Brand Awareness and Marketing with Photography in the Digital Age

Today, I commented on the Oakland Raiders twitter feed about David Carr practicing. Nothing unusual about a QB getting ready for the next game. What I did, is blast the Raiders for the photo they used. See below.

My statement was about the photo itself and the poor quality of the image. This has nothing to do with the fans, believe me, I heard a lot from the Raider fans. They are as passionate about their team as anyone. For that I give those fans much respect. Those same passionate fans deserve better than this crappy cell phone photo. I know the Raiders have a team photographer. So why would the Raiders not use their team photographer for this tweet. They said "We endeavor to provide immediate updates from the field and inform fans of newsworthy moments."

Makes sense, and I agree with them completely on this matter. However, if the news is this important, wouldn't it be in the best interest of the Raiders, the NFL and their fans to get the best possible image of this newsworthy event? I think so.

In this day and age of instant information, high speed networks and the ability of photographers to transmit images quickly, it should not be a problem to take the 10 or 15 minutes necessary to get a much better quality image out. Quicker does not always mean better, in fact, it rarely does.

The Raiders and the NFL should know better, after all it is their product. Brand awareness is key in the digital age. Even with an NFL team.

So take the necessary time to get it right.

Devaluation of Photography

Have you ever heard the phrase: "It's just a photo"?
   I do...all the time. It's just a part of the devaluation of photography and photographers. Now that cameras are everywhere, it's an epidemic of poor images filtering into the mainstream consciousness. Where images that are "good enough" are used in place of hiring the trained professionals to create the proper images.
  I must send out two or three quotes a week and I always hear the same thing. "Why is it so much?  It's just a photo."
  As a commercial photographer it is not "just a photograph". It is the key to my clients brand and image. Good photography can separate brands in an ever more knowledgeable consumer base. The proper photograph has the power to make a brand or a product. The top companies in the world seem to understand and they hire the best photographers(or animators) to make their product/brand stand apart. That is not to say everyone has their budget, but with a little research and a little knowledge even a small company can increase their brand awareness with better photography.
  Look at it this way, if Uncle Jim is willing to take a photo of your Wine Bottle in his basement with some lights he purchased at his local Menard's and using his Rebel for $100.
  Then, your local professional photographer is willing to photograph that same Wine Bottle in a studio setting, make a proper clipping path, correct lighting, and high quality Canon 1DX for $200.
  Which would you rather have?

I can remember years ago, when I was photographing weddings, I could command a nice day rate for proper wedding photos. Now, not that I want to shoot weddings, I could not even get half of what I use to. This is all do to : "I have a friend who can take photos." or "My uncle has a nice camera."
I really feel for professional wedding photographers, brutal business these days. I actually had someone who told me she would just have all her friends take photos on their iPhone.
Really, your wedding and you are going to have iPhone photos...ok, good luck with that.