Did
you pay too much for that picture?
by Randall Tomaras
Would you pay $1,000 for a photograph?
I've always said one picture is worth $1000. A good
picture is worth that to the person who has a product, idea, or concept
to sell or communicate. Let's face it, that's just about everyone.
And to be truthful most great images are worth far more than $1000 and
some high-end advertising shots cost a lot more than that. But let's
talk about what a photograph does and how it affects the mind. That's
the real value.
We have five senses; see, hear, taste, touch, and
smell. Have you walked into a room and said, “That smells like fresh
homemade bread?” At that exact moment you had a picture of bread in
your head. That's how the mind works. Images (or pictures) are stored
in your brain as you experience life. We do NOT store words, perhaps
pictures of words. Language is just a way to describe pictures in the
brain between people. Your thoughts are a composite of pictures that
your brain stores. From these images you can mix and match to create
new images. The better the picture is, the clearer the communication.
Photography is the universal language and it is the common denominator
of the 1,984 languages in the world.
This whole process is done on the right side of your
brain. It then sends it over to the left side of the brain to be verbalized
or written. Your senses ONLY create images, it is a faster form of communication
with yourself. Language is actually a barrier to perfect communication,
but it is a major form of communication between individuals.
Have you ever
heard a sound and without seeing it said; “Oh that’s the dog barking.”
Now if that sound was garbled or hard to hear, your communication would
be lacking. The same is true of a photograph or image. Outstanding photography
is critical for outstanding communication.
Are you starting to see the value of a photograph? Now
let's talk about the quality of a photograph. A photograph is food for
the brain and the better the image the more vivid and clear the thought
is. A quality image should stimulate the other senses. Together they
activate emotion. Our minds are constantly looking for quality. Quality
and uniqueness have the greatest impact on our right brain. That's why
we enjoy the sight of a pretty sunset, a beautiful person, or unique
new design. It's exactly why you want the image (picture) of your product,
idea, or concept to be the highest quality. You want your product to
trigger the senses and emotions. Why was the PT cruiser so successful?
Why do pictures of Pamela Anderson still sell? Sunsets are beautiful
to photograph but why are people more impressed when a tall ship is sailing
through a sunset? A unique design, something beautiful, something unusual.
The mind strives for that better communication and education. You want
customers to want. Beauty and impact sell because the mind thrives on
it.
If the image of your product is of poor quality, that's
the image you'll leave with your non-customer. Research points out,
that whatever you strongly like or dislike, you will tell others about
it. The rest of the thoughts in the middle just about go nowhere. The
problem is you are seven times more likely to be dissatisfied than impressed.
Do you want your idea or product to be above the bar or below the bar?
Of course everyone wants their ideas to be loved.
So how valuable is that photograph? Let me put it this
way, if you are paying 15 million for a 1 minute Super Bowl ad to be
aired, how much would you put into the production of that ad. My guess
is that you want an image that sells, convinces, and inspires. The photograph
is the image that people come back to. Not all photographs are equal
and not all photographers are equal. It's the same with any job. Smart
businesspeople are going to use photographers with a batting average
of 700 before they're going to waste their money on a batting average
of 100. Remember picking the wrong photographer won't pay for your brain
surgeon. Choose the rightr one and you won't need a brain surgeon, plus
you'll make more money on your product, service or ideas.
So in our next segment I will talk about what
makes a GREAT photograph, because if you don't know,
how can you make a wise decision. I will discuss over 40 things
you can do to improve your image. |
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