The Beverages of The Sapphire Lounge
Mmm. A tasty beverage ... and an example of what can be captured and created with a simple smartphone.
Recently, the topic of smartphone imagery for restaurants popped up.
A friend mentioned that they've NOT eaten at certain establishments simply because the pictures of the food looked horrible. The problem, another person (a pub owner) said, is that they have so many menu items and such a great need for the use of images on their website and Social Media, that the cost to have a full and complete photo shoot for all the menu items would be VERY expensive.
Well, yes, I thought. It should be! You're having a photographer bring in several thousand dollars worth of gear, they'll be spending countless hours editing and you'll end up with great images for web and print use! I'm a big proponent in the value of a great image and strongly support the occasional high charge for that quality!
At the same time, I totally understand the limitations of time and budget that so many small businesses must work with. They still NEED images, they need LOTS of them and they need them at a rate that won't kill their budget. Then, as if the time taken to create the images is not enough, they still have to manage all those images on SM.
Enter the iPhone! I like to think that I've done OK using my iPhone to capture imagery in a variety of ways!
The camera attached to smartphones will never match a good DSLR and the images captured with them will never make the bigger cameras obsolete ... but the cameras found in phones are fantastic devices that can capture an awful lot of light and data. When properly edited and processed using desktop software, these images can be PERFECT for the needs of most small business; menu thumbnails, web imagery, Social Media posts
For me, the ideal process looks something like this:
- Strategy session to finalize the subjects and to plan the use of their images
- Photoshoot using extra lighting or reflectors if needed
- Image processing, storage and delivery
- Social Media plan scheduling and implementation
All of this can be completed in a very short time, perhaps even only a few days. Images can be delivered in both print-ready and web-ready sizes The end purpose of it all is to have your product in front of as many eyeballs as possible. Simply creating the images isn't enough, they must be shared, too!
The use of this process certainly isn't limited to food or drink items. Any small business that has a large inventory of a variety of products should consider such a project. Yes, it's more involved than simply snapping a quick pic with your phone, but it's still a great way to represent your small business!
Send us an email at daniel@danscape.de to find out more about a visit from danscape to capture YOUR business' images!
