I’ve written before about using photos in your home business promotions, but we haven’t really talked about what sort of photos work best and whether or not it is worth one’s while (and expense budget) to hire a professional photographer. Of course, it will all depend on exactly how you intend to use those photos and whether you are taking photos of people, places, or things…
What do you need photos of, and how will they be used? If you need to take photos of merchandise for a Web site or catalog, you will want to make sure the images are good representation of the items. If you have a high quality digital camera and can take these photos yourself, this will certainly be the most convenient. You’ll be able to snap the photo, upload it on to your computer and then have it handy to use where it is needed. If you are not very talented with a digital camera, or don’t need to have a constant flow of images, you may need to consider hiring a professional to create quality, attractive images.
If you need some good quality head shots of yourself or other individual people involved with your business—a professional is probably the best way to go. Even if you are going for a candid look, a professional photographer can get you looking your best and get the images to you in a format that will be easy to use for your business. Keep in mind that the public and your customers and clients may form lasting impressions from a photo of you that is found on your Web site or in a brochure and you’ll want to be putting your best face forward (no pun intended.)
Real estate agents aren’t the only ones who might need pictures of houses and buildings. You might want to put a photo of your place of business in your marketing materials. Again, a professional photographer might not be necessary for this if you can take good enough photos yourself. Real estate agents often take their own pictures to put on fliers since they may be working with multiple listings at once and it is the most cost effective and convenient way to manage photos.
When in doubt, ask around and get a few opinions. You might try taking some images for yourself first (or even taking a photography class) and then hiring a professional if the need arises.