You’ve probably heard it before. Professional photos are important for your business. And it’s probably not surprising that you’re hearing that from me now, too, given my background in the arts and communications.

This may be the most important post that I’m ever able to share here, because avoiding it undoubtedly limits the pace of growth of your business.

Why? Professional photographs show that you are a professional. Amateur photos….show…well… I think you get where I’m going. If you want a simple way to gain traction and consumer confidence, get professional photos. Of course- you may be capable of taking professional photographs yourself you may even BE a professional photographer. Fantastic. Jump to the notes below to see how we set up a shoot day.

I love photography. I feel confident with some types of shots and I love to practice and am always seeking to learn more. But I am not a professional photographer and I can’t photograph myself well, either.

Some things that keep new farmers from getting professional photos:

they may be unsure of how to find a photographer whose photos look the way they want them to look.
they may be held up by the unknown cost of a shoot.
they may be held up by the cost - it can be a lot!
the thought of being on camera themsleves is nauseating.
they may feel their new farm/business isn’t worthy of professional photos.
they may think their money is better spent on a physical tool, supply, or labor.

I feel all of these sentiments. And now I want to tell you how I overcame them and jumped right into building a portfolio of professional photography for my farmer-florist operation. Because, believe it or not, NOW is a really good time to plan to make it happen.

Why? Photographers are not yet overwhelmed with a jam-packed summer season. While many have a full schedule of events set, they have more energy now and will likely be more willing to chat with you about a mid-week shoot (on a day that might otherwise be a day-off for them).

Finding a Photographer:

Choose your first photographer wisely. The goal is to choose someone whose style you love so that they can return season after season and grow your story along with your business through a consistent style. Do not hire someone and ask or expect them to change their style for your shoot. That is a recipe for disappointment. Look at their portfolio online before you contact them. Make sure that is a big portfolio. I can be tempting to choose a friend for projects like this. My suggestion is that you keep this purely a business venture. You need to be able to give feedback and unless you’re 100% sure that friend is the professional photographer that needs to shoot your business I recommend finding someone else.

Not sure where to begin? Start with the Instagram feeds of your local wedding venues.

Look for wedding images on those Instagram feeds that touch you and have the “feel” you like- be it airy and ethereal or vibrant, etc. Which images resonate with you? The photographers are likely tagged or mentioned. Follow the trail and check out their Instagram feeds and then their websites. Seek someone with an extensive portfolio that has a consistent look. Choose only one to contact first. Appreciate their art like you do your own work. Don’t lead with “how much does this cost? I’m looking to save money.” Remember, you get what you pay for. And the public face of your business is not where you want to be penny pinching, I promise. The floral industry is all about aesthetics. Sorry if that is disheartening. But it’s true. You’re growing something beautiful and it needs to be captured and communicated in beautiful ways.

Why Wedding Photographers?

An experienced wedding photographer can move from bright light outside (like outdoor ceremonies in full sun) to dim light (think churches!) into your studio or barn. They have a range of lenses for everything from close up flat lays to portraits to wide shots of large groups. And they know how to make things (hello wedding flowers!) look pretty.

Worried about being in front of the camera? Anxious about how you look? Wedding photographers capture couples when the pressure is greatest to make them look good. You’re going to be in good hands with them. Every single one that I’ve worked with is well practiced in getting even the grumpiest little ring bearer to crack a smile and the most awkward client to loosen up.

Explain the nature of your business and your flexibility in shoot dates. Start with the window in the summer when you think you’ll have the most flowers and some profits saved up to invest. For me, mid-August was perfect for my first shoot.

I’m suggesting that you make this investment your first season over money spent on other things like extra plants or bulbs, or low tunnel supplies. This investment will help you generate more money to buy those things in short order. Money spent to gain consumer confidence is money well spent.

My Deal Breakers:

Choose a photographer whose contract allows you unlimited digital access to your images and both web size and full size files. Do not choose a contract that would base payment on purchase of individual photos. After editing you should receive all the files and you should be able to do with them what you like.

Also: ABSOLUTELY NO watermarks should be put on the photo files by the photographer. Period. End of story. These are commercial photos for your brand. Not theirs.

Credit: You shouldn’t even be required to tag or mention photographers. These should be your images after purchase. (I do tag and mention my photographers often on social media - I love supporting them and I think that good will keeps them coming back to work with me), but you shouldn’t have to and you don’t want to get into a situation where every time you use a photo on social media, your website, or even in print materials you have to give credit.

Goals:

Consider the goals for your shoot. You will probably want images that can be used on each page of a website. Something for the “About” and “Meet Us” pages. Something for your homepage. Images that can go along with products you want to sell — like DIY wedding flower buckets, a pick-your own field, wedding design work, a subscription membership. Images that could be used on a page about your farmstand or farmer’s markets. Willing friends and neighbors can be great everyday “customers” for these kinds of images. Do you plan to sell dahlia tubers? Get pro photos of your dahlias so that you are set up for success in the winter time.

Keep a shot list and make sure you get what you need throughout the day.

You’ll also want a LOT of photos. They will be used to help populate your social media feeds. One shoot may pretty much cover you for an entire year if you are opertating seasonally.

Booking and costs:

Talk with your favorite prospective photographer and learn more about the rates they’ll offer you. In my experience, these rates are lower than wedding and event rates, and I’ve never been asked to pay a retainer fee, either. I think there is something appealing about projects like this that promise no bridezillas! The photographers I’ve worked with billed me much closer to the day of the shoot, which was conveniently mid season when I had some savings from summer sales. I’ve paid between $800 (half day) and $1500 (full day) per shoot.

I prefer a weekday shoot. I think you’ll find that it’s easier to find a photographer who can help you then and probably cheaper, too. And If we’re harvesting for some big orders or a wedding or farmers market, we’d use the primary harvest day for the shoot.

Make sure that your arrangement with the photographer takes into consideration that you may need a rain date. In my experience, they’ve been very accommodating of these situations and we re-schedule if needed.

Shoot Schedule

If you are able to hire a photographer, here’s how we organize our VERY FULL shoot days and make the most out of the plants we have bloom on that day. This is the order and schedule I’d also recommend to new flower farmers who may not have a ton of product to shoot. This schedule will help you take advantage of the flowers you have in many different ways.

Plant Variety Shots (1hr)

Photographer arrives just before sunrise. I give them a quick tour around farm and then the photographer shoots flower and plant varieties in the gardens and fields during that gorgeous early light. The focus is on flower closeups and sort of magical farm scenes. Dew, mist, glistening cobwebs, magic. Point out everything you want photos of and any certain angles you’d like captured. Give some brief instructions like: “Can you look for shots that make this area feel full and lush?” Or - “Can you help me make sure people don’t see the pile of tarps over there.” And then let them do their thing. There’s nothing worse than having someone leaning over you while you work! As the photographer moves from one space to the next, the harvest team (you or you and people helping you) follows and begins cutting in those areas.
Harvest Shots (1.5hr)
Next: harvest time. Plan ahead and save some harvesting for during the shoot day so that you can also get those live plant shots mentioned above at sunrise. You might have to be strategic in how you approach your sales this week so you don’t take all your flowers to a farmer’s market the day before, for example. Capture lots of harvest photos. Get hands at work, stems collecting in your arms, putting flowers in buckets. Every sort of shot you can think of. Lots of big armloads of blooms if you can manage. it. For my first photoshoot, I think I only had large quantities of cosmos. We spent a lot of time getting different shots of the cosmos in my arms.
Armload Shots (1.5hr)
Grab the newly harvested blooms straight out of their buckets and begin rotations of people getting armload shots as harvesting continues. If you are working alone, have some harvested buckets of flowers ready to go for this part of the shoot.
Lunch Break (1hr)
Lunch: You provide it for the photographer and your team. These days are beautiful, but they can also be long and hot. Lunch in our cool farmhouse or studio is always “on me” for everyone on shoot days. I follow up with a popsicle party when we wrap for the day. Keep in mind that this day may be uncomfortable for both you and anyone working with you as part of your business team. That might be your family or staff— either way you’re going to be ordering people around to some extent to keep things on track and make sure you get a lot of material. Everyone will be ready for a break.
Making and Portrait Shots (2hrs)
Making shots - now, using potentially the same flowers that were captured in the field, and then during harvest, make some design work or whatever kind of finished product your business offers. You should also be getting images of you or your designer at work and portraits. This is usually when I will put together a couple of bridal bouquets and vase arrangements. If you are new and nervous about making these on the spot, make them ahead of time and the get some photos of you touching them up or adding ribbon, etc.
Modeling Shots (2hrs)
Modeling shots - Put the things you made in the arms of “clients” or “customers”. Where do you find a model? I’ve been able to contact some people that I saw doing work for other local shoots. These people are usually tagged or mentioned in Instagram posts. I’ve also just been bold and hired a server that waited on us one night in town. After dinner- like a major creep, I went up to her and told her about my business and that I was planning a photoshoot and would she be interested in learning more. I paid her for her time and gave her full access to the photos for her own use.

Note on Portraits:

Photos of people (you!) are very valuable, and they will help you gain consumer confidence. People are more likely to buy from someone they know. Photos of you and your flowers together will help people feel like they are getting to know you.

Take note, though that photos with people can also date your business or become unusable. On photo shoot days, I’ll often have staff members pose with the flowers facing forward so we can get some beautiful portraits with them and we’ll also have an over the should shot from behind that is more about the product and still relevant to my business in seasons after staff members have moved on.

Final Notes:

Wow— In sitting down to write this all out, I realize there is so much more that goes into planning these projects that I initially planned to share. I know that was a lot of information. I hope that it was helpful and that is demystified the process a bit. Hopefully now you know what to expect and you have a place to start if you are new to booking professional photography for your business.

Best,