Top five tips for PR photography

We all know a picture is worth a thousand words, but it’s easy to forget the golden rules when under pressure to create an attention grabbing image. Here are some top tips for successful PR photography:

• Make sure there are only three main subjects or props in the picture. Overcomplicating the image will put viewers off and if picture desks don’t have time to work out exactly what’s going on in the image, they’ll move on to the next.
• On the flip side, the picture needs to tell a story– one person standing alone is not going to capture anyone’s attention. The aim is to give enough away in the image to encourage viewers to read the caption.
• Make sure you have a range of images which work well in a number of different shapes and sizes. You never know what size space a publication may have allocated for the image so it’s best to be able to offer a number of different options. At the very least make sure publications have the choice of landscape or portrait.
• Be subtle – there’s nothing wrong with trying to get some branding into the picture but anything too obvious will be rejected immediately– no publication wants to give away free advertorial dressed up as news. Try to make any sign of branding as subtle as possible and consider pictures are sometimes cropped to remove unnecessary features. The goal is to ensure the branding is small but integral to the image to avoid editing.   
• Pay attention to the background – make sure there are no unwanted people or distracting items lurking behind the main props. Be careful when working in a public space as passers by have a habit of cropping up at inconvenient moments.

Following these tips won’t guarantee front page coverage, but running through the checklist before a photo shoot will ensure the images don’t instantly end up in the desk top rubbish bin.