5 Common Questions for Commercial Photographers

Over time as a Dallas commercial photographer, I've noticed a few common questions that I receive from my clients during the planning process. Though many photo shoots can be quite unique in the particular approach required, there is still a general commonality that photo shoots share, especially when it concerns logistics. Here are 5 of the more common questions that I get, and a little breakdown of each:

1. When should we do the shoot?

Naturally this is one of the most common things that people ask their Dallas commercial photographer, as timing is everything. There are a lot of factors that feed into it too. First of all, if talent is involved, you have to make sure that you plan the shoot when they are available. I know it seems pretty obvious, but that takes precedence over all other factors. The next part that comes in is the lighting. Is the sun going to be right in the subjects' faces if we shoot later in the day? Will there be beams of light coming in the window first thing in the morning, and do we want that or will it destroy the look of the shot? Though you may have to compromise when working with someone's schedule, I always study what the light is doing at particular times of the day, and if possible scout it out to determine exactly how the scene is going to look. I always want to give my clients the most ideal time possible for their shoot, especially when photographing outside. You don't want to shoot in the middle of the day in Texas summer unless you absolutely have to!

2. How long will the shoot take?

It depends. Next question. Just kidding.

There are generally two ways a Dallas commercial photographer can answer this question. The first is by getting as much detail as possible, then running calculations and estimating the amount of time it will take based on prior experiences. The higher the amount of complexity, the more time it will take. For example, if I come in to do a standard headshot for a Dallas corporate photography shoot, it could take 5-7 minutes. If the client requests hair and makeup for their shoot, then they will be spending about 1-1.5 hours with the hair and makeup crew, and the shoot itself could be lengthened considerably with the artists making adjustments and touchups during. The types of shots and the talent play a big part as well. I was photographing product and portrait shots for a dog boutique the other day, and we spent the better part of an hour just getting the dogs to line up perfectly with the store owner. Animals can be very unpredictable, so time has to be allocated for them. I always try to pad my shoot times to leave room for surprises.

The second way is by asking the client how long they have for the particular shot. Time is always money, and the client may only have 15 minutes to get a particular shot, or need to have a large amount of content covered in one to two days max. If there are time limitations, then that will be how long your Dallas commercial photographer will take to the get the job done. Quite often I am given tight time frames to work within, and I will do whatever it takes to make that happen. Honestly, pressure-filled situations are fun for me, as it is a challenge to overcome.

So those are the first two questions that people most often ask me as a Dallas commercial photographer. Make sure to stay tuned for tomorrow's post, which goes over the other 3 questions. Enjoy!