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Creative Input: Just as Important as Creative Output

Creative Input: Just as Important as Creative Output

Here is a hot take for you: we believe everyone is creative. I’ll never forget one of the first times I heard a client tell us they weren’t creative. Mary Lou looked directly into their eyes and asked, “Did you dress yourself this morning?” When they said yes, she replied, “Then you’re creative.”

She wasn’t being sarcastic or flippant. Everyone completes small creative tasks every single day. You flex your creative muscles when you make dinner, write a text message, or decide which direction to mow your grass. Creativity is relative. In the corporate world, this means making connections and solving problems. STEM folks are creative. Finance people are creative. Responsibilities such as developing processes and efficiencies are creative. It may not be photography, but it still requires ingenuity and clever thinking.

We often work with marketers and non-marketers who say they aren’t sure what they want for composition, lighting, or subject action. Composing a shot list can be intimidating, and they fear getting it wrong. They’re focused on the final image and not the planning process. Instead, they’ll tell us, “You’re the photographer, so you know best.” There is no better way to stress out John Coyle than to fling that line at him. Our philosophy is that photos need a purpose and message; without that, you just have a pretty photo. 

You don’t have to worry about the artistry behind the image when you use a pro; you need to worry about creating final photos that make connections and solve problems for your audience. “Aha” moments don’t have to come from you and your team alone. Here are a few ways you can work with your photographer and get involved in your photo shoot–even if you don’t feel creative.

Creative Photo Shoot Preparation

Your first step is to brainstorm. You can do this with a team or on your own. If you have a marketing strategy or creative brief, you can use those tools to help generate photo shoot ideas. Think about the media you consume all day every day. What stands out to you and why? What can you use or emulate in your photo shoot? Review client surveys and interview other teams to get ideas. Inspiration is everywhere.

After brainstorming, you should have a robust list of concepts and adjectives that reflect your company and its products or services. Now, you can narrow this list down to consolidate ideas and identify the gaps in your photography. You should then organize that list into “needs” and wants.” Some clients feel comfortable finalizing their shots list and have a clearer vision of the final product. Others want a little more help and need outside collaboration.

How to Collaborate with a Professional Photographer

There are many ways to collaborate with a pro. For example, at our studio, we meet with clients to discuss their photo needs, perform a pre-shoot walkthrough, or set up a sample photo shoot.

Client meetings: You can choose an in-person, virtual, or phone meeting. In this meeting, you can discuss your shot list and ask questions about the photo process. You can also ask about concepts and ideas to help you further develop your shot list. If you’re working with a new photographer, then you definitely do not want this meeting to be an email.

Pre-Shoot Walkthrough: We cannot stress enough how advantageous a pre-shoot walkthrough is for most photo shoots, including architecture, marketing imagery, and environmental portraits. This helps your photographer understand the space and develop a game plan before the shoot. They may take a few spec shots of different angles and concepts for your review. You can give creative feedback, choose which photos you prefer, and get very specific with your shot list. 

Sample Photo Shoot: This is always helpful for product photography, teams developing a new portrait style, or anyone who wants to test drive a new photography process. A sample photo shoot takes more time and adds a little to the budget, but it can be invaluable to marketers focused on building a brand and developing a repeatable photography style.

If you don’t have time to project manage this internally or still aren’t feeling creative enough to collaborate with a pro, you can hire an art director or a CMO consultant to tackle this part of the project. Their experience and outside perspective may be helpful for your team. If you decide to go this route, we recommend staying hands-on during the planning and collaboration process to ensure you get exactly what you want and need. You are still the expert on your brand; your insight and input are the most important aspect of any creative project.

Creative Input = Communication

Your creative input in photography begins with communication. If this is your first photo shoot or you feel intimidated to begin a project, here are a few tips:

  • Get rid of all preconceived notions about commercial photography. Every photographer is different. From their photo shoot prep to their lighting style, no two photographers are exactly the same, and that’s awesome. This means there is a photographer out there for everyone. If you’re using a new photographer, get to know them and their process so you can effectively collaborate before, during, and after the photo shoot.
  • Embrace experimentation. Don’t be afraid to try new looks or styles. You never know what will work for you and resonate with your audience.
  • Generative conversations are always beneficial to your team and your photographer. Unnecessary meetings are draining. However, pre-shoot conversations are never a waste of time, and they are usually more productive by phone, virtual meeting, or in person. (And I’m saying this as an introvert who always prefers email.)
  • Experience breeds confidence. You may need one or two photo shoots under your belt before you achieve full creative confidence. The more you work with a pro, the less prep work you need to put into every photo shoot. The first few shoots require the most effort; after that, it’s smooth sailing.

Your creative input in photography is essential in making a photo shoot successful. It sparks the best creative output and generates positive experiences for you, your team, and your photographer. You’ll get the most creative photos with the best messaging for your goal and strengthen a new personal skill–creativity.