Adequate Photography Isn't Enough
A photographer friend of mine recently posted an opinion-piece, and used a word that perfectly encapsulated the problem with much of the commercial photography of today - Adequate.
The skillset required to create a photograph is extremely small these days - beyond the ease of autofocus and autoexposure, there are filters, editors, and now even AI tools to optimize and improve an image. Cell phones are ubiquitous, and a half-decent digital camera can be bought new for just a few hundred dollars, so the barrier to entry is practically nothing! It is perhaps no wonder that many people under-value photography and photographers: it's because they think that the act of creating an image is all that photography entails, and "anyone can do that", and so they do. What most often happens though is that a merely "Adequate" photograph is created. The image is Adequate to show what the object is, and nothing more. Adequate images lack imagination or energy, have avoidable flaws, and almost always fail to show off the subject in the best possible way. The image may be boring, or doesn't draw the viewers attention in any way, or worse, draws their attention to the wrong thing!
I once saw a post for a local small business of a woman showing off an outfit - the suit was professional and well-fitting, the posing was great - but the photograph was taken next to an overflowing garbage can, and in the window reflection behind her you could see the photographer holding their cell phone to take the picture. You could see straight through the restaurant into the parking lot on the other side of the building...and this was a promotional photograph used by this person for her business! Instead of a professional-looking woman showing off a high-end clothing line, she looked nothing more than someone out on a date getting a selfie for her socials. The Adequate photograph was worse than no photo at all.
Nanayaa portfolio shootCaptured as part of a photography session for a local teacher.
A professional photographer wouldn't do that. A professional photographer would have optimized the location, the lighting, the background, the setting, the posing and the gear to emphasize the outfit (not even the model, as good as she was - fashion photography is not about the model). A professional photographer doesn't just invest in the right gear for the job, but they have invested their time and money in education and training, and have literally years of experience in what to do (and what not to do) when taking a photograph. When you pay an hourly rate for a professional you are paying for the years, not the hours.
A business should not be using Adequate photography to show off their products and services. Adequate photography might be cheap (or even free!) but ultimately, what is it truly costing you? If your products appear amateurish then you have to charge amateur prices. If you can't put the effort and time into presenting your business properly, why should prospective clients and customers expect you to do the same for them? Small businesses invest in equipment, inventory, real-estate - all things that are necessary to get off the ground - and yet so many fail at the final hurdle of actually promoting themselves. The question they should be asking isn't "Can I afford to use a professional photographer?", it's "Can I afford not to use a professional photographer?"
I am also convinced this is why so many people think that they "aren't photogenic" - it's because they have had merely Adequate photos taken of them, and never had a photographer truly invested in the process of creating a flattering image. Most of the best photographers work with their clients from the very beginning, getting to know them as people and what their needs and expectations are from the shoot. They don't just take photos - they coach, they direct, they work to capture the essence and the very best of that person. Often the most successful photographers aren't those who create the very best images, but they are those who craft the very best experience for their clients.
Professional photographers not only plan their sessions, they adapt and flow, using their imagination and artistry in the moment to capture those one-off images that really can't be recreated. Even if a model is great at movement and posing, the photographer still has to get the lighting, angle, and timing right to get the best image. This image here was captured during a shoot for a local teacher in downtown Jacksonville, and is the perfect example of how timing, angles, and lighting can combine to flip a good image to great. The hair placement was not intentional, but the final image most definitely was.
If I were to summarize, it would be to say that Adequate photography is wholly inadequate. Adequate photography floods our social media feeds, and lowers expectations. Adequate photography devalues the art and skillsets of the professional photographer. Adequate photography has no place in business or portraiture. There are so many really great photographers, specializing in fashion, portraiture, product photography, events - they are literally just an email or phone call away.