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Using professional photography in design projects is an investment in your business. Because people absorb most information visually, photographs are extremely effective in conveying your ideas. The quality of your visual message also tells clients how important they are to you.
To get the best photographs for your project, you need the right photographer and well-defined specifications:
Match the photographer and the project: Photographers have specialties, such as still life, people, or architecture. Your designer will be able to recommend experienced photographers people who fit your project. You will want someone who communicates well, responds to your concerns, and will be an active member of your creative team.
Define your requirements. To accurately estimate a job, the photographer needs to know what needs to be photographed, where and when, and what you want to communicate about it. He or she has to know:
 Your layout or shot list
Whether you want color or black and white
How and where the photographs will be used
Your designer can help create full specifications so that all cost estimates are complete, and competing estimates are fully comparable.
A professional photographer will give you a detailed written estimate of what the job will probably cost, the terms of the work and your usage rights, based on the information you have provided. Your designer can help in evaluating estimates, and work with the photographer on any revisions. The designer's assessment will take into account:
Factors that determine creative fees, including the number and complexity of shots, as well as the photographer's skill and experience. Fees include anticipated time for meetings, arranging the shoot, and editing and cataloguing the images, as well as the actual shoot. If you decide to add "just a few more shots" or change the shooting schedule, fees will increase. Expenses such as film, processing, prints, or travel are not included in creative fees and are an additional cost.
Use and licensing: Creative fees are also based on how images will be used and the type of rights being licensed. Generally, the more extensive media exposure a photograph will receive, the higher the usage fee. Photos for a billboard in Times Square will cost more than those for an ad in a trade publication. People often buy more rights than they need. The designer will help you determine exactly what usage rights are required for your project.
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Good design often stretches convention. This issue's design illustration uses a color often associated with negative moods, to convey new and positive things for a client.
Striking brand identities