Commercial and Fine art Photography

Commercial photography covers any form of photography where the photographer receives payment for his work, whereas fine art photography is purely for its aesthetic appearance (although it can also have monetary value) both have many different genres which often are intertwined and overlap, each one has its own unique part to play and can influence our lives dramatically.

Fashion – the world of fashion in dominated by photographs, it can be fine art, and appreciated purely for its aesthetics and can also combine elements of product and portrait photography. The images we see help shape what we wear, if we see a top star, model, or celebrity in the latest trends then millions worldwide seek to emulate them. When this is tied with the world of social media it’s a powerful tool for getting yourself, your art or your product noticed.

Documentary – Documentary photography is used to record events and people; it has an important part to play in recording life “as it is”. It can cover a vast range of topics from huge international events like war and sporting events, down to an individual life documenting social and domestic issues.

Food – They say the first taste of a meal is with your eyes, photographs are essential in a modern recipe book and on the packaging of products to entice a purchase, in the world of food photography everything can be controlled or adjusted, very rarely is food just “snapped” the environment, lighting and placement are all carefully managed – most professional food photographers use a food stylist, to make sure the food itself is arranged perfectly on the plate.

Photojournalism – This is all about using powerful images to share news with a wider audience, making them aware of events in the world around them, linked closely to documentary photography it plays a vital role in keeping us all informed, its all about telling a story to the audience, it should be a “warts and all” view of the world, not with any specific editorial slant or agenda.

Medical – An invaluable part of medicine, it can be used to document conditions for medical records, directly photographing patients or surgical procedures as conditions can change over time and patients be transferred to different professionals or departments for treatment, photographing them gives an instant record at a specific point.

Medical photography can also cover the use of telescopes or microscopes to study disease or bacteria at a molecular level to help develop treatments, vaccines, or cures.

Scientific photographer – A scientific photographer uses photographs to record and study, it is an important way of recording data and sharing it with others for research purposes and to help move the scientific field forward, it can cover a broad range or topics, from the natural world to medical research, engineering and space.

Wedding photographer - wedding photography is a very popular branch of commercial photography, a wedding photographer is there to document events in or around a wedding, it can encompass not just events on the day but engagements, hen or stag do’s and rehearsals – in fact anything to do with a wedding, a wedding photographer combines elements of portraiture and documentary photography - recording special events or rituals during the course of the wedding, from the throwing of a bouquet, to the exchanging of the rings and the attendees, weddings tend to be one of the few events where larger families get together, so from a documentary viewpoint can also form an important social record.

Architectural photographer – A career in architectural photography involves the photographing of buildings, bridges and any form of construction. This can be both commercial and for fine art purposes, from a commercial aspect in can be used in all stages of construction, from photographing sites prior to building, right through the construction phases to show development, progress and techniques used – after construction is complete it can help sell buildings/homes. Good architectural photographer can accentuate a buildings attributes making it more appealing to prospective clients. From a fine art perspective architectural photography focuses on shape, texture and form to create pleasing aesthetic images.

Travel photographer – A travel photographers’ job is to convey a particular place or culture, it can be as simple as documenting landscapes and the geography of a place, or the hustle and bustle of a big city. On a more human level it can involve documenting culture, customs, and special events, meaning it can also cross over with documentary photography and phot journalism. There are various roles within travel photography, you could be a wedding destination photographer, combining these 2 roles, a travel blogger – recording your journey for others to follow, or a photojournalist telling a story of a country or culture.

Sports photographer - in sports photography you are capturing sporting events, usually lots of shots with plenty of fast action and movement, closely linked to photo journalism it can tell the story of a sporting event capturing the important moments and decisions, there are several techniques you can use, a fast shutter speed can help freeze the action, a telephoto lens can help get you close to the action, if you combine these with a burst setting it can help you capture all the action.

Landscape photographer - in landscape photography you are usually capturing the beauty of the natural world in a bid to transport your viewer into the scene. It can be closely linked to travel photography. Landscape photography can be used in travel brochures, real estate and even in employment brochures to sell relocation. As well as traditional landscapes of rolling hills and beautiful scenery landscape photography can also cover flowing rivers, epic coastlines, deserts and Astro photography. As well as having commercial properties landscape photography can also be used in fine art, in some cases even abstract by focusing on shapes and patterns in nature.

Wildlife photographer – A wildlife photographer captures animals in their natural habitat, it has various specialisms under its umbrella, an underwater photographer capturing life in the oceans will require and completely different skill set and kit bag than someone capturing life in the rainforest. You can use several techniques in wildlife photography - a fast shutter speed will help you freeze any movement, and a zoom lens is essential to get you as close as you can to your subject without disturbing them. Wildlife photography can also be closely linked to scientific photography as it can help create an important record of the world around us.

Portrait Photographer – portrait photography can be both fine art and commercial, on a commercial level it can involve traditional studio photography where a photographer can use professional lighting, backdrops and props or it can be lifestyle portraiture which captures people in everyday life situations, this can help give a picture more context or meaning. Portrait photography can be linked with various other genres, such as wedding, documentary and even sports.

Participants in the photographic industry

The client – the client is the person who requests the shoot to meet their needs, usually a client will be for a commercial enterprise such as product photography or portraiture.

Photographer - The photographer is probably the most obvious member of the photographic industry, the person with the camera, in charge of taking the pictures they will be front and centre helping make sure the camera equipment is set right, ensuring correct exposure, Depth of field, lighting and positioning of the subject or the equipment to capture the shots required.

Art director – The art director controls the whole project, so the artistic style, design and feel portrays what they envisage or are instructed to deliver by the client. The art director will oversee everything from any design or artwork, video footage, text or imagery in a project, they are a central pin that holds everything together and are in charge of making sure its all coordinated and comes together as a single entity. Usually the art director will have had previous roles as one of he other participants, meaning they will have a good understanding of whats required and possible to produce.

Studio managers – The studio manager will manage all aspects of the studio, ensuring that all models or materials for a shoot are available when required, as well as any equipment such as lights, tripods, backdrops etc.

Technicians & assistants – The technicians and assistants are there to help the studio manage set up the studio by positioning and setting up equipment such as lights, tripods and any props used in the shoot.

Set builder – The set builder will build any sets required by the art director to meet the clients brief.

Photo editor – the photo editor is there to perform any post production adjustments to the images taken, cropping and scaling to fit their purpose as well as any colour correction, retouching or airbrushing to help give the clients project a perfect finish.

Service & repair – the service and repair team look after any maintenance of equipment, from PAT testing, servicing of lighting equipment, cleaning of camera kit (including sensors).

Types of employment in the Photographic industry

There are 2 main types of employment in photography, you can either be freelance, so work on a contract by contract basis, or an in house employed photographer working for a company.

Freelance – if you work as a freelance photographer in a nutshell you are self employed and work on a contract basis. Clients will come to you with an outline of what they require, and you will give them a cost, once the contract is fulfilled your association ends (obviously they could come back to you for future projects). As a freelance photographer you could choose to specialise in a particular genre, weddings, portraiture, sports or the corporate environment Part of freelance photography can be very seasonal work, so you could have a busy summer (maybe a photographer in a theme park or holiday camp) or in winter (taking family Christmas card pictures or snaps with Santa!)

The main advantage of being a freelance photographer is you are in complete control of what jobs you choose to do and how much you charge for them, being a freelance photographer can be more lucrative if successful. However being a freelance photographer isn’t necessarily a bed of roses, if you don’t get work, you don’t get paid, also you are in charge of chasing your own finances, the purchasing of any equipment you need and ensuring clients pay, sorting out all your costs, as well as your own taxes. If you choose to be a freelance photographer you are basically running your own small business, this can affect your work life balance quite dramatically, on the one hand you choose when you work – so can take time off when you want (not paid of course) but on the flip side may also mean working long hours to make sure things get done. So while the rewards can be great, so can the risks.

Inhouse – if you are an inhouse photographer that means you are paid directly from an employer, and come rain or shine a pay cheque drops through your door, if the work isn’t there for you to do, that’s not your problem, the same applies to holidays and sickness, as an employee you will be entitled to annual leave and if you’re ill you can usually claim some form of sick pay. As an employee your employer is usually responsible for all your expenses usually including your kit, which can be very costly. Usually you will also have some form of set working pattern, meaning you can plan downtime and family time in advance. The downsides of an in house role can often out way the benefits, financially the difference can be staggering, especially if you are a freelancer with a good reputation! You will have little or no say over what you are assigned to do, your employer will have complete control over assignments, so even if its “not your thing” you’ll have to do it. From a creative angle you aren’t calling the shots, will usually be working as part of a team -with members you may (or may not) like, taking instruction and direction from someone else, as a creative person – that may not be easy.

The photography market

The essence of commercial photography is to sell something, you will want to present this in the best possible way and as they say a picture can paint a thousand words photography is the perfect tool to present what you are offering. Commercial photography can cover a multitude of products and services, and the skills required can vary massively, if you are a product photographer taking pictures of jewellery you’ll need knowledge and skill set that includes close up/macro photography, a good understanding of lighting and studio work to capture the sparkle, you may also need an understanding of portrait photography to show models wearing the product. A food photographer will need a lot of the same skills as above, but will have their own “tricks of the trade” if your spending time to get the perfect composition or angle for a dish, it may no longer be hot, in order to make it more appetising you can give the impression it is by microwaving some rolled up tissue and placing it behind the plate so the steam rises over the dish, food may not always be as it seems, to give the impression of perfectly roasted chicken a raw chicken can be painted with gravy browning, or to give the perfect sear marks on a steak you can draw them on with an eye liner. A location photographer can be employed to take pictures of your new offices, a site that you intend to develop or a holiday destination you want to sell, although when taking indoor shots some studio lighting may be used, when outdoors and on location a good understanding of natural light and the best time of day to take your shots is essential. A portrait photographer focuses on people (and sometimes animals). They are usually employed to “sell” a person, as an employee, actor or model. You could also employ a portrait photographer to take personal pictures for family Christmas cards or to record special events.

Editorial photography

The subject matter for editorial photography can vary massively, it can cover a lot of the same subject matter as commercial photography but with 1 main difference, with editorial photography you are not just trying to capture an image of something to sell, you are trying to convey a story or a feeling, traditionally editorial pictures were used alongside articles to help strengthen the text, in the modern era they are however often used on their own to great effect (especially across the internet and social media). The important thing with editorial photography is to understand the subject, you can’t just turn up to a shoot, fire off some pictures and leave – if you are telling a story you need to understand your subject matter and research is an important part of that. As an editorial photographer you will also have to be very aware of your audience, if you are taking pictures for a broadsheet newspaper your approach h will be completely different then if you were shooting for a children’s magazine!

Event photography

An event photographer can cover a wide range of situations, events can cover anything from wedding and funerals, to gigs, concerts, shows and sporting events. Wedding and corporate event photography can be very lucrative and you may be able to do a certain amount of directing, but sometimes as an event photographer you have to be quick witted and adaptable to what’s around you, you are there to capture what ever the event maybe, so may have very little control over what’s happening – if your at a live gig you wouldn’t be able to ask the band to restart a number while you get set up to take a shot, or ask a lead singer to just restart that bit of crowd surfing!

Photography agent

A photography agent is in essence a sales rep for you, they will link clients looking for a photographer with a photographer who will be able to meet their requirements, the advantage of a photography agent is the network they have access too on both sides, from a clients perspective a competent agent will be able to find them a photographer who will do a good job at filling the brief, and from a photographers perspective the agents network of connections will be far more efficient at finding work than knocking door to door (all for a fee of course).

Photo agency

Photo agencies are very much an online service, where customers can go and search for images they require for a project or product, these are called “stock images”. As with a photography agent, photo agencies are essentially middlemen linking photographers with customers – but instead of projects or assignments they trade in individual images, usually customers will buy individual images or pay a subscription fee and photographers will receive a percentage of any sales in the form of royalties.

Legislation and rights in the photography industry

In relation to photographs all photographs are covered by copyright under British law, copyright doesn’t have to be applied for, it is automatically granted, however if you are intending to use your images professionally it may be prudent to register for copyright with the intellectual property office, this can help in any future disputes over your work. if you are taking pictures yourself using a model it is common place to ask the model to sign an image release form so you can use the images. If you employ a professional photographer to take pictures (weddings etc) usually the copyright remains with the photographer unless the photographer is an employee taking pictures as part of his employment, in that case copyright will usually be with the employer. Copyright lasts for 70 years from the date the owner dies, If you scan, copy or reproduce a photograph without permission that is copyright infringement, however being influenced by an image and then trying to recreate it is not.

If you want to share your pictures with the world and give access to your work, you can either give individuals permission to use your work or you can use a creative commons licence to give a wider audience immediate access whilst at the same time being able to stipulate how its used, you can allow usage for private or educational use, full commercial use, even control peoples ability to edit or modify your work.

Legally in the UK you can take photographs from any public place, but if you are on private land, you can only take photographs with the owners' permission. Certain tourist attractions or events may restrict the taking of photographs, there are also individual laws relating to the taking of photographs of children (in relation to pornography), police and service personnel (in relation to anti-terrorism). Photography is also restricted in certain places – you cannot take pictures in a UK court, and also certain military sites. As well as these obvious laws in relation directly to photography you will also need to take into account the range of civil laws involved these include: Employers liability insurance act, the children and young persons Act, the obscene publications act, the race relations act, the sexual discrimination act, the employment rights act, the disability discrimination act, the employment act, the working time directive, the health and safety act, The health and safety (Display Screen Equipment) regulation. I have briefly explained a few of these below:

The race relations act – the original race relations act was introduced in 1965 to help try and ensure that legally everyone is treated the same, no matter what the colour of your skin. In its first draft however it was still legal to discriminate in certain situations (shops, housing, mortgage applications)so it has evolved over time and been changed/updated several times - the current legislation was last updated in 2000. This is especially important in the photographic industry, and needs to ne given due consideration, as a visual artform photography can influence societies acceptance of what is “normal”. The inclusion of models with different skin tones and colours is vital if we are to help future generations be completely acceptive and truly inclusive.

The health and safety at work act – this is an important piece of legislation that protects employees and employers in equal measure, your employer is responsible to take all reasonable measures to protect you in the workplace and not put you in danger – for example if you have a landscape shoot to do at the top of a cliff your employer needs to provide you with the right equipment (any safety lines, or head protection etc) as well as not asking you to put yourself in harms way in order to get the best shot, if your working on a portfolio for a construction company, you should be provided with all the relevant PPE you require.

The health and safety (Display Screen Equipment) regulation – this set of regulations is really quite straight forward, with the rise in use of computers, screens and keyboards, this offers protection to ensure emplyers are obliged to provide protection for employees against the risks associated with computers, so adequate seating to prevent back pain, or repetitive strain on the wrists or eyes that can come from prolonged use.