What can be covered in branding photography for the trades
Posted on 22nd March 2021 at 13:40
Telling the story of trades through photography
Branding photography for trades is increasing in popularity, to set them apart. Every business is waking up to the need to have a website, even if it is a relatively basic one. Having an online presence gives credibility to potential clients and enables them to see who they are dealing with and have a look at the type of work they do - this is best acheived through professional photography.
1. What size business are you targeting?
This electricial firm works all over the country and for large commercial establishments as well as domestic clients, so they wanted to show their size but also the faces in the team.
I did a personal branding photo shoot for them that illustrated the fleet and personnel, as well as the two guys who ran it. The idea being that they could exhibit how professional they are but also how friendly.
The shoot also involved going to some fabulous residential homes and taking creative imagery of them at work, as well as attending commercial sites to demonstrate work at the other end of the spectrum.
2. How to tell the story of a trade
By photographing a tradesperson in their working environment, you can show the type of jobs they do and tell the story of how they work.
This might be the scale of the buildings they work in, or the type of plant they deal with and equipment that they use.
For these plumbers I went on site and not only created headshots but working images of them in various ways...from the smaller day to day work that they would do, to the larger residential or development plant work.
These types of images can be used on social media to target specific clients and jobs.
3. What makes you different to the next tradesman?
Personal branding photography can be used for social media campaigns and as website photography. The idea is that the photographs make you stand out from the crowd.
So we talk about what makes you different to the other businesses in your trade. For this father and son painter decorators it was about the care they take over their clients and how meticulous they are in their preparation.
They even bring a teapot, cups and biscuits to site so as not to disturb their clients. Branding photography for trades is about the tools of the trade, the personalities involved and how to create images that will resonate with the right type of clients for that particular tradesperson.
4. Showing the personality of a trade
People buy from people and there are often great characters that can come across in photographs.
Professional photography of the people involved in a business can help their target market see who they are dealing with and get a feel for how they will come across.
This can be done with traditional corporate headshots or more creative branding photography. I feel that the key will be to reveal personalities in the photograph, and so interaction like you can see on this one is important.
This property maintenance business had these two proprietors who were working in central London on high end properties and they always have a cheery disposition. Showing them outside one of the luxury properties they were working on firmly places them in the market they want to be in.
Their team is quite large and also very friendly and we captured that in fun team photos as well.
5. How to illustrate professionalism in a photo
For a tradesperson, professionalism and reliability is one of the main elements that potential clients make their decisions.
Photographs can show this, either by the creative images of tools looking neat and tidy, or ones like this where care is being taken to go over the plans and make sure all the measurements are right.
Professional photographs don't need to have people smiling into the camera to tell the story.
Branding photography for trades can be varied and underpin the business's brand values, so long as there is a creative approach.
Does professional photography enhance a trade's brand?
I strongly believe that having bespoke professional photography can hugely add to a business's marketing, positioning them in the right 'space' so that their ideal client sees them and connects with them. I have photographed numerous tradepeople over the years and also work with some on an ongoing basis to showcase their projects.
I'm always very happy to have a chat to see if a branding shoot is a good idea for your business. If you'd like to find out more, do give me a call on 07793 205155 or contact me
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