By outsourcing your photography to a professional photographer you have the comfort of knowing that the person has the knowledge and background to make the correct adjustments to whatever scenario arises. They should have all of the necessary equipment to make sure your photographs are of the highest quality possible. With the background and education, you can expect that they have a keen eye that will position you in the proper places, angles and lighting that would make your photo superior. One would also believe that because they are a professional, they would only present you with the highest quality. This would be accomplished by them utilizing the latest applications, the best printers, the best cameras and the very best lenses. The photographer will also have the proper licensing for his business that will eliminate you from suffering a possible lawsuit.
Some of the drawbacks to utilizing a professional photographer are the most glaring being the cost you will incur for their services. They have spent thousands of dollars, sometimes even tens of thousands on equipment and usually more on school. They must then rent or purchase space to house their studio, pay utilities, and advertise and whatever other expenses that they may have related to their business. This will all be reflected in the final cost that purchaser pays. A person is also at the mercy of the photographers schedule and must make appropriate arrangements with their own personal schedule. This includes the times for the shoot, the time to proof and produce or correct the images. You are also limited to other certain criteria such as how many wardrobe changes you are allowed, how many persons can be in a sitting, the amount of time for the sitting, what backdrops or scenery can and will be used. These are all negative factors that must be looked at prior to making the outsourcing decision.
By having the ability to create and correct your photography in house, you eliminate having a major portion of the expenses that a business owner must incur and reflect in to the charges you receive. You will also have the ability to make changes on the fly, as you see fit without having the hassle of someone telling you they can’t or that there will an additional expense for the added time and labor. You will in essence, remove all of the burdens you are faced with when outsourcing the job. One of the cons that you will now have is that you must make sure you legally obtain the proper licensing and permits, set up the correct accounts, handle the taxing authority and have all necessary liability insurances to cover you in the event that someone were to bring forth litigation upon you. Time constraints that you may be faced with are another variable that is not often looked at. How many hours are you going to be able to devote to the business as opposed to your normal everyday duties in life? Many of us do not and will not factor that in to the equation when we think that keeping it in house is a better solution to solving the problem.
Having the ability to take the photographs in an open setting that you can design due to having an in-house employee handling the duties can also add more to the bottom line of the business. Being able to take the time to arrange the products, people and props without having first having to worry about the rate you are being charged can allow for a more creative shoot. Props can be moved around as needed, lighting can be adjusted accordingly, products can be arranged, rearranged or completely removed as you see fit. When using an outsourced provider, you are in essence limiting yourself or restraining yourself because of the charges you will ultimately incur. After having taken the photos, you also have the ability to layer them, change the color scheme, add and remove objects all without having to continually look at proofs that are being sent back and forth from your outsourced company.
The equipment you will need to handle photography in-house would be a camera and the one preferably is a Single Lens Reflex camera. One of the reasons you would want to have this type of camera is because it allows you to capture exactly what you see through the viewfinder. Another reason for utilizing this particular camera is that the SLR is great for taking different types of photos using different back drops, lighting conditions and poses. The different scenarios cause the necessity to change lens which the SLR allows for. The lenses for the SLR camera that you will most likely use are telephoto or zoom lenses for the in-house photography sessions.
For optimal photography you will need artificial lighting in the area you are utilizing. This will give you the effects that you will need for the shots you are taking or the outcome you desire. A lighting tent is a great option for this. The most common types of flash that you will need are the remote-firing flash; this will allow you to get the appropriate results for the photo in the scenario that is taking place. What is quite possibly the most important piece of equipment that you will need is a processing system. This will consist of a computer with a photo-editing program and enough RAM to handle the increased sizes of photos. This allows you to make needed corrections to images which will allow you to get the results you need or are looking for out of the image. A photo or imaging printer that is capable of printing hi resolution images with pre-viewing capabilities. Additional items that will be important pieces of equipment to help make the photography easier, aside from the already mentioned items are a tri-pod, which will allow for completely still picture taking, adjustable height or angles and hands-free usage. Back drops along with staging items for effects or scenery that will enhance the pictures effects. Remote control for the cameras shutter so that you are able to take the photos without having to touch the actual camera.
The initial costs incurred would be fairly inexpensive with the most costly items being the camera, computer and printer. The initial setup price for these items has a wide range from $3k to $10k depending on the brand. The accessories for the camera are an additional cost, again with a wide price range depending upon the brand. In house space may also be necessary to acquire or construct. This cost can be in the form of a one-time fee or monthly cost to you. Lighting and props are normally a nominal cost as compared to the major items one needs to begin handling in-house photography. An additional cost would be the hiring of an employee that meets the necessary credentials to handle the photography. This would also add additional payroll, benefits and workers compensation to the company. In the end, the cost savings of doing it in-house would far outweigh the expenses incurred of subletting the photography to an outside company or individual.
The store operations would not be effected on the retail side because the photography sessions would be handled in off hours or during the non-peak times of operation. The reason for this would be the necessity of setup and teardown of photography equipment and the inability of consumers to enter the area that is being photographed. The opposite will take place for the company as a whole financially. Having the photos taken and viewed in house will allow for more vibrant photos, different poses of the product that will enhance the overall appearance, thus making the products more appealing to the consumer. This will drive up sales, allow for the faster turnover of product and ultimately bottom line figures or profits that can be shared amongst the rank and file of the business. Having the in-house employee will also allow for interaction and utilization of areas throughout the building that may otherwise be off limits to a person or company that is contracted to complete the photographs. One additional item that is beneficial to the company is the ability to write off the costs incurred for the purchase of the equipment and the upgrades that will undoubtedly come over time.
Having the in-house equipment will also allow for the creation of web pages, magazine, flyers and or mailing layouts. The person, employed to perform these duties will have the ability to consult with those individuals that make the daily decisions one on one with an expedited decision being made. This would allow for faster production of and release of the images to the public, thus making the return on the investment that much faster and quite possibly raising the bottom line financial figures for the business. Photos can be taken whenever necessary whereas if they are outsourced, the company is held back by the scheduling of the photographer they are using. This will allow for the faster turnover of products due to the photos being made available at a much quicker rate. The spiral down effect of having the in-house capabilities is much greater than having to wait on someone else to complete the task when they have time to do it.
The photographs being taken in-house can be used solely for the purpose of the business without hesitation. They are the property of the company and therefor do not have the risk of litigation due to proprietary laws. Being an outside company or contractor, hired to take the images, you are bound by the limits of the contract you have entered into with the client and cannot use the images for your own financial gain without the written consent of the company you are working for. This limits you to only using them for what the company is paying you to do. The laws restrict business from using items they obtain from someone else without suffering major penalties that could ultimately bankrupt a business.