Meet Will and Mark, Commercial Photographers

Will and Mark are two commercial photographers from Dorset and Bournemouth based on the south coast of England. They offer a range of photography services including lifestyle, people, food and drink, interiors and architecture, plus products and pack-shots. Below they share with us about how they work and how they came to setting up their commercial photography business.

1. Why is it important for businesses to hire a commercial photographer?

Images are so important when it comes to first impressions, and also actually selling something. Our commercial photography services are predominantly for clients in the Dorset and Bournemouth area of the United Kingdom, although on many occasions we are required to travel throughout the country.

Our clients range from property developers, restaurants, watch manufacturers, and large retailers. All of them come to us because we manage to capture the moment which places their product or service in the best possible light--and that's our job at the end of the day as commercial photographers--you can see some examples on our commercial website.

2. How do you decide where to take photos for a shoot for a particular client? In other words, are there criteria that help you decide, for example, when to do interior photos and when to go outside on location?

Many of the clients we work with are retail businesses or are manufacturers. Because of that we need to take shots inside the studio. When we shoot in our studio, then the real trick is in the lighting. Any commercial photographer will tell you that you need to understand how light works in order to get the best photographic results. There's also a need to understand the composition and form so you can make the client's product look as good as it can be.

We also do need to go out on location, but this is primarily for clients where their product is used in an outdoor scenario, or our architectural clients. Many of them need great images of their property to help with the sale, so half of the shoot will naturally be outdoors, and the rest will typically be interior shots of the building.

If we can do a plug here, then please head on over to our website and check out the interiors and architectural page which has some of our most recent work examples.

3. What is your background in photography, and how did you decide to become a commercial photographer?

It's at university that we actually met around 10 years ago, but before then had both been keen photographers. Whilst we both had differing methods, styles, and types of photography equipment, we had a connection and thought that we would look at setting up a commercial photography company together.

Since then it's been a successful partnership for both of us and has turned into a solid commercial photography business and partnership that is creative and brings in a profit. We work hard to achieve that.

4. For someone who is looking to hire a photographer for a project, what advice do you have to help ensure a good partnership?

Make sure that it's someone you can get along with! We pride ourselves on our communication and two way approach. We listen to what the client wants from their photography project and take on board their requirements. It's then up to us to impart our professional opinion based on our years of experience as commercial photographers. Any prospective clients can check out a video we've just placed on our YouTube channel about how both of us work as commercial photographers in Dorset. Hope you like it and thanks for the interview!

Thanks, Will and Mark!