Elevating Your Brand with Photography
How Shooting on Film Can Set You Apart
Most business owners understand the relationship of original, compelling photographs to their ability to attract new customers. In recent years, people have become increasingly inundated with images, and it's more important than ever to have pictures that can grab the notice of potential clients, especially moms whose time and attention span are limited.
While considering photography options for your marketing, there is an old, but trustworthy method for helping your photos to stand out in the crowd. It may sound strange in the digital age, but I am a big proponent of shooting on film, and I am not alone. Many other photographers with specialties like fashion, food, and interiors, will agree that shooting on film creates images that lend a special, luxurious depth that their most discerning clients appreciate.
There are certainly cost-conscious reasons to opt for digital, as it can save on certain up-front expenses, and reduce turn-around time. In considering the benefits of film though, you might be surprised to find that there are fewer drawbacks to shooting analog than you might originally suppose.
I'd like to dispel a few myths about working with film:
Myth: Shooting on film makes it harder to access and handle the photos.
Truth: Images shot on film can be scanned at the time of processing for proofing purposes. Once selects are made, higher resolution drum scans can be produced to create digital files that carry the full depth, artistic nuance, and subtlety captured on film. Your marketing workflow is essentially the same as if you started with an original digital file.
Myth: Digital technology is way better than film technology.
Truth: While digital technology appears to create images instantly, it still takes time, talent, and expense to manipulate the images to their best potential. Film technology has its own benefits, including its simulation of the way our eyes see light in the way that it records it. This means, film gives more nuanced gradations, the same way that live music or a recording on vinyl creates an artistic richness simply not present in digital recordings.
Myth: More is better.
Truth: Less is more. Not only is shooting more photos not necessarily better, it can actually be a detriment to the uniqueness of the moment captured. For a example, when a spontaneous expression occurs, a digital shooter using a seemingly endless memory card might get a little trigger happy, never quite nailing the exact emotional essence and often missing it by just a hair. On the contrary, when the photographer is limited in their number of available frames, they have to be tuned in, alert, and enraptured in the moment so as to hit the shutter at the exact instant of emotion. There is simply more artistry required when shooting on film, and the photographs will take on the special signature of the person capturing them. Talk about distinguishing your brand!
Nowadays, people are accustomed to seeing digital images. Not only is having a skilled photographer a must for elevating the look and feel of your business, working with someone who can shoot on film adds even more of an angle.
A word of caution: Photographers who have started within the past five years, and recent grads of art schools may have focused almost exclusively on digital photography – if choosing film, you will want to be sure that your photographer has extensive background in creating images this way.
Compare and Contrast
In these examples, pay close attention to the similarities and differences. Practice noticing the subtleties of the craft, and see what speaks to you. If a photo catches you off guard, causing you to take pause and drink in its emotion and its message, there is a good chance it would have the same effect on your client. Pay careful attention to how these photos were made, and discuss these ideas with your photographer and marketing team. You'll be well on your way to crafting photos for a brand essence that speaks directly to your target market.
Black and White
See the way black and white film allows for more subtlety in the gradations, particularly in the highlights and shadows. Digital black and white's have more contrasts, and may not be preferable if you are selecting to shoot sans color.
Portraits
Note the extra warmth and softness captured on film; digital creates impeccable sharpness, but particularly for children's brands, you may wish to opt for film's softness.
Bright Sunlight
Notice how film captures details both in the highlights and in the shadows. Digital captures vibrant color beautifully, but you might miss some of the details in the extreme lights and darks.
Why film for baby products?
Babies and motherhood carry with them a gentle timelessness and a sense of spirit that has been passed down through the ages. Digital is handy and quick, but it lacks the same timelessness, and digital images can appear too flashy for gentler brands. Meanwhile, film creates an ethereal, eternal look – something that makes the viewer want to slow down, and relish the moment, the same way they relish time with their baby. Having your brand represented by images that people truly connect with creates a deep, emotional bond.