We often are asked how to go about choosing the right commercial photographer for your needs, and it can be a difficult and time-consuming task. To help you make a choice we’ve highlighted a few points to look out for when selecting a photographer.

Lets pretend for this exercise that you are either a commercial business requiring photography of an event or for a new marketing campaign, or perhaps you’re a design or advertising agency tasked with finding a good photographer who will suit your client.

Different ways to find a commercial photographer:

Personal recommendation
Always a great start, if you know someone who has used a photographer and rates them highly, head there first.

Try a Google/Yahoo/MSN search
Often a favourite for pushed-for-time designers and Art Directors, it can get you good local photographers quickly if you keep your wits about you. We often point people to a photographers website, and many fall at this first hurdle with poor sites that aren’t updated, or difficult to navigate. It’s up to you in terms of judging a photographer by his/her website.

Working with your photographer

Any photographer will benefit from a well thought out brief, either emailed or printed out, outlining briefly what you would like from the photo shoot ie: a range of images reflecting the external and internal features of the new building. It is a good idea on this brief to include the address and postcode for the photographer, as well as two contact telephone numbers.