 Deja' Jendro, photographer and Creative Director with On Display Productions (left), and Kiera Faye, videographer and Creative Director of Faye & Voelker (right) IntroductionsToday I’m introducing a new blog series, People Who Make It Possible! For each blog, I’ll interview practitioner experts from justice-oriented, Twin Cities-based businesses. They will share their expertise about photography, accounting, legal issues—anything you may need to know to run your small business. And because I know you value DE&I, most interviewees will be LGBTQ, BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color), and/or FTW (femme, trans, and women) or from LGBT-, BIPOC-, or FTW-owned businesses. To get us started, I interviewed Deja' Jendro (she/her), photographer and Creative Director with On Display Productions, and Kiera Faye (she/her), videographer and Creative Director of Faye & Voelker. The three of us got to know each other at The Coven, a Twin Cities co-working space that's "a vibrant, welcoming community of women, non-binary, and trans individuals." We settled into some comfy seats at their St. Paul location to discuss photography and videography for small businesses. The importance of quality photos and video This image is an example of a pretty good free stock photo from Pexels that gets the idea across but doesn't build relationships with the viewer the way quality personalized photography and videography can. Shannon: Business owners know photos are an important part of any website, but I know I don’t have a full understanding of why it's so important, and I don’t know much about video at all. Let's start by telling us a bit about why photography and videography are so important for small businesses and solopreneurs. Deja': Photography is such an important part of driving sales. It’s about connecting with future and past clients. It’s an opportunity to really dig in and show them what you’re about. Kiera: Exactly. photos and videos are all about building relationships. Video is uniquely powerful because visitors to your website get the impression they’ve met you before they even send that first email or make that first contact. Having yourself or your staff in a video begins to develop that trust. Get your personality out there, make a connection. Deja': And for younger clients, it’s all about seeing. Seeing something and imagining it for yourself is critical for any business. If someone can see themselves using your products they’re more likely to purchase it from you because it's familiar and they’ve already made a connection to whatever you're selling. Shannon: That really makes sense to me. My teenager just told me all about an hour-long infomercial for vitamins. It was about how modern farming practices have reduced the nutritional value of produce. He talked about it endlessly at dinner! The video drew him in, but he never would have taken the time to read about it. Kiera: Exactly! Even if someone isn’t ready to be your client, if your video really connects them to your story, your brand, your mission—it can create fans for you. They have an emotional connection so they’ll talk approvingly of you even if they’re not a customer yet. Tips for going it aloneShannon: Ok, I was already convinced I needed photos, now I’m persuaded that video can be really important too, but what if I’m not ready to hire a professional? What can I do to create my own quality photos and video? Deja': Well a phone is a great source, if you’re on a smaller budget, to make your own photos and videos. There’s different apps you can use to create decent video. I know Canva is a design tool that you can use to boost the quality of your photos a bit. Shannon: Can you give us some tips for folks who want to DIY? Setting Kiera: For video, really pay attention to the sound around you. Don’t do it on a busy street or where there’s music playing. You want to control your environment. In photography too, pay attention to what’s in the background.
You can really play with the backgrounds in a lot of ways. For photos, I’ve used contact paper, scrapbooking paper, scarves, rugs, even bedsheets. I think a lot of it is just noticing what you like.
Lighting Deja': I'm glad you mentioned lighting. Lighting is key to phone photography. You can play with the contrast and coloring and have a little bit of filter, but I have to say it’s really about what light is actually present in the space. Kiera: Exactly. Be sure there’s enough light. Smartphone cameras are good but they do best with plenty of light. But pay attention to the direction of light and shadows. Deja': If you're inside get as close to your windows as possible so you can utilize the light coming in, but don’t shoot directly into the sun or have a window behind you. Natural light is huge but every day is different. You might have bad weather or an overcast of clouds. You want to go with natural light when the sun is at its brightest or at golden hour or “magic hour” which is shortly after sunrise or before sunset when the light is redder and softer than when the sun is higher in the sky. It creates a soft golden look to your images, it's like a real-life filter that looks good on everyone. What to avoid Shannon: So as pros I am sure you see some things and you just cringe. What mistakes do you see people making? Deja': Over editing is the biggest thing. Changing skin tones. Kiera: Absolutely, too much skin smoothing. But more than that the biggest mistake I see in video is not giving people a reason to watch. Everyone’s going to ask, what’s in it for me. Open with that right away. Deja': That’s so true, if you’re not interested you scroll in seconds. Kiera: Don’t be like those recipe blogs where you’re scrolling and scrolling just to get to what you’re looking for! Shannon: What about using stock photography? Deja': For some purposes stock photography can be the way to go. It’s inexpensive and you have a variety of images to choose from. But stock photography is mostly filler. It doesn’t offer personalization to your vision or brand message Hiring a ProShannon: Ok so now I have some ideas of how to wing it on my own, but how do I know when it’s time to hire a professional? Deja': When you’re feeling overwhelmed. Staying on any social platform is a lot. I don’t think people understand how much time and work it is to come up with content that’s on point with your brand. When you find yourself on Pinterest 2-3 hours a day trying to come up with ideas, hire someone to help you make content for your message Kiera: I’d say go ahead and start where you are, utilizing your own skills and talents. There are some great tools to DIY, but I think comfort is huge. You have to ask yourself, if I make my own video for my website will it look professional or will it look like TikTok? When you’re ready to elevate your message, when you look at your media and it doesn’t match the quality of your brand, then it’s time to hire a professional. Whenever you're considering what to DIY, I’d say do what you’re good at. Don’t feel like you have to learn a whole craft. There are folks out there with years of experience who will be more efficient with a better product. How to choose a pro Shannon: That makes a lot of sense. When you’re ready to take it up a notch, don’t keep trying to up your DIY game. In the end, you’ll save time and money working with a professional who will do it right the first time. Ok, so if I’ve decided I’m ready to hire, how do I choose the right person for the job? Deja' and Kiera in unison: Look at portfolios! Deja': When you’re choosing a professional here’s what I’d do:
Kiera: And don’t just go with the flashiest, or most “high end” but pay attention to what’s memorable. What do you feel a connection to? All the fancy gear is not so important. What matters is finding work you can’t stop thinking about. Deja': And not every photographer is for every person or business. Find someone that does the style that you need them to do. If you have product photography, you don’t want someone who just does food or portraits. Do they have a color scheme that represents your brand? Price and Value Shannon: So now I want to get to the part that is sometimes most uncomfortable for folks. How do I know how much I should be paying for photography and videography services? Kiera: On the video side, pricing has so much to do with scale. How long will your final video be? Is it a single shot? Or multiple shots edited together. Start with knowing what you want to achieve. It’s essential to have a reason for the viewer to watch! Whatever you want to accomplish, a videographer could approach that goal in different ways. With a smaller budget, it might be a one-minute interview video or with a bigger budget, the same mission could be accomplished in a weeklong shoot. Deja': For photography, it’s also a lot about scale. The amount of time it takes determines the amount of money. What do you want to incorporate: models, props, one location, or many? Like Kiera said, it’s about knowing what you want to do. A photographer should be able to help you create what you need on a smaller or larger scale. Kiera: But when you’re thinking about how much you’re willing to spend, keep in mind this is an investment that should make you a return. I’ve had clients who think of the video like a product. How much does this video cost? But no, the question should be, what is the connection to your audience worth to you. Deja': The value to the client is one thing, but it’s also the value of the person that’s doing the work—their time, expertise, experience, equipment. The price for services all depends on the quality that you want. It depends on what you want the end result to be. Do your homework Shannon: Ok so, I’m ready to hire a professional, what should I do as the client to make the most out of our time together? Deja': Before your photographer actually shows up with a camera, you should do your homework to get a sense of your own aesthetic and be ready to communicate that to your photographer. Different brands, like Target, are bright, fun, colorful. Or Nike which is sometimes dark etc. You should be ready to say to your photographer, I saw these photos and I really like the look. As a photographer I’ll do my own homework too, looking at the existing social media presence for cues. Then I know, this is the aesthetic they’re going for, this is what I need to bring to the photos. Kiera: For video, any marketing really, you want to be thinking about your brand identity, Who are you? Who are you serving? What is your mission for this video? What problem are you solving for your clients? What do you want them to remember? In my work, I walk clients through that whole process. We work together to define the personality of the video. But if I have someone approach me with that business identity already set to go, we can take off right away. Some videographers are less interested in doing that creative background work with you. It’s all about clarifying expectations before you begin. Deja': Exactly. Some folks want you to know upfront and some folks will do that journey with you. So for sure, part of the homework is to know which creatives offer certain services. In these covid times, it's also important to ask about safety procedures. You want to feel comfortable throughout the shoot. For me, staying transparent is huge, I let clients know I'm fully vaccinated and will keep my mask on the entire shoot. I'm happy to meet folks wherever they’re at in terms of masking. If I'm photographing two people or more, I do have a Covid waiver to offer full transparency to clients because things are so uncertain. Two professionals to consider!Shannon: Thanks so much for all the tips. Now tell me about your own work!
Thanks to our guests!
Bonus tips from our guests!
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