They say a picture is worth a thousand words. And they are right.
There is no doubt imagery is one of the most important parts of your brand. Strong imagery instantly engages, it sets the tone for your messaging and makes a visual statement about who you are as a business.
This is exactly why we often recommend our clients invest in a custom photoshoot.
We truly believe the money spent creating your own images is one of the best investments you can make in your business. Yes, a custom photo shoot will cost you more than buying stock images, but the outcome is also far superior. It takes your brand up a level and sets you apart from your competitors.
A custom photoshoot allows you to tell your own unique story as a business. The lighting, setting and mood will be consistent across all photos. With stock images you are always trying to find something to fit your look and feel.
Let me share an example that highlights just how much value can be gained from a custom photoshoot.
Our client, Balancing Rock Wines, had a unique story to tell. The brand’s founders gave up their successful, full-time jobs to live their dream. They purchased a fabulous, premium vineyard with huge potential in Stanthorpe – the heart of the Queensland’s Granite Belt.
They wanted to build a website with beautiful imagery, to not only sell their wines but to tell their unique story and share their love and passion of wine with the world.
They knew the key to helping people connect with their story was to show the detail and beauty of a working vineyard. A custom photoshoot was the answer.
I drove down from Brisbane to Stanthorpe with the photographer to Art Direct the photoshoot. Coming from Canada, this was my first visit to the Granite Belt.
I had visualised the images we wanted to display on the website in advance. I had no idea when we got there that none of those photo layouts would work. There was a completely different story to tell. The landscape, the cellar door, the climate, the vineyard, the owners themselves – David and Lori. There would not be any stock images that could tell this unique story.
We worked on this photoshoot for 10 hours a day, two days straight. I had to keep in mind the photos needed to be framed so they could be used across various applications such as print, web, social media, apps, signage, and advertising.
I love working with talented photographers who understand what designers want to achieve with design, mood, sorry telling and layout. The photographer I worked with was very talented and an absolute pleasure to work with. This allowed me to design the website so there was a lot of white space and the photos would tell the story of David and Lori’s passion for the vineyard.
David and Lori opened the cells doors in 2016 and won over 8 awards in less than two years after launching. As a designer this has been one of my favourite projects to work on. I got to be part of David and Lori’s dream for a little while from designing their logo, business cards, wine labels, art directing their photography and designing their web site. It was my dream project to work on.
A quick visit to Balancing Rock’s website will show you exactly why a custom photoshoot is worth the extra effort and expense. Oh…and their wines are pretty delicious too!