Is your business looking to generate some press publicity to raise its public profile? If so, great PR Photography and Press Photography are critical!
A casual glance through any newspaper or website will reveal that most stories consist not just of words, but images also. This is where public relations or PR photography can help you. Most public relations specialists will tell you that good photography will help draw a reader’s eye to your article and help them remember it afterwards. PR photography adds visual impact and provides something for the viewer to relate to in the story. So, what makes a good PR photograph and what type of pictures will increase the chances of a newspaper or publication printing your press release?
Really good PR photography tells a story. This is important. Although we don’t necessarily always exclude company logos, too much promotional material tends to make the image more advertising based, and can reduce the likelihood of the story being included. Instead, something with a bit of human content in a relevant environment such as a works or other relevant location is generally better. This creates interest for potential readers and adds something visual to illustrate the content they are reading.
“What techniques do you use for PR photography?”
The short answer to that is “whatever technique is best for the specific subject matter.” PR photography is by its nature, very diverse with subjects ranging from new technology releases, awards ceremonies and sporting events. Each type of shoot has its own specific requirements and will need its own specific approach in order to achieve the best results. This is why I always ask questions before the shoot in order to come up with a suitable plan of action.
While each shoot is individual, the things that will always need to be considered are:
- the story – what is it that we are trying to illustrate and how can do that, the environment and background to the shoot – where will it be,
- how will the shoot be lit – available light or flash – this is critical and can destroy a shoot if not considered properly,
- timescale – how long on site do we have to take the pictures and how quickly do you need them once shoot is completed,
- other considerations such as permission if the shoot is on private property or health and safety considerations/insurance for locations such as building sites or industrial units.
There are also a few technical details that need to be mentioned. Although newspapers prefer good quality photographs, they do also generally prefer file sizes to be less than 2mb simply due to practicality and the volume of photographs they receive every day. They also prefer the pictures to be captioned using what is known as IPTC metadata and this is something I can do for you. When supplying photographs to publications, it is generally best to supply a “small” selection including pictures in both portrait (upright) and landscape format. This gives the editors more options when arranging page layouts. Submission deadlines for publications vary and it is well worthwhile familiarising yourself with them. I generally aim to supply the images to you within 24 hours of the shoot, however if the deadline is tight, this can be more quickly, even from site if necessary.
To see a selection of PR photography and press photography, why not check out the dedicated section of my portfolio.
If you have a PR photography project that you need help with, I’d love to hear from you! Just drop me a line and we can discuss your requirements. Being St Helens based, I can help you with projects across the North West of England covering Merseyside, Lancashire, Cheshire and Greater Manchester. I regularly help clients in St Helens, Warrington, Liverpool, Manchester, Chester and Preston.
Peter Drought
01744 454 834 | 07917317908