The goal of a Commercial Photographer is to produce images that will help sell a product or a scene.
What Does a Commercial Photographer Do?
Commercial Photography can often be confused with Fine-Art photography. Although they are both different categories than a typical photographer, they each have their own purposes. The following types of photography could be considered commercial: Fashion Photographers; Real Estate Photographers and even portrait photographers, if they are taking portraits for commercial purposes. An example of a portrait used for commercial purposes would be, a headshot taken for a company website. Commercial shots can be artistic, but its first purpose is not to create art, but rather to sell a product, scene or to help a viewer feel trust.
So what is it that sets Commercial and Fine-Art photography apart?
In my experience, Fine artists can create based on a feeling that they themselves feel. That feeling is then portrayed into the image for the viewer to see and hopefully empathize or sympathize with the creator. It is often abstract and in some cases, can be quite raw. Commercial photographers are told by someone else the feeling they are supposed to portray. It is their job as the photographer to create a feeling with the products or people they are given. It is most often associated with trust, comfort, quality and happiness. Although Fine Art can be used in commercial settings, the photographer doesn't necessarily get to choose the feeling it's going to sell.
What can we consider the similarities to be?
All Photographers use their artistic eye to stage a shot. Commercial and Fine Art are not so different from one another in this scenario. Both will be paying attention to angles, lighting, avoiding distracting objects and unwanted background colors. Both will have a high degree of knowledge of their equipment and how to get the best out of what they are working with. Both will need to communicate to their clients to help them understand how to pose in the shot.
How can portrait photographers become commercial photographers?
I believe that anyone with a passion for photography, who studies and develops their eye for how to create the right shot for the right emotion, they can take that to the realm of commercial photography. Most of my work has been taking portraits, but because I have trained my eye to know how to get the right shot, Often times I am asked by models or by companies to create the mood they are trying to portray. Below is a shot of an AirBNB apartment for http://box5244.temp.domains/~kanobnbc/.
This was something new for me, I had done some landscape shots as well as commercial headshots, but Real Estate photography was something completely different. What I learned, was that the same rules did apply. I just needed to figure out the emotion I wanted to portray in these images. I knew how to stage my shot. It wasn't any different that the Fine Art photographer or the avid smartphone photographer with a stellar eye.
How to Get Good at Commercial Photography:
My goal was never to be a good commercial photographer. It was just to be the best photographer I could be. Through studying that craft, I became confident in my skills as a photographer. Practicing so many different scenarios and scenes has helped me to understand that I'm not just taking a picture. I am freezing a moment or a mood in time. So I better know how to interact with my clients to get them in the mood I want to capture. Then I have to frame it, and have some super fast fingers to capture that shot! With enough practice, any genre of photographer can aspire to become a commercial photographer too.
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