Chances are, if we've worked together on either a Business Branding Kit or web design project, I've asked you supply photos of your business. But picking the right photos for the project can sometimes be hard, especially if this is your first time working with a designer. Don't worry! This post will walk you through choosing the right photos to send me, how to work with a photographer if necessary, and a guide to photo quality for web and print. Let's get started!
Choosing the Right Photos
The best photos to send for your project are ones that are clear, have good lighting, and are ideally taken with a camera. Some newer phones take crisp, high quality photos that can work for social media posts or the web, but most do not take photos at a high enough resolution to be used for print.
Another thing to consider when sending photos is the subject matter. Some outside shots of your business are helpful if you have a physical storefront. Also think about including photos of your products or services. A headshot or shot of you working is also a great idea!
If you are including photos of customers of other people whose faces are clearly visible, please make sure that you have their permission to use the photo. This includes staff members.
If you have questions about the size or clarity of your photos, jump to the quality section below. I always recommend hiring an outside photographer for an extra level of professionalism.
Working With a Photographer
If you don't already have photos of your business or products, it's a good idea to work with a photographer to get some brand photos. When choosing a photographer, look at the photos in their portfolio. Have they taken photos of businesses or products before? What about indoor photos? Does the overall "look" of their portfolio seem like a good fit for your business? For example, a photographer who specializes in dark, moody photos might not be the best fit for your bakery that's known for its children's birthday cakes. Look for a photographer who has experience taking photos for businesses and whose editing style aligns with your brand.
Once you've booked a photographer, you'll need to work with them to figure out what shots are needed. Most photographers will probably walk you through this process, but it's important to note any specific shots you will need ahead of time. Examples of this might be shots of you at your desk working or photos of a particular product.
If you have any more questions about this process or about photos needed for a project you'd like to work on together, feel free to shoot me an email here.
Guide to Photo Quality
When using photos for design projects, it's important to make sure that they are of high enough quality for the format you're using them in. For example, photos that are going to be used digitally, either on your website or for social media graphics, can be a lower resolution than photos being used for printed materials such as brochures or flyers.
Photo resolution is typically measured in DPI (or dots per inch). This is the number of dots it would take to fill a one inch square if the photo was printed out. For photos used on a screen, a resolution of 150 DPI is fine. However, for printing most printers require a resolution of 300 DPI for materials viewed up-close (think booklets or brochures) and 150 DPI for printed items that will be viewed at a distance (like billboards).
In this example, the flower on the right is 300 DPI while the flower on the left is 72 DPI. Notice the difference in quality.
An easy way to check the resolution of your photo on a Mac is to open your image in Preview and then go to "Tools" and then click on "Show Inspector." You should then be able to see the image's resolution given in DPI. For PC, right click on the image and go to "Properties". Go to the "Details" tab to see the image's resolution.
High quality photos can make or break a design project. Make sure that you're putting your best foot forward with customers by using clear, crisp photos that represent your brand well.
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