your branding materials.
Great businesses tell stories—and nothing tells a story faster than an image. Professional photography allows you to showcase your business’s unique narrative, from the products you sell to the team behind the scenes.
For example, Beaches of Normandy Tours, a WWII landmark tour agency, effectively leverages professional historical photography. They incorporate these images into articles, such as their piece on the Liberation of Paris. In this piece, historical photos immerse readers in the storytelling, allowing them to feel the weight of the events.
They use current tour photos to convince potential customers to buy tour tickets. They do this by showing how their tours offer an authentic connection to the past while allowing visitors to relive history firsthand.
By capturing moments that resonate emotionally, professional photography becomes a powerful tool for businesses. It enhances storytelling, forges deeper connections with the audience, and ultimately elevates the overall experience—whether it’s in an article, on a website, or in marketing materials.
Increase Conversions With Professional Photography
Want more conversions? Invest in professional photography. A Shopify case study covering 3D and 360-degree imagery showed that high-quality product images could increase sales by nearly 30%.
Clear, professional images give customers the confidence to buy because they can clearly see what they’re getting.
Product Photography Matters
For eCommerce businesses, professional product photography is crucial. Blurry or poorly lit images can make even the best products look cheap, which can lead to higher bounce rates. However, sharp, well-lit photos can help customers think how your product can benefit their lives, making them more likely to click “buy now.”
Conclusion: A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Sales
As you already figured out from this article, professional photography isn’t a luxury choice or a waste of time and money. For your business to thrive, professional photography is a necessity. It’ll help you boost engagement, create everlasting first impressions, and increase conversions and sales.
