Just say no to stock photography! Here's why

Just say no to stock photography! Here's why a commerical photographer is the right move.

You might think that using generic stock photos is the way to go because you can save a few bucks compared to hiring a professional photographer... but it’s actually better for your business if you use real commercial photographer that understands your marketing and advertising needs. Here are 6 reasons why David Loi Studios might be the right move for you.

1) Real commercial photographers know how to capture the essence of your brand and what makes it unique. Generic stock photos don’t do that because they lack context and tell nothing about your company or product. Stock photos are designed to appeal to a broad audience and might tell a smidgen of what your company does ...but it doesn't include anything tangible about your actual company. And most importantly, things like brand logo being seen helps solidify the brand!

Branding photography for a local detailing company, Platinum Appeal by Dallas Commercial Photographer, David Loi Studios

2) Real commercial photographers have experience with lighting, composition, angles, backgrounds—all those things that make a photo look professional and polished instead of like an amateur took it on their phone at lunchtime. Would you pretend to be a programmer because you did some YouTube tutorials on C++? So why would you pretend to be a photographer just because you bought a camera and watched a YouTube tutorial? David Loi Studios has 20 years of combined photography experience learned through being in the field, interacting with clients and helping them chart photos that help create amazing branded images.

Action photography for a construction company, TAS by Dallas Commercial Photographer, David Loi Studios

3) If someone sees one of these generic stock photos in an ad somewhere else online or offline, there’s no guarantee that person will come back to buy from YOU when they find out the image isn't original! Yep, they are not UNIQUE just to you...anyone can purchase the same image and then your business will look less authentic. They could end up buying from another company whose website features similar images taken by a different photographer—and then where does that leave YOUR business?

4) Is your business generic too? Or do you do something a little different from the rest of your competitors? If you are then why the heck are you using generic stock photos to stand out? In markets where the competition is tight and there's a lot of competitors, being different will help you stand out! Every business is selling something different, and finding a way to show off that difference is how you differentiate yourself from the rest. Generic stock photos will not define your brand or tell a potential customer what makes YOU stand unique to the market.

5) We are real people...Commercial photographers often run a small business as well and want to see others thrive around them. Their success is our success, their failures is our failures. We work diligently in our photography to ensure that clients have top-notch photography so that they can excel and produce invaluble content for their customers...with stock photography, there is no support system, no care. No assurance that what you're buying is of any value to the clients - they're there for the quick buck.

6) Being in the photos brings extreme value to the potential clientele when they see the familiar faces on the website as the same ones walking through the door as well. Having this connection can definitely add value in their minds that they're working with a real business. Be authentic!

Group Photo of Symphony Talent’s awesome team! By David Loi Studios

Now of course David Loi Studios is going to be biased but the evidence is proof...enjoy real branded, authentic photography vs generic, un-real photography that does not convey the awesomeness of your brand. If you have any questions, please reach out!

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The Different Styles and Techniques of Commercial Photographers: Finding the Right One for Your Business

Finding the right commercial photographer for your business can be a difficult process. There are various styles and techniques commercial photographers use to create beautiful images. But how do you know which style is best for you? It all depends on what type of commercial photography needs your company has. In this blog post, we will discuss the different types of commercial photography so that you can find the perfect fit!

Planning ahead: it would be a great idea for leadership to sit down and discuss what the goal of the commercial and branding photoshoot is. Are you trying to gain brand awareness or maybe marketing photography for the launch of a new service or product. Having a set of plans for your commercial photography needs will help determine the path of your photographer. Also, no marketing is going to connect well if you are not prepared. Having company colors and ideal client avatars will help narrow down the scope of the marketing plan and the actual commercial photoshoot. Commercial photographers will want to make sure that they're hitting their marks for your company and without some of these fundamentals, both parties could be left disappointed and that's the last thing you need.

Personality: As a photographer, David Loi Studios has worked with all sorts of personalities in the photography industry. And while some commercial and videographers are very laid back, others can be very hands-on. Neither approach from the photography community is wrong and both can produce amazing content but really it's up to your company to see which approach is best for you. I'm hands-on and driven but at the same time very flexible. So, be sure that you're working with someone whose characteristics align well with your company culture and goals.

Niche: The commercial photography business is a wide and diverse field. There are many commercial photographers with different specialties that cater to the needs of specific types of businesses like: commercial photography, advertising photography, editorial photography or product photography. Each niche photographer usually specializes in one type over another but it's not uncommon for some commercial photographers to dabble in multiple styles...with the planning from the first point, this will help you guide your path to the right photographer. Here at David Loi Studios, we're strong in commercial, lifestyle, headshots and editorial!

Budget: let's make sure you have the necessary budget and time too. It's important that commercial photographers know the scope of the project and your budget. Understanding this information allows commercial photographers to work within their means but also cater to what you're looking for too. A lot of photographers for a half day shoot start between $500-$1000 for the talent alone. Although that might sound expensive, remember that our talent is cultivated through experience and that an hourly rate doesn't tell what goes in pre and post photoshoot. After that, specific requests and editing might generate more costs as well, so be sure to be specific with your questions for the photographer.

Are you ready to find the commercial photographer that will take your company's commercial photography needs to new heights? Let us help! We'd love to meet with you and discuss commercial photography ideas or any other type of photography for that matter. David Loi Studios is a Dallas-based commercial and industrial photographer and we're ready to serve your industrial photography needs. Please call or email us to find out more!

4 Reasons Why A Professional Headshot is better than a selfie!

If you're looking for a headshot to help promote your business or yourself, but can't afford a headshot photographer in Dallas TX, then you might want to think again. In this blog post, we will talk about 5 reasons why headshots from a professional photographer are better than your selfie at the bar with friends!

Professional headshot photography from David Loi Studios can be used to help promote your business by showing more of your professionalism or your personality to prospective future clients. Anything like a selfie will be a huge turn-off because they can be distracting and do nothing to help sell your brand. In fact, bar/home/party photos are worse than having nothing - since all of these photos can be grainy, unfocused or have poor lighting, it'll detract from yourself as a brand. A quality photo from a professional headshot photographer, like our team here, will show a real person behind the business can help remind them that they're not dealing with something cold and artificial but someone warm and friendly. Here's a few other reasons off the top of my head.

Professionalism - Professional headshots show people that you take your business and the quality of your work very seriously. Professional headshots can also help portray a more clear image to others about who they're dealing with in terms of personality if they see a terrible headshot, it can leave a terrible first impression.

Real Estate Professional Headshot by David Loi Studios, Dallas Commercial Photographer

Quality - If you have a website or any Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn accounts attached to your business then you need to think about how your headshot photos reflect your brand. Professional Headshots can also help strengthen your online and offline reputation because others will see that you're serious about what you do. However, if they look un-professional it'll speak volumes about the quality of service or product they might receive from your company. For example, if your company is real estate or finance than you might want clean headshots. Conversely, if you work in marketing or for a promotions group, you might want to promote fun and energetic, than a professional photographer like David Loi Studios can help get the fun outta ya!

Me! My own selfie displaying a lack of quality compared to a professional headshot

Location, location, location - the coolest thing about modern equipment in photography is that we can shoot in almost any location, an advantage that David Loi Studios brings to the world of headshot photography...we can bring the backdrop or we can find an outside location to do some portrait and headshot photography that best fits your brand. Imagine being in the medical world how much story is in the headshot if you're in front of medical equipment or if you're in real estate a beautifully lit room as your background? This absolutely tells a story better than a generic grey backdrop!

Doctor Headshot in Office by David Loi Studios, Dallas Commercial Photographer

Being real! - Headshot photography is more than just getting your head in the picture... it's also about lighting and posing to make everyone look their best! As a professional headshot photographer, David Loi Studios will not only get you looking good but they can help pose you so that you are comfortable in your skin and that your best will come out in the photos. We do this by chatting with you, learning about you, making sure you're totally comfortable with the photos and happy with the impression you're imparting on the viewer in that briefest of moments!

Professional Headshot of Skhul Custom Bikes by David Loi Studios

A headshot (and marketing photos!) from a professional commercial photographer will show people that you're the real deal and not just some fake account or a shady business. Far too often these days there are fake online businesses that looks real but are just basically out to scam money out of un-suspecting folks online. That's another issue with stock photos...it doesn't make a local business feel real (another blog post for another day!) However, real professional headshots can remind a business that there's a real person that they're interacting with.

Why your business should be doing better with photography.

Attracting your ideal clients used to be pretty easy, all we needed was a few things to get repeat business...just do a great job by crushing it, make sure your client was happy and depend on the word of mouth that sells you to new clients.  Back before the internet craze, this was key in success - today however, that is no longer enough because there’s just so much more competition in the marketplace!  As a Dallas-based commercial photographer who’s used to competition - we understand this as much as anyone else.  Now I’m not saying that great photography will help you overnight increase your business by 200% - there is no magic bullet.  But I do know that without critical cornerstones to your marketing strategy, your success will be limited.  And one of those cornerstones needs to be images...let us give you 3 reasons why!

1. Photography helps define the kind of brand you are and builds trust.
   
   So much of a consumer's mindset is focused around first impressions - first impressions on Google, first impressions on Instagram and Facebook, first impressions where ever your presence is online.  If your first impressions are grainy, unprofessional phone photos with poor compositions it will equally do a poor job of representing your brand… is that the way you want to represent quality and professional?  But if you have great photos, the potential client will automatically see your brand in a better light and a brand that they can trust.
   
   

2. Photography builds consistent confidence for the consumer's mindset.
   
   Have you ever seen photos that are generic and lacks compelling story-telling? Sure they’re sharp and pretty but…it doesn’t lead a customer down the sales funnel. Have you ever seen Nike or Porsche put out a bad photo or an image that lacks any story?  Never...and they’re one of the biggest companies in the world for a reason and that is something that you can distill into your own brand.  Connecting beautiful imagery with a powerful story instills confidence and if you tell that story repeatedly, eventually you’ll connect with them when they need you. 
   

3. A picture can help you find your ideal clients.
   
   Have you ever been approached for work with clients that you do not want to work with? Do they feel as though you charge too much? Or maybe they are over-managing and won’t let you do what you need to do to finish their project? With images that you define who you are online, you’ll help attract the ones that truly want to work with you - they just let you do your thing! Again, this is part of the bigger strategy that large brands do - they know that their products aren’t for everyone, but they know that their products are for someone, they’re just trying to find that right person. And when it all falls into place, it all will start to work itself out.