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stockxchng-businessman-stock-photo-by-tanelOnce you have found your first corporate clients, you will want to think about dealing with the photo shoot itself.  Is it any different from most other shoots?  Well in a sense it’s similar to portrait shoots except you are working in an unfamiliar environment and to a tight deadline.

Therefore you must plan ahead and know what you are doing before hand.  Your equipment must be in working order, powered up and ready to go.

Equipment…

At its most basic, here are some pieces of equipment you will need.
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stockxchng-untying-the-tie-stock-photo-by-zoofythejiCorporate Photography is an area that many professional photographers specialize in.  This type of photography covers a few different areas but it is mainly focused on capturing images of businesses and their staff.  Some people think that corporate photography is boring and repetitive because there is less of a need to be creative but in fact it can be exciting and challenging.

Who needs corporate images?

The type of companies that usually want professional photographs can vary but you will be surprised at how much variation there is in the work!  It can be a public sector company; for example, a charity commissioning images for their brochures and websites or it could be, quite often, large corporate companies who need to give off a polished image.

Larger companies or any business that produce newsletters and reports, especially internal staff will tend to use their own images as it encourages a sense of being part of a team.
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stockxchng-pregnant-silhoutte-stock-photo-by-ballisonWhen you become a baby and pregnancy photographer, as well has having ideas and knowing how to deal with people you need to know the best way to promote your services.

Babies are being born all the time and these days many women want to document their pregnancy and child in a set of beautiful photographs.  In order for people to know that you exist and that you can do this work for them you need to advertise effectively and have lots of examples to show.  Here are some ideas on how to sell yourself.

1.    Use the internet

You must use the internet if you don’t already to show off your work.  A website showing you best photographs is the easiest way to deal with enquiries as you can direct anyone, anywhere to your work instantly.
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stockxchng-heart-beat-stock-photo-by-biewoefPhotographing an expectant woman is not without its challenges.  The truth is pregnant women can be emotional or feel discomfort during a photo-shoot and being kind and understanding will help your cause much more than being abrupt.  Here are some more tips on how to get some great shots of a pregnant woman.

1.    Being patient

Working with a pregnant woman may sometimes be harder than working with a seasoned model.  For one thing, women that hire you to take pregnancy shots of them are not professionals so will need direction from you constantly.  Secondly, depending on the person’s temperament they may be emotional or difficult on the day.

Although something like a photo-shoot is supposed to be fun, some women get very stressed out easily and may find the whole experience more uncomfortable than fun.  If you are dealing with someone nervous, it’s a good idea to prepare a factsheet for them – a guide they don’t have to follow but they can use if they wish.
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stockxchng-pregnancy-5-stock-photo-by-bjearwickeSooner or later, you may find yourself with an unexpected challenge that you have never thought about before, like photographing a pregnant woman.  If you work in portraiture or in any type of photography that involves people, you will have to know what to do when dealing with a bump.

When a woman wants to have her bump photographed it’s usually because she wants to treasure those few months where she is carrying her child.  It’s important to talk to your potential model and make sure that they get what they want from the entire experience.  Here are some tips to help you out:

1.    Practice!

If you have a pregnant friend then you can practice but you can practice just as well with a model with some padding around the stomach.   The reason it is worth practicing is because you can learn to see what kind of shapes and shadows you can end up with.  Particularly in studio photography you need to know how to light a bump effectively and it’s best to figure this out when practicing with a model.
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stockxchng-handshake-stock-photo-by-fotocromo1As a photographer, you will have to deal with not just colleagues and clients; you will also have to deal with external people who will help you run your business. This includes people who hire or supply your equipment, people you hire studio space from, people who print your photographs and frame them, people who you hire vans from and so on.

When you become the person doing the hiring, it’s important to remember to treat people how you expect to be treated.  This means following some rules to make sure you have good reputation but also do the right things for your own business.

Here are some tips on how to build rapport with your suppliers and contractors.
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stockxchng-summer-photographer-stock-photo-by-sebadanonEvery Photographer at some point will need the support of his or her team.  This could be your assistant or a technician, it could be a make up artist or a hairdresser, and it could be your models or your agent.  Being someone that people want to work with, works in your favor because with a good reputation, you will be hired again and again.

Here are some tips on working with your colleagues.

1.    Communicate

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stockxchng-teamwork-2-stock-illustration-by-svilen001No matter what kind of photography you do, if you have to work with other people then it’s important to be able to build rapport with them.  It could be your clients or your models, it could be your assistant or team – being someone that is professional and can be trusted is important to make it as a Photographer.

Here are some ways to build up a rapport with your potential customers and clients.

1.    Show them your work
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stockxchng-filofax-2-stock-photo-by-scataudoNearly all photographers begin life as an assistant.  When the time comes for you to choose your own assistant it can be exciting but is also a responsibility.  An assistant works for practically free – there isn’t a wage expected generally speaking, unless you assist in a studio.  You are expected to provide travel expenses and lunch money to your assistant. Usually if they have done a good job, then you can give them a bonus.

Assistants are a blessing to busy photographers.  No matter what kind of photography you do, there is always a use for an assistant.  They are there to help you out there – so they can carry you r equipment, they can fetch hot drinks, they can check the light meter, they can help you spots faults in a shot.  They can pretty much do anything that you need help with.
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stockxchng-tractor-stock-photo-by-newart_picThere are numerous situations where you may need to hire a model.  When you are hiring a model for your own projects or for a client it’s very important to test.  A photography test shoot means that you call the model in to see if they are able to give you the shots you need. Sometimes a model may not deliver what you need or maybe their look is not suitable.  It can be hard to evaluate this without a test shoot.

If you have quite a big job for a client or a very specific image you want for a portfolio image then you must test your models.

One of the best ways to see if you model has a natural flare for modeling is to call them in and choose a simple background or location. Make them wear something simple, like jeans and a white t-shirt and ask them to give you as many different looks as possible.
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