Show what you want to sell. It’s drummed into photographers all the time. Post photos of the kind of work you want to shoot – so, for instance, if you want to be known as a dog photographer, then post photos of dogs. Pretty obvious, really. In my case, it’s mostly people that I photograph – whether headshots and portraits, in branding images, or at events. So you’ll see that forms the majority of content on this site.
It applies to every business, not just photographers. We’re just the ones with (usually) an embarrassment of photos to pick from, so there is a tendency of shoving everything online, rather than being more selective.
The reverse applies too, of course. If you want to sell, say, cashmere knitwear, then you need to post photos of said items, not acrylic tracksuits. Okay, it’s a bit of a daft example, but you get the point.
In the case of the Townhouse Hotel Manchester, they wanted to re-introduce afternoon teas to their menu, but didn’t have any up to date photos. So I was happy to oblige!
The photos I shot are doing two jobs. Firstly, they’re setting the scene, showing the room you’ll be served in and trying to convey the ambiance. Notice how I’ve shot the table from different angles, showing more of the dining room so you gain a sense of what the entire space is like. These photos also highlight that it’s an occasion – the silver serving platter, the clean layout of the table, the different plates of savoury and sweet dishes. Having afternoon tea is not an everyday occurrence, so it’s good to get across how special it can be. Secondly, there are photos of the actual food that’s served. So, enticing photos of the cream cakes and sweet desserts, as well as the savoury elements. These photos are also doing two jobs. They’re showing you what you’ll be served if you book, but also trying to make the food look delicious – basically, to tempt you!
So, there you have it – there’s actually quite a lot going on ‘under the surface’ in these shots. Which is what branding photography is all about.
And to answer the inevitable question – no, I didn’t get to eat it afterwards!
