How to Budget for Corporate Photography [With Template]

Visual communication is the name of the game when it comes to marketing and business. Essentially, impactful images allow any company to tell a story immediately.

Corporate photography can contribute to brand storytelling.

Professional photographs are great assets for businesses that want to connect with their customers. Not only do they convey credibility, but they also help brands stand out from the crowd by establishing their unique identity.

Some small business owners and startup founders might need more time to understand the need for corporate photography. In reality, what deters them from investing in professional photographs are the costs of the entire shoot.

How much do you need to spend on corporate photography? There’s no definite answer to that burning question, but keep reading this piece to know exactly all the elements to weigh when budgeting for your needs.

When you finally finish this piece, don’t look elsewhere and check out the leading corporate photographers on Clutch.

What Goes into a Corporate Photography Budget

Corporate photography is pretty straightforward. There’s no need to feel intimidated by the steps and how it’s done. Like other types of photography, it can be split into three main stages —- conceptualization, photoshoot, and post-processing.

When planning your corporate photography budget, it’s important to understand where exactly your resources go. Here is a detailed dive of the three stages mentioned above and what goes into them:

• Conceptualization is all about planning the look and theme of the photographs. For this stage, understanding the purpose of your project is important; where will the photographs be used, and what ideas do you have in mind? Typically, photographers ask for or create a mood board to help you visualize how the final images will turn out. In addition to those, this initial stage also involves planning the logistics and the schedule of the shoot.
• Photo shoot is as unambiguous as it says. The photographer takes the images during this second stage and helps direct poses. If you hire a corporate photographer, inquire about how many shots you get during the photo shoot and how many hours it will take. Of course, their answer will still depend on your budget and how many team members they photograph.
• Post-processing, also known as post-production, is the last stage of the entire photography process, and it’s crucial in so many ways. It’s not a problem if you want raw photos for your brand, but most, if not all, want perfectly edited and refined photographs for their brand. The post-processing stage typically doesn’t involve complex edits, it focuses more on enhancing the photographs and refining everything necessary before sending out the final outputs to the client.

By knowing each stage of the corporate photography process, you know how to adjust your budget and even expectations wisely. Understanding each will also allow you to accurately estimate how much it will cost to hire a service provider.

Additional reading: “Corporate Photography Pricing Guide”

How to Budget for Corporate Photography

1. Know the Purpose of the Shoot
2. Prepare a Theme
3. Do a Headcount
4. Consider Studio Costs
5. Consult a Corporate Photographer

1. Know the Purpose of the Shoot

There are a plethora of reasons why businesses need corporate photography, and knowing what yours is will help you not only prepare a budget but also think of great themes. The first step when budgeting is to ask yourself — why do you need corporate photography?

Usually, professionally taken photographs are used by businesses for their websites, social media, email signatures, and even calling cards.

Moreover, corporate photography isn’t just about taking pictures of your staff — it’s a vast field. Some examples include architecture photography, event photography, food photography, and product photography. They all vary in terms of costs and timeline, which will affect your budget.

2. Prepare a Theme 

Themes are important to a successful photo shoot, and they greatly impact costs.

Corporate photography isn’t all serious, contrary to what some may think. Shooting based on theme can help you tell a cohesive story and tie everything to your brand identity.

Just look around at some of the biggest companies out there and observe how their corporate photographs link. For example, Apple is among the world's most prominent brands, and people immediately know when it’s from them. They use photographs that complement their minimalistic and sophisticated brand image.

Thinking of a cohesive theme that supports your brand will help you produce impactful images and manage your budget properly. 

3. Do a Headcount

If you plan to hire a corporate photographer to take headshots or personnel images, doing a head count is crucial. The more employees you have, the more photographs you and the higher the costs get.

Factoring what type of corporate photography you need and the theme, the number of images will be a big element to consider when preparing a budget.

Additionally, doing a count applies to every photography project and isn’t only for how many literal “heads” there are. If you’re hiring a corporate photographer to take product or food photography, count how many new food or products there will be — a shot list.

How many edited images do you need? Will you need the other raw images? How many shots or how long does each team member have with the photographer? All of these will directly impact the final price tag of the project. 

4. Consider Studio Costs

If you’re hiring a freelance corporate photographer, they may not have a studio or venue available and may incur additional costs if you need to rent one.

When considering studio costs, ask yourself first if you can have or want the shoot in your office. If not, you can rent a space with professional equipment and backdrops readily available.

For that, you can do your research by searching how much the studios cost in your area.

Don’t forget that studio costs will vary depending on how big it is, how long you need it, and if you will use the equipment there. Remember to inquire about how much they charge per hour, if there are additional costs when you use the equipment and other key details.

You can skip this part if you plan to hold the photoshoot in your office and if the photographer already has a studio available.

5. Consult a Corporate Photographer

The best way to get an accurate estimate of your spending is by directly consulting a professional photographer on their price list.

A photographer with more experience and notoriety will charge more than a beginner. A corporate photography studio offering everything from styling and directing will charge more than a freelancer who will only handle the shoot. Knowing which type of corporate photographer you need will be paramount for this last step.

You can consult more than one photographer for this phase. Take your time to hear out the services and pricing packages they offer. Use your gathered information to determine which service provider is best for your project and will fit your budget.

Corporate Photography Budget Template

Download Clutch’s free template for corporate photography budgeting.

Factors for Corporate Photography Costs

Budgeting for corporate photography isn’t complicated as long as you know what variables to consider. Here are the biggest variables to consider when allocating your resources:

• Type of corporate photography
• Number of photos
• Photographer’s expertise and experience
• Equipment costs
• Studio costs
• Theme
• Post-processing
• Image editing difficulty

Finding the right photographer for your project is the best way to maximize your investment. You may save money, but if the photographer doesn’t specialize in the type of photographs you need, you end up unsatisfied with the deliverables.

Keep all of these factors in mind when preparing your budget; you won’t be overwhelmed with the process.

Set the Tone with Corporate Photography 

Corporate photography will bring professionalism, credibility, and uniqueness to your brand. Investing in quality images can help you stay in your customers' minds and allow your company to stand out.

The conversation about whether it’s a luxury or a necessity is still up there, but there’s no denying the benefits it brings to brands. You don’t need to shell out loads of money to get quality images as long as you budget wisely.

Now that you know everything you need to prepare a budget, the next step is to find the right partner here on Clutch. Browse our ranking of the best corporate photographers and maximize the filters we’ve put together.

About the Author

Elaine Margrethe Alcantara

Elaine Margrethe is a part of Clutch’s global team of writers. She is responsible for writing blogs, supporting blog processes, and content creation efforts.

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