While watching the photographer set up his camera equipment, the company’s communications manager asked, “Did you know that the sensor in your digital camera is just like a solar panel? Both convert light to electricity.”

The photographer answered, “That’s interesting information.”

As the photographer positioned his lights and made a few test flashes, the manager said, “The xenon gas in your flashes is also used in laser eye surgery.”

The photographer replied, “That’s interesting information.”

While they waited for the company president to arrive, the communications manager stated, “Paintings of ancient Egyptian Pharaohs were the first executive portraits.”

The photographer said, “That’s interesting information.”

Just then, the president walked into the room. The photographer positioned the executive and did the portrait photography within the allotted five minutes. A few days later, the photographer sent the finished pictures to the communications manager.

The manager called the photographer to remark how happy the company was with the pictures. “You captured just the right moment! Our president looks both really important and down-to-earth.”

The photographer replied, “I use my knowledge of photography, lighting and composition to produce portraits that convey more than just information.”

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Information is just a collection of some facts. Knowledge is applied information; it’s information that has somehow been processed to make it useful.

For example, a picture of a company executive might show that she has brown hair, blue eyes and wears a black suit. On its own, this information (brown hair, blue eyes, black suit) is meaningless because it doesn’t offer any insight into the executive. Someone who views this picture can’t process that information to make it useful.

However, a professional business portrait, with the right lighting, pose and photo technique, can trigger a positive response in the viewer. Ideally, this response is along the lines of “this person looks professional, I trust them”.

Visual cues in the portrait are processed by the viewer based on their general knowledge of people. From this knowledge, they quickly form a response to the photo. (Yes, for better or worse, we judge people on their appearance which is why professional business portraits are so important.)

Customers don’t just want information, they want knowledge. Knowledge empowers the customer. This is why corporate photography and other types of commercial photography have to be more than just informative.

When a car has a leaky tire, the problem is obvious and the solution is simple. The car owner could shop price to find the cheapest, reasonably competent “grease monkey” to make the repair. (Grease monkey is an uncomplimentary term for a low-end car mechanic.)

But if a car has a more involved or complex problem then an expert with experience and knowledge is needed. Shopping only price would be foolish.

Photography is similar.

When someone needs a passport photo, they could shop price to find the cheapest “button monkey” who can shoot passport pictures that meet government regulations. (Button monkey is a slang term for someone whose photography skill is limited to pushing the shutter button.)

But when a company’s reputation or corporate image is at stake then an experienced corporate photographer or commercial photographer is needed. Shopping price would be foolish.

Business portraits are much more important and valuable than passport pictures. Photography for a company web site or any marketing collateral is too important to risk with lowest bidder. This is no time for monkey business.

Here’s one example and another example why insurance is important.

Professional photography is all about reducing customer risk. The risk of problems during the photo shoot, the risk of poor quality pictures, the risk of missing deadlines, the risk that the pictures won’t meet customer needs and the risk of wasting time and money.

Professional photographers are worth more than what they cost.

Did you know that it’s cheaper to buy a house than rent a hotel room?

A mid-range Toronto hotel room might be $150/night. That works out to $4,500 per month which is much higher than the average monthly mortgage payment on a house in Toronto. But since a customer needs a hotel room for only a short time, that $150 room rental is 3,100 times cheaper than a $460,000 house.

Need to drive somewhere? Renting a car for $30/day is about 600 times cheaper than purchasing the same car.

Like to play golf once-in-awhile? Renting a $40 set of golf clubs is about 20 times cheaper than buying a similar set of clubs. Renting an electric golf car for $30/round of golf is a 100 times cheaper than purchasing the same vehicle.

Go bowling only occasionally? Renting shoes for $3.75 is ten times cheaper than buying a pair of bowling shoes.

Similarly, if a company needs photos for only a limited time or limited usage, then licensing pictures from a professional photographer is always much less expensive than the outright purchase of those pictures.

As is the common and accepted practice of all business worldwide, the cost to purchase an item is at least one or two orders of magnitude higher than the corresponding rental or licensing fee. Photography is no exception.

But when the pictures are important, when there’s a tight deadline, when the photos can’t be re-shot or when corporate image is at stake, then there’s risk involved. Why would a company compound this risk by hiring the cheapest photographer?

Smart companies will always hire a photographer who knows how to minimize risk.

Minimizing risk includes such things as being insured, having backup equipment, location scouting, anticipating potential problems and dealing with them before they become problems, understanding the flow of  an event, exposure bracketing, frame bracketing, having digital backups, having alternative picture ideas, and knowing camera limitations and how to get beyond those limitations.

All of this extra time, equipment and experience costs money but they all reduce the risk to the client.

When reputation, credibility and money are at stake, can a business risk going cheap?