As the season of goodwill is
nearly upon us, and by way of a thank you to all my great businesses who have
booked me for commercial photography across the Teesside region from Stockton, Redcar, Middlesbrough, Hartlepool and Darlington areas this year, I’m running a competition to win a free half-day
photography session for one lucky independent retailer, cafe, restaurant, etc whose name is pulled out
of the hat on the 22nd December.
As a North East photographer with nearly three decades of commercial, press and freelance photography experience behind
me, I’m passionate about images and how they can affect the success of a
business. If you look at any
successful organisation it is likely to be one that has invested in
professional imagery that really tells the story of its brand and its product.
There’s nothing wrong with
using stock shots but if you are trying to create a powerful brand that people
can identify with, you really do need great photos, taken by a professional photographer. When you look at the
cost of setting up and growing an enterprise, the cost of investing in a professional photographer for your business is a drop in the ocean, yet it could
mean the difference between success and failure.
A product or a service can
easily be portrayed through the right look and feel in your pictures. It’s
about being honest and using ‘real’ imagery, but presenting your business in a
way that your target audience will be attracted to. I often use the example of
a café that serves a terrific full English breakfast. There would be no point
in photos that presented breakfast as a healthy option, but equally it would be
silly to make it look like a greasy spoon café. As with most things in life,
honesty is the best policy.
So, off my soapbox now and
back to this fantastic competition. If your business is the lucky winner, just
one half-day photography session could provide you with enough images for a
website and a brochure, plus enough images to use on Pinterest, Facebook,
Twitter and other social media platforms too.
I really wish I could open
this up to all the small businesses across the region, but the winner must be an
independent retail outlet, not a big chain, operating in any area of business
but with premises, rather than being a home-based business.
I’m doing this partly as a
thank you for all the work I’ve had this year, and partly to show my support
for local businesses. I’m a big
believer in shopping local wherever possible. If we all do a bit where we can,
then the cumulative effect will be massive.
If you want to be in with a
chance of winning, drop me an email at info@davecharnleyphotography.com with details...
- Details of your own name.
- Your business name.
- Your business address and postcode.
- Contact telephone and email.
- Type of business you operate.
- Retail business premises must be in the Stockton, Darlington, Redcar, Hartlepool or the Middlesbrough areas.
- Winner will be notified before the 9th January and valid till the 27th March, 2015
- Please do not enter via Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, etc
And the winner was....
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| Winner - Vintages Rags in Middlesbrough |
