The Challenges and Rewards of Commercial Photography

When it comes to commercial photography, there are numerous challenges that photographers must navigate. One of the primary difficulties is scaling down from the wide-open possibilities of artistic expression into what their clients want. This can be a daunting task, as commercial photography often involves working with specific parameters set by an art director, designer, and other stakeholders who have input on the final product.

As a result, photographers must develop strong communication skills to effectively convey their vision to clients. They must also learn to navigate complex projects, juggling multiple stakeholders and ensuring that everyone is on the same page. This requires a high degree of adaptability, creativity, and attention to detail. When done well, commercial photography can be incredibly rewarding, as photographers have the opportunity to work with a wide range of subjects and clients.

One of the most impressive aspects of commercial photography is how often the final product does not reveal the full extent of what went into creating it. While photographers may see behind-the-scenes glimpses or hints of their process, much of the creative decision-making takes place outside of public view. This can be frustrating at times, as photographers may feel that their hard work and expertise are not being fully recognized.

Despite these challenges, many commercial photographers thrive on the opportunity to create stunning images that capture people's attention. When a photographer is able to fulfill the client's requirements while also bringing something unique and special to the table, they truly excel in their craft. This level of creativity and innovation can lead to widespread recognition and a loyal client base.

Of course, not every commercial photography project is a creative dream come true. Sometimes clients can be difficult to work with, and photographers may find themselves having to fulfill more mundane requests rather than pursuing their artistic vision. However, even in these situations, the end result is still a chance for the photographer to hone their skills and develop their style.

Ultimately, commercial photography offers a unique set of challenges and rewards that require skill, creativity, and adaptability. By understanding the intricacies of this field, photographers can better navigate the complex world of commercial art and produce work that truly stands out.

The Importance of Fulfilling Client Requirements

When it comes to fulfilling client requirements, photographers must strike a delicate balance between meeting expectations and bringing their own creative vision to the table. This can be a difficult tightrope to walk, as photographers may feel pressure from clients to conform to specific parameters or style guidelines. However, this does not necessarily mean that the final product will lack creativity or originality.

In fact, some of the most impressive commercial photographs are those that take client requirements as a starting point and then add something unique and special to the mix. By listening carefully to clients' needs and understanding their goals, photographers can create images that truly meet expectations while also leaving a lasting impression on the viewer.

This process often requires a high degree of collaboration between photographer, art director, and designer. Each member of this team brings their own expertise and perspective to the table, ensuring that the final product is both visually stunning and effective in communicating the client's message. By working together seamlessly, photographers can create images that are greater than the sum of their parts.

For photographers who have made a name for themselves through commercial work, this ability to balance creativity with practicality is often the key to success. By fulfilling client requirements while also bringing something special to the table, they are able to build a loyal client base and establish themselves as top-tier professionals in their field.

The Role of Experience and Skill

Experience and skill play a crucial role in commercial photography, as photographers must be able to navigate complex projects and communicate effectively with clients. While there is no substitute for sheer talent, experience can make all the difference when it comes to delivering high-quality results under pressure.

Photographers who have spent years honing their craft often develop a keen sense of what works and what doesn't in different genres and styles. They know how to work within tight deadlines, manage difficult clients, and bring their vision to life through careful planning and execution.

This expertise can also serve as a valuable tool for building client relationships and establishing a reputation as a trusted professional. When photographers are able to consistently deliver high-quality results, they build trust with their clients and establish themselves as go-to experts in their field.

Of course, not every photographer has the luxury of years of experience under their belt. However, even those who are just starting out can learn from more experienced colleagues and benefit from working on a variety of projects. By taking the time to develop their skills and build their portfolio, photographers can set themselves up for success in the competitive world of commercial photography.

The Rewards of Specializing

While it's tempting to go wide and try your hand at everything, specializing in a particular area of photography can be incredibly rewarding. When photographers focus on a specific genre or style, they develop a deep understanding of its unique challenges and opportunities. This expertise allows them to deliver high-quality results that exceed client expectations.

For those who have made a name for themselves through commercial work, specialization can also lead to greater success and recognition. By focusing on a particular area of expertise, photographers are able to establish themselves as top-tier professionals in their field and attract clients who appreciate their unique skills and style.

In addition, specializing in a particular genre or style can allow photographers to explore new creative avenues and push the boundaries of what's possible. When given the freedom to experiment and innovate within their area of expertise, photographers are able to produce work that truly stands out and leaves a lasting impression on their clients and the wider world.

Ultimately, commercial photography offers a unique set of challenges and rewards that require skill, creativity, and adaptability. By understanding the intricacies of this field and focusing on developing your expertise, you can establish yourself as a top-tier professional and deliver high-quality results that exceed client expectations.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enin this video I would like to address a couple comments that I got the other day when I did the video that talked about creating meaningful works is how I put it work of value um about putting the thought and the creativity and the effort in to at least make an attempt to make your images overtime extraordinary and it was really weird because I think that maybe it was too open in it or something but I had several people that claimed that this did not apply really to professional photography that the only people they cared about were what their clients thought and someone had asked me um do you think that this kind of creative approach applies to commercial work and I want to address that because yes I think it absolutely applies to that approach um before I get into that let me preps this by saying that I do not make my living doing client work in photography I do video work I do an artist series right now where I'm working with fine art photographers and that's what I do I am not a commercial photographer so if you are a commercial photographer this is a discussion worth Happ having and I would really like some input from from those of you who do make your living as photographers because I think this is a a really interesting discussion but I think it's important as well um my experience with photography I've had a lot of friends who are commercial photographers when I grew up my dad was a commercial illustrator and we had a lot of friends of the family who were commercial photographers it's been very interesting to see how that business has changed over the years there are things that stock photography has replaced that used to have large budgets to send photographers across the world to get a specific shot for an annual report per se and a lot of that has shrunk and it is it can still be done obviously there are a lot of people who make their living as a photographer but it's just the business has changed a lot and what I think is very interesting and I want to say this that when I say when I'm talking about the creativity involved and creating works of value work that means something I'm almost more impressed when I see commercial work that's taken to that level than I am with fine art work that's taken to that level in the art world uh typically you have complete Freedom over what it is you want to shoot and that comes with a set of difficulties a set of parameters around it it's almost so wide open that like scaling that down into what you want to specialize in um is some of the challenge there typically when you shoot commercial work and I'm not talking about photojournalism I'm talking about like product photography um portrait photography celebrity photography things like that that somebody would be hired to go shoot um let's say you open up a magazine you're thumbing through and you find like a mercedesbenz ad or a BMW ad or something Ferrari ad and they've hired a photographer to do a shoot of the car and you see something that's really amazing and that happens and you're like wow this is a great shot what's really impressive to me when you see great photography in the commercial realm is that a lot of times we're not well in fact all the time we're not privy to some of the things that went into that job that we'll never know about so for instance uh let's say you're shooting for a car company um generally there is some kind of Ad Agency that you're probably working through there's an art director there's a designer and there's several people involved that have input in what they are looking for in the image sometimes there's a request for proposal and the parameters are drawn up in terms of what the image is going to be how it's going to be shot and so it can get very detailed it's rarely improvisatory in that sense and so with that comes the challenge of sometimes convincing people if you were the photographer that maybe it could be a little better if this happened and sometimes you have to sell that to them and so there is an element of fulfilling the requirements of the job and then I think where the best of the best start coming out where the really best photographers shine through are those that can take that fulfill the job requirements and then do something even more special with it and these are people that end up becoming very well known they get a lot of work and I have the nothing but the utmost respect for that now it doesn't happen with every client friends of mine who who do this who shoot commercially um you know you hear stories all the time sometimes clients are more specific and less willing to budge than others sometimes clients because they're people like anything else they can be a little bit difficult to deal with and certainly there are jobs that you just fulfill to move on and get the paycheck and but that's normal but I think where you see when when it does allow itself for that kind of creative interpretation and I think that's where things become very special and I think ultimately I think this is why anybody would hire a photographer to begin with if I hired a graphic designer to do something for me I would hire them because they're going to be able they're going to know more about graphic design they're going to be able to help me in a way that I won't be able to do because I don't have that skill set it doesn't always happen but that's how photography should work anyway to keep this from being too long-winded um if you are a photographer who makes your living uh through photography I would like to leave a comment and join in this discussion um I am like I said I am not one of those people and I certainly have nothing but the utmost respect for people who do this whether you shoot weddings or whatever that is i' shot one wedding one time I'll never do it again and I have a enormous respect for people who shoot weddings and do it really well it's really hard same thing you're dealing with people you're dealing with large budgets sometimes weddings are expensive people pay a lot of money for them and that's a very legitimate way to do it and the best photographers who do that are the ones that are able to bring something more that put I hesitate to use the word a personal stamp on it because it's not an arrogant ego thing but for instance if I hire Bill Jones because he's a great photographer if he's going to shoot a wedding I would hire him because I want him to do that and be himself and so anyway I hope this opens up a conversation I would be really curious to hear what you guys have to think I live mostly in the more of the art end of things and less in the commercial world so like I said I'm not an expert with that but anyway I'd love to hear what you guys have to say if you guys enjoyed this video please remember to like it share it subscribe to the Art of Photography we're doing a lot of talking these days but I have some other stuff coming up that I'm working on we've got some gear stuff coming up some tutorial stuff and uh hopefully we'll get on a roll here and uh create some more awesome videos so until the next video I'll catch you guys then laterin this video I would like to address a couple comments that I got the other day when I did the video that talked about creating meaningful works is how I put it work of value um about putting the thought and the creativity and the effort in to at least make an attempt to make your images overtime extraordinary and it was really weird because I think that maybe it was too open in it or something but I had several people that claimed that this did not apply really to professional photography that the only people they cared about were what their clients thought and someone had asked me um do you think that this kind of creative approach applies to commercial work and I want to address that because yes I think it absolutely applies to that approach um before I get into that let me preps this by saying that I do not make my living doing client work in photography I do video work I do an artist series right now where I'm working with fine art photographers and that's what I do I am not a commercial photographer so if you are a commercial photographer this is a discussion worth Happ having and I would really like some input from from those of you who do make your living as photographers because I think this is a a really interesting discussion but I think it's important as well um my experience with photography I've had a lot of friends who are commercial photographers when I grew up my dad was a commercial illustrator and we had a lot of friends of the family who were commercial photographers it's been very interesting to see how that business has changed over the years there are things that stock photography has replaced that used to have large budgets to send photographers across the world to get a specific shot for an annual report per se and a lot of that has shrunk and it is it can still be done obviously there are a lot of people who make their living as a photographer but it's just the business has changed a lot and what I think is very interesting and I want to say this that when I say when I'm talking about the creativity involved and creating works of value work that means something I'm almost more impressed when I see commercial work that's taken to that level than I am with fine art work that's taken to that level in the art world uh typically you have complete Freedom over what it is you want to shoot and that comes with a set of difficulties a set of parameters around it it's almost so wide open that like scaling that down into what you want to specialize in um is some of the challenge there typically when you shoot commercial work and I'm not talking about photojournalism I'm talking about like product photography um portrait photography celebrity photography things like that that somebody would be hired to go shoot um let's say you open up a magazine you're thumbing through and you find like a mercedesbenz ad or a BMW ad or something Ferrari ad and they've hired a photographer to do a shoot of the car and you see something that's really amazing and that happens and you're like wow this is a great shot what's really impressive to me when you see great photography in the commercial realm is that a lot of times we're not well in fact all the time we're not privy to some of the things that went into that job that we'll never know about so for instance uh let's say you're shooting for a car company um generally there is some kind of Ad Agency that you're probably working through there's an art director there's a designer and there's several people involved that have input in what they are looking for in the image sometimes there's a request for proposal and the parameters are drawn up in terms of what the image is going to be how it's going to be shot and so it can get very detailed it's rarely improvisatory in that sense and so with that comes the challenge of sometimes convincing people if you were the photographer that maybe it could be a little better if this happened and sometimes you have to sell that to them and so there is an element of fulfilling the requirements of the job and then I think where the best of the best start coming out where the really best photographers shine through are those that can take that fulfill the job requirements and then do something even more special with it and these are people that end up becoming very well known they get a lot of work and I have the nothing but the utmost respect for that now it doesn't happen with every client friends of mine who who do this who shoot commercially um you know you hear stories all the time sometimes clients are more specific and less willing to budge than others sometimes clients because they're people like anything else they can be a little bit difficult to deal with and certainly there are jobs that you just fulfill to move on and get the paycheck and but that's normal but I think where you see when when it does allow itself for that kind of creative interpretation and I think that's where things become very special and I think ultimately I think this is why anybody would hire a photographer to begin with if I hired a graphic designer to do something for me I would hire them because they're going to be able they're going to know more about graphic design they're going to be able to help me in a way that I won't be able to do because I don't have that skill set it doesn't always happen but that's how photography should work anyway to keep this from being too long-winded um if you are a photographer who makes your living uh through photography I would like to leave a comment and join in this discussion um I am like I said I am not one of those people and I certainly have nothing but the utmost respect for people who do this whether you shoot weddings or whatever that is i' shot one wedding one time I'll never do it again and I have a enormous respect for people who shoot weddings and do it really well it's really hard same thing you're dealing with people you're dealing with large budgets sometimes weddings are expensive people pay a lot of money for them and that's a very legitimate way to do it and the best photographers who do that are the ones that are able to bring something more that put I hesitate to use the word a personal stamp on it because it's not an arrogant ego thing but for instance if I hire Bill Jones because he's a great photographer if he's going to shoot a wedding I would hire him because I want him to do that and be himself and so anyway I hope this opens up a conversation I would be really curious to hear what you guys have to think I live mostly in the more of the art end of things and less in the commercial world so like I said I'm not an expert with that but anyway I'd love to hear what you guys have to say if you guys enjoyed this video please remember to like it share it subscribe to the Art of Photography we're doing a lot of talking these days but I have some other stuff coming up that I'm working on we've got some gear stuff coming up some tutorial stuff and uh hopefully we'll get on a roll here and uh create some more awesome videos so until the next video I'll catch you guys then later\n"