"Don't worry about it Richard, I trust you."  For me this is one of the greatest compliments that a client can pay to you.  It came from a conversation with a property developer. He was asking for a price on a new job and I wasn't quite sure how to cost it. It involved several visits to a building site over many months and the travelling time and hours spent on site would vary. The story behind this remark goes back to a conversation from a year ago.  

The same client asked for a price for creating a time lapse video of a new property development.  Producing a high quality time lapse video for a project that lasts many months can be expensive as they require frequent visits to the site to check the cameras, change the memory cards and download backups of the data. I knew his marketing budget was rather meagre and that it would not cover the costs involved.  I declined to quote and instead sent details of a low cost waterproof camera that had the ability to create time lapse video without much user input.  I don't think they ever went ahead with that project but my honesty in turning down a potentially lucrative job and offering them an alternative solution created a new level of trust in our relationship.  They knew straight away I was not going to rip them off, that I would give them an honest opinion of the best way to do a job and they were grateful for advice that gave them a practical solution.  I understood their needs, and the constraints they had to work within.   Elevated photos of a new houseNew housing development

A year later when they came back to ask for a quote on another long running project I was hesitant about quoting a price.    They new they could trust me and that I wouldn't take advantage of them, so when I tested the water by suggesting what I thought the cost was likely to be they knew they were getting an honest quote. "Don't worry about it Richard, I trust you." was the reply to my pricing suggestion.

Marketing gurus promote that you need to "know, like and trust" a person before you will do business with them and this was a great example of the mantra in action.  In photography it is especially important.  If you want your portrait taken how are you going to relax and feel at ease if you don't like the photographer.  If you don't trust them then you will always be worried that they are not going to make you look your best.

One of the problems of working as a professional photographer is that everyone is your competition.  Anyone with a camera phone can take a good shot and if its not critical to get "The Shot" then it doesn't really matter if they produce a bad photo. Potential clients will often choose a mate with a good camera or a colleague who is handy with a smart phone.  They might well "know, like and trust" them, but not necessarily for the right reasons.  If they don't know their photographic ability or expertise, can they really trust them to produce a great shot?

There are always going to be some occasions when getting a great shot is vital. For example when you are going to use those images to market your business and they are going to be in circulation for many months. Photos that you use on your website or printed brochure.  Then you need to have someone who understands the key details of photography:  

• compostion
• lighting
• the technicalities of the camera
• depth of field 
• current trends and styles
• matching the photo style to your brand

Above all you are going to need someone you can trust to get it right.

As well as general commercial photography I specialise in property and food photography.  When I walk into a property to photograph the interior I know straight away what to look for, the unsightly dangling wires of table lamps, the waste paper bin, objects hidden under the bed, all these will need to be moved out of sight. I will be paying particular attention to where the light is coming from.  What can you see out of the window?  Is the view an important part of the picture?

LibraryLibrary in country house

If you are a business which sells food, you will never question the importance of employing a highly trained chef.  One who has years of experience getting all the ingredients, flavours, textures, colours and the look of the dish just right. Are you going to throw all that away for a quick snap on a phone of his classic signature dish? No, you are going to choose someone who you can compose a beautiful image and who knows the technical aspects of the camera and gets it right first time.  A person who won't disrupt your kitchen but who can work quickly whilst the food is still looking at its best.

If you are thinking about getting some new marketing photos then give me call.  We can get to know each other and if you like me then we can build up the trust and produce some beautiful images to showcase your business.  Here's my number 07557 780336, I look forward to speaking to you.