Skip to main content

What photographers and brands need to focus on today

Authentic and real imagery. Chocolate in Brugge.
We're all rather cynical these days about advertising promises and can spot an image that's fake a mile away. What does this mean for brands and companies that want to advertise to us and the images they choose? And on the flip side what does the demand for real emotions and real imagery mean for photographers?

Studies have shown that people are far more positive toward  an advert with an emotionally powerful and authentic image than one that looks like a set-up studio piece or standard stock image. Getty commissioned independent research from the agency Brainjuicer in the UK and used a sample of 600 people to test a set of three adverts. One advert used an image that was authentic and emotionally powerful, the second advert was a standard stock type commercial image and the third advert only contained text. The results show a far more positive attitude by the public toward authentic, emotionally powerful images.

In other research conducted by IPA DataMINE it was shown that emotional campaigns, as well as improving brand awareness and commitment to buy, were also more effective in achieving typically 'hard-to-achieve' positioning and perception elements such as fame, quality, trust and differentiation. 

So what does this mean for photographers. Without going into all the nitty gritty of the results of various experiments, I'll cut to the chase.

Authentic images that show real emotions are going to be increasingly sought by brands and companies. The reason is that brands are beginning to realise that overly manipulated 'fake' images and images that are clearly and obviously 'set up' and created to market products do not appeal to people. You and I apparently want to see real people, real situations and real emotions.

Photographers still need to shoot with high production values. Technical quality, good lighting and complete control over every aspect from location to casting is essential. However the key to success will be to create a situation where real emotion can flow, that looks authentic but does not look absolutely perfect in every sense - there has to be a slightly random element, which we term 'perfectly imperfect'. 

Professional photographers know that to produce an image that at a glance may look like a spontaneous snap, takes an extraordinary amount of work but this is the type of image we should be striving for so forget about your overly manipulated and clearly Photoshopped images.If you want to succeed, keep it real. 

Our audience will relate to and identify with images that are real, authentic and emotionally powerful.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.

Till soon
Paul



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Story Behind the Stories in My Photography

 Thank you for taking the time to explore my work. Photography, to me, is a meditative act—an opportunity to be fully present and notice the smallest details. The interplay of colour and light, the textures and shapes, the shift of an expression, a gesture — these subtle moments bring me pure joy. They are why I love storytelling and creating visual poetry. Every image in my portfolio is born from a moment of connection or curiosity. Whether I’m in a bustling city street, a quiet room, or a remote location, I aim to create photographs that resonate with empathy. Take "The Cyclists," for example—what appears to be a simple scene of people pedalling along the pier transforms into a visual symphony of movement and stillness, the hurried energy balanced by the serene focus of the riders. This interplay between action and calm often draws me in. I’m drawn to capturing the essence of a person—their inner world, not just their outward appearance. My approach often dances between the...
Post a Comment
Read more

Overcoming creative block and self doubt

Every photographer, for that matter every creative, I've ever met comes to a point when they're not happy with the work they're producing. The pendulum between creative highs and dry spells swings continuously. For some the cycle is long and the bouts are quite mild for others the feeling of doubt about their work can be a crushing experience which returns all to frequently. It's actually quite healthy to have these periods of doubt because it can often be the beginning of something new and interesting which takes you further than you thought possible. Creatives in the commercial world have to always perform and although they may agree looking back that they've had a few patches where their work was less good, they always seem to bounce back. A very few creative geniuses deliver such high quality work that their poorest attempts still surpass the rest of us. But I have never heard of anyone, from tortured soul of Van Gogh to the supreme showman and genius, Salvador ...
22 comments
Read more

What You Photograph Reveals How You Think

  Photography is often described as a way of seeing. Less often do we talk about it as a way of thinking. What you choose to photograph, and just as importantly what you ignore, quietly mirrors how your mind works. Some photographers are drawn to faces, micro-expressions, emotional spikes. Others chase atmosphere, light, mood. Then there are those who gravitate towards structure, systems, order, the invisible logic holding a scene together. None of this is accidental. The camera becomes a sorting tool. It reveals what your brain prioritises. Where others see chaos, you might see alignment. Where some look for drama, you look for balance. Geometry, repetition, flow, layers, these aren’t just visual preferences, they’re cognitive ones. Strong graphic images tend to come from people who think spatially. Who notice how things relate before they notice what they mean. Lines before labels. Structure before story. And yet, the best images rarely stop there. They gain depth when human pres...
1 comment
Read more