Corporate photography has come a long way since its humble beginnings in the early 20th century, but is it relevant today? The history of corporate photography is closely intertwined with the history of advertising. In the early days of advertising, corporations relied heavily on illustrated ads in magazines and newspapers. These ads were often created by hand, using a technique called “line art.” Line art was time-consuming and expensive to produce, so it was reserved for only the most important advertising campaigns.
As photography became more popular and accessible in the late 19th century, it began to play a role in corporate advertising. Companies started to hire professional photographers to take pictures of their products and events. This was a major shift from illustrated ads, which were often inaccurate or exaggerated. Photography allowed companies to show potential customers exactly what they were selling. It gave them a degree of authenticity and transparency.
As time went on, corporate photography became more focused on marketing and advertising. Shots were increasingly designed to sell the company's image, rather than simply document it. Product shots became more stylized, and employee portraits were used to convey an impression of professionalism and success.
Today, business photography is an essential part of any company’s marketing and branding strategy. Product photography is all about showcasing a company’s products or services in the best light possible. It is used to create advertising and marketing materials, such as brochures, websites, and social media posts. Today's corporate photography is all about capturing the essence of the company in an original and creative way. Whether it's a team photo with a difference or an action shot of employees hard at work, corporate photographers are now able to show their clients in a much more dynamic light.
To enjoy success as a business in today's world, it is paramount that our message be communicated quickly and clearly while also embodying who we are as an institution through visuals. Few people realize that corporate photography is all about the message portrayed on both the cover page and inside pages of company booklets, advertising assets, social media channels like Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn as well as the company website and many more media formats.
What does the future hold for corporate photography? With businesses increasingly wanting to stand out from the crowd, one can only expect to see even more creativity and innovation in this field. We may even see corporations starting to commission artists to create one-of-a-kind images that really capture the imaginations of their customers and employees alike.
With the rise of social media, corporate photography has become even more important. As businesses use it to reach new audiences and engage with customers, quality imagery is vital to maintain and develop trust, transparency and higher values to propel businesses forward in the 21st century.