Hiring A Commercial Photographer
by William Lulow
Note: Here’s an article about what kinds of things art directors or others who buy commercial photography look for in creative talent. It follows the last article about the business of photography.
Art directors and other people who need photographic services often look for creative talent from personal recommendations as well as people they already knew about. These days, most art directors have to see artwork (be it photographs, paintings or illustrations) that is very similar to what kind of job they have or the type of “look” they need. It’s highly unlikely that an art director will take a chance on talent that offers samples different from the ad or article they need to illustrate. It may be easy for art directors to recognize talent, but the problem is, can that talent deliver the artwork on deadline and as promised. Also, since many corporate office managers are the ones whose job involves hiring creative talent look on the internet and usually try to find talent that is geographically close to their offices. So, when they scan a website, it needs to show them EXACTLY what they are looking for on the HOME PAGE! There also has to be enough samples to convince a buyer that the photographer can do the job and has done it repeatedly over a long enough period of time.
So, it is imperative for an art director to know that a creative source he or she is considering has a track record of being able to produce the kind of artwork that is wanted rather than to take a chance on whether an “untested” talent can deliver. 
In the field of photography, there have been many “horror stories” about photographers who have been talented, but notoriously difficult to work with. As an art director, would you be willing to sacrifice a smooth production in favor of dealing with a difficult personality? And, conversely, for a photographer, does it really make sense to be a “diva” and sacrifice a smooth production for the sake of your “art?”
With my many years of experience dealing with art directors and editors, I have found that knowing things like production schedules, shoot requirements and personalities has really helped me be able to produce successful projects. Being able to “go with the flow” is important to producing successful shoots. The photographer also has to know how to translate an art director’s sketch into a photograph.
In the field of wedding photography, I have often said that the personality of the photographer is just about as important as anything else when deciding who you want to spend your time with on your wedding day. Suppose you were to hire an extremely talented photographer who was the biggest “boss” and difficult to deal with? How would your day go? Would it be comfortable and flow smoothly? I doubt it. The same goes for art directors. I’ve known some art directors who have used agency budgets to hire “big names.” Most of the time, it’s the art director’s visions that wind up taking a back seat to those of the talent. There are certainly times when it’s wonderful to work with a big name artist. I’m reminded of the time when an art director at Bloomingdales hired the well-known French photographer Guy Bourdin to shoot a catalog. The art director wondered when he’d see some images and Mr. Bourdin told him he’d have to wait until the job was finished! Reportedly, Mr. Bourdin received a great deal of money for his efforts, but I’m sure that AD was a nervous wreck until the project was finished.
So, an art director should really look at a few photographers she thinks can handle the assignment and whose style reflects that ability. Then, she should call in those books and interview the artists to get a feel for their personalities to see if they would be easy to work with. These days, however, there are no more “books” or portfolios per se. They are all on line in the photographer’s website. So, the website has to be able not only to convey what the photographer can do image-wise, but it should also contain information about his or her personality that would let a prospective art buyer know what to expect on the set. Also, many decisions are made by art directors kind of “on the spot.” They often see something they like that fits exactly into their concept for an ad or project they are working on, and they will call the photographer immediately.
There are other considerations art buyers need to be aware of and budgets are certainly right up there with the top concerns. Professional photo shoots are expensive propositions. Depending on the advertisement being considered, where it will run, for how long and to what extent, including circulation figures and overall distribution, a budget for a one day commercial shoot could run easily into tens of thousands of dollars. Someone considering spending this kind of money needs to have a fair amount of assurance that the person she hires has the talent, is able to do the job, has the resources required and knows how to work with clients. The way for an art buyer to be as sure as she can about all these things is to make sure that she sees several things on the photographer’s website:
- The website has to be professional looking. All the images have to be top-notch
- It has to have some “flash” to it – images that can attract attention
- There has to be enough information that can convince a buyer that the photographer is thoroughly professional
- Perhaps one or two kind of “famous pieces” should be on the photographer’s website – maybe famous faces or products
All of these things serve the purpose of convincing any buyer that not only does the photographer have the talent, but she or he also knows how to use it.
I guess the moral of the story is that, for the most part, art directors need to work with talent they can trust to get the job done correctly and on deadline. People need to work with photographers they can rely on to give them the kinds of images they want. The talent needs to work hard to make the art director look good. Because, paraphrasing the immortal words of Vidal Sassoon, “If they look good, you look good.”
