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What Is Studio Photography And What Are The Benefits For My Business?

They say a picture paints a thousand words, and in a world where social media now allows us to document our every waking moment with a photograph, this has never been more relevant.

Photography has been present in our lives since the very first photograph was taken back in 1826, by French Scientist, Joseph Nicéphore Niépce. Simply titled ‘View from the Window at Le Gras‘, it is said to be the world’s earliest surviving photograph and is believed to have been taken at his family’s country home.

There’s no denying that since 1826 the advancements in technology have allowed us to have much easier access to considerably better cameras, most notably in our pockets on our mobile phones, but the power of photography transcends more than the developments in technology we’ve experienced.

When Sarah Leen, Director of Photography at National Geographic, was asked by Olivier Laurent of TIME magazine, why photography is important to her, she passionately replied:

“Images can keep the memory of a loved one alive, hold a moment in history for future generations, be a witness to tragedy or joy. They can also change behaviour, stimulate understanding and create a sense of urgency that will move people to action. Photography is the universal language that speaks to the heart.”

The most recent example of the universal power of photography is that of the death of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. From the moment the news broke on Thursday 8th September 2022, we were inundated with imagery and will no doubt have spent countless hours scrolling through photographs of Her Highness, reflecting on her time as the world’s longest standing Monarch.

Not only have photographs been used to capture The Queen’s life and document her 70 year reign, but they will forever be a fascinating reminder of a remarkable time in history, which will forever be preserved for future generations to enjoy.

There are several ways in which photographs can be taken, and the method you choose depends on what you are trying to achieve, but one of the most powerful ways to help customers get to know your business and what you can do for them, is to use photography.

In this article we focus on the art of studio photography, what it is and how it can benefit your business. We also share our photography showreel which gives an insight into what it is like working with Dead Ready Productions on a photoshoot. 

In Its Simplest Form, What Is Studio Photography?

Studio photography typically involves taking photographs indoors, in a highly controlled environment called a photographic studio – a photography studio is a workspace specifically designed and built for the purpose of taking photographs and will include a team of professional photographers, assistants and often pupils.

The photographer can use a combination of backdrops, lights, furniture, props and models to construct the perfect photograph of a product or portrait. The main advantage of shooting in this way is that external issues which could negatively impact the photographs, such as bad weather, poor lighting or unpredictable interruptions, can be controlled or removed entirely.

Ultimately, studio photography gives you the amenities and predictability you need in order to carry out high quality, professional photography that presents your product at its absolute best.

Lady decorating cake on stand in kitchen

Is There An Alternative To Studio Photography?

Yes there is. The alternative to studio photography is location photography. This is where a photographer will use either indoor or outdoor locations, or a combination, to resemble their ideal backdrop. The location(s) can be anything from a busy, bustling city through to the peace and tranquility of the countryside, it could be on site at a client’s business or involve visiting overseas.

Unsurprisingly, with location photography there are more external factors to consider. These can include the logistics of getting to the location, the possible requirement for visas, hiring of a venue, weather conditions… but if all goes to plan, location photography can add a new dimension to the final photographs.

Studio Photography

What benefits does professional photography bring to your business?

Without question, photographs are worth their weight in gold. Not only can they be used to tell a story, which is essential for customer engagement (everyone loves a story), but they can also help to explain the most complicated of concepts, enhance a product or service’s appeal and perhaps most notably, catch the eye of a prospective customer.

By using professional photographs in your marketing, you will be projecting a higher quality image of your company, which in turn will;

  • raise the perception of your business
  • help customers visualise how your products and services could enhance their own lives
  • showcase the benefits of investing in your company
  • improve your brand identity

At the same time, because images help the SEO value of a website by way of the description and alt tags, which basically help Google search understand what your website relates to, you will also be reaching a much wider audience – a website with images is likely to receive as much as 90% more traffic than a website with no images.

Watch our showreel below to see a selection of highlights from Dead Ready Productions photography offerings.

 

If you have a photography brief, or you would like to find out more about the video, animation and graphic design services Dead Ready Productions can offer your business, simply get in touch via the button below or by calling +44 (0)208 339 6139.

 

Studio Photography Blog

How Can A Product Video Help Promote My Business?

With people twice as likely to share videos with their friends than any other type of content, it’s undeniable that video is an essential way to bring your product to market and a fantastic opportunity to showcase your brand.

Whether you’re a small start up with the latest mind-blowing product that we didn’t know we needed, or a corporate giant with new, innovative software that will revolutionise businesses across the globe, video marketing is a powerful way to share your product with the world and the great news, you don’t need a blockbuster-scale budget to do so!

In this article we share our top tips to make sure your product video is a success and explain the services Dead Ready Productions offer which will ensure you’re in safe hands when it comes to creating your video. But first, let’s start by sharing some compelling statistics about video marketing – because who doesn’t love a stat?

Cisco reports that 82% of global internet traffic will come from either video streaming or video downloads in 2022.

This figure is set to increase as companies continue to realise the importance of this medium, so take action now to start exploring how video could form part of your marketing strategy.

As reported by Wyzowl in their 2022 Video Marketing Statistics Report, a staggering 96% of people have watched an explainer video to learn more about a product or service.

This proves that video is an essential sales tool and that potential buyers look for this information to learn about your product whilst considering their purchase.

It was reported by Statista that in 2021, online videos had a worldwide audience reach of 92% among internet users.

With nearly 3.5 billion internet users set to consume video by 2023 it’s essential that you are engaging with audiences in this way to promote your products to potential customers.

According to data collected by Statista, over three billion internet users will watch, stream or download video content during 2022.

This figure is projected to increase annually, reaching nearly 3.5 billion by 2023, which makes producing video content undeniably the most powerful format you can include in your marketing strategy.⠀

These are just four tips of the ice berg when it comes to the power of video and with figures this big, you could be forgiven for thinking video might be on the verge of hitting saturation point. Yet, thankfully (especially for us), that’s not the case! There are still underutilised opportunities you can explore, so taking this all into consideration, how do you go about writing a brief for a product video that will ensure you get the best response from your customers?

We provide our 3 top tips for making sure you get the most out of your product video and explain how Dead Ready Productions can bring your brief to life.

 

3 Top Tips For Making The Most Of Your Product Video

 

1. Keep It Positive

The phrase “Ever had that thing happen that really isn’t great?” never features in the world’s most successful promotional videos. So, despite it being an age-old sales tactic to outline the problem that your product fixes…

You need to ditch all the negative connotations and keep your video positive by emphasising the benefits your product will bring to the user.

Writing a video brief can feel daunting, but the best way is to break it down into simple stages. First start by answering the following two questions “What do you want to say? and “Who do you want to say it to?”, then consider the pain points of your potential customers and list the benefits that your product will bring – your aim is to leave your audience with an overwhelming sense that you are the solution they’ve been looking for and they can’t possibly live without ‘you’ in their life.

2. Keep It Brief

This is essentially a tip for every promotional video of almost any kind – use the minimum amount of your audience’s time to convey your message.

Audiences are more time poor than ever before and they have an endless array of choices. They are not forced to watch your product video, they will choose to, so if they are not engaged, they’ll turn off or move onto the next. It’s that simple. They’ll also associate your brand with boredom, however subconsciously, and no one wants that!

The golden rule is to try to keep your product video to a maximum 90 seconds. If you do need longer, you’ll need to work a lot harder to retain interest in your video.

You can do this by ensuring you have a stronger concept and a greater variety of content to keep them engaged, but ideally keeping your product video concise, engaging and if the subject matter allows it, even fun, needs to be your main priority.

3. Have An Identity

Consumers have become incredibly savvy shoppers, so a product video is a fantastic way to show the world who you are as a company, your background, your ethos and your fantastic products.

People don’t just want the short-term fix of buying a product, they want a background story. They want to feel like they’re part of an exclusive and knowledgeable community when they make their purchase.

It is therefore essential that your product video aligns with the rest of your brand values, so keep this in mind when you’re writing your brief. It will guarantee your product video hits all the right buttons with your audience and will keep them watching for longer.

 

 

How Can Dead Ready Productions Help You With Your Product Video?

 

In addition to a whole host of video, animation, photography and graphic design services to help businesses promote their services or products, there are three specific types of product video that Dead Ready Productions produce. These include:

Studio-Based Product Videos

These demonstrate the craftsmanship of your product with a studio video shoot, where every detail can be captured in a controlled environment to ensure that your product looks more appealing than ever.

Lifestyle Product Films

If you really want your customers to understand how much of a benefit your products can bring to their life, consider a lifestyle shoot where the product is featured prominently in desirable and exciting real-world contexts.

Ecommerce & Retail Videos

Product videos used to accompany listings on ecommerce websites are a powerful way to drive sales as they can offer a 360 degree view of your product that photography alone can’t achieve. This style of product video not only helps you get more qualified leads through the door, it can also increase your chances of converting a sale.

 

If you have a video brief, or you would like to find out more about the services Dead Ready Productions can offer your business, simply get in touch via the Contact page on our website or by calling +44 (0)208 339 6139.

 

* Statistics courtesy of the Social Shepherd.

Product Video Blog
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Video Production For Event Organisers During Challenging Times

Dead Ready Productions chats to events organiser Jamie Chapple about the exciting ways the events industry is responding to the Coronavirus crisis.

Jamie takes us through some ambitious and innovative suggestions about how to create immersive remote events through the power of video, creating a whole new event experience that can be delivered directly to audiences at home.

If you would like to find out more about the services Dead Ready Productions can offer your business, please feel free to get in touch via the button below or by calling +44 (0)208 339 6139.

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3 More Top Tips For How To Look Good For Video Conferences

We all know where to put the camera and how to light ourselves for a decent looking video call these days (and if we don’t, check out our earlier vlog), but now that everyone is used to meeting online, we’ve noticed some of the more subtle traps that people are falling into.

In this update, Dead Ready Director, Chris Tongue, takes us through his top tips to make sure you come across perfectly in your web conferences.

Here’s the transcript for fun:

Hello! Back at the beginning of the lockdown I posted a tips video on how to look good in video calls. Since then, we’ve recorded hours of interviews for several clients over the web and have noticed a few extra traps people can fall into, so thought I’d post a short update with a few more tips.

Extra Tip #1

Be mindful of reflective surfaces and how they have a habit of giving away ugly or embarrassing things in the rest of the room. This applies not only to windows and mirrors in the background, but also to those who wear glasses – a bored attendee may choose to make your window full screen, where it might be obvious through reflections that the discussion doesn’t have your undivided attention… (I’ll then zoom in on my glasses which will show that I’m playing solitaire or minesweeper).

Extra Tip #2

Remember to keep eye contact. This doesn’t mean that you have to look at the camera, just that you should keep looking at the people you are talking to on screen.

It can be tempting to look away while you form your responses, but you’ll lose your audience’s attention if you don’t appear to be talking to them. This counts double if you’re being interviewed or are delivering a presentation as you’re on screen for much longer.

If it helps, have your notes on screen, it’ll keep your focus in roughly the right place.

Extra Tip #3

Value your production values. If you’re being filmed taking part in an interview or you’re a guest speaker at a virtual conference – remember that your video quality reflects whoever is posting the video, so getting your setup correct is more than just a vanity exercise and can affect whether or not you’re invited back.

Good luck out there and thanks for watching!