While a photo may look great–seeing the before gives you a peek into what a professional photographer brings to a project.

With a smartphone camera, anyone can get a photo of them before. However, a professional uses the skills of lighting and editing to transform this into an “Eye-Popping” photo.

I shot this photo with my cellphone to show the setup. All four strobes are set to full power.

I first shot this photo when I arrived.

I was not a fan of that tree.

I like them now, both for different reasons. I will let the client choose the angle to use.

Chase Bank, 4241 Roswell Road, Atlanta, GA 30342 Six Strobes were used in addition to the natural lighting. [NIKON Z 6, 24.0-105.0 mm f/4.0, Mode = Manual, ISO 400, 1/4, ƒ/8, (35mm = 24)]

What does it mean to see someone in a better light?

This is an expression of seeing something from a different perspective. For example, you always thought someone was bad, but after talking with them, you now see them in a different light. (Now you see them differently and think they are very nice) 

It is an Idiom

The two words Better & Light together give us a new meaning in language.

Without the extra light on the building, you are missing the “WOW FACTOR.”

Even waiting for the dramatic sky and lights on the building were not giving the same results that I do with my “Dusk” or “Dawn” architecture photography. If you notice the street lights in the photo, I had to fix the one on the left that wasn’t on in the final image. Again another thing I do to help my client’s work to be seen in the “Best Light.”

The key to Dusk and Dawn photos is that everything isn’t getting equal amounts of light as you get during daytime. If you want your photos to be more dramatic, be sure the light is where you want it and not just everywhere evenly.

Now the differences between these photos are much more than just lights. More than 30 photos were taken at each angle—different exposures and light capturing. Then, after some minor editing, I select 3 to 5 photos blended in PhotoShop to give the results you are seeing.

So when I arrived just before Dusk, I got this photo below.

I asked the manager if they could move those pallets. Again I took 30+ photos and, after minor editing, picked five pictures that I blended to get the final image.

Is Good Enough going to make you Competitive?

Today, so many people use their cameras on their phones and tend to say it is good enough. That lets you get these before photos I am showing here.

Can you continue to get jobs and projects with “Good Enough”? Can you pay your people good salaries with “Good Enough”? Can you deliver yourself enough for a comfortable lifestyle?

Hire a professional photographer whose portfolio shows they can put your products in the best light. Doesn’t your work deserve it?

Tony Messano, a creative director who designed my logo, said one day that he would hire photographers to take his vision and improve it.

Today’s phone cameras are good enough to get some great photos. What does the pro bring that you cannot get with your phone?

A professional photographer’s biggest strength is their ability to “Write With Light.” That is what the word photography is about–Writing With Light.

The coining of the word “photography” is usually attributed to Sir John Herschel in 1839. It is based on the Greek φῶς (phots), (genitive: photo’s) meaning “light,” and γραφή (graphê), representing “drawing, writing,” together meaning “drawing with light.”

By adding light to help enhance the light on the statue of Dean Griffin at Georgia Tech, I could make the figure look different.

Different

My friend Dave Black, Nikon Ambassador and professional photographer says, “Look for something ‘Different’ not necessarily ‘Better.’” Dave had discovered through his career that when something is “Different,” the audience will stop and look.

Another thing other than light is the composition that a trained eye brings. Notice in this photo how Dean Griffin looks like he is looking down and even has a depressing look to the picture.

By changing the camera angle and perspective, I make him look more authoritative and a leader.

By the way, the client called me needing help with their annual report cover. They wanted a photo to be “Iconic” about their foundation. They raise funds to help students get an education. I knew that Dean Griffin established and managed an emergency loan fund to assist students with financial difficulties, and he started, with his funds, Georgia Tech’s Central Placement Office. After his retirement, he operated a job placement service for alumni over forty.

I proposed the Statue of Dean George C. Griffin for their cover. I mentioned I had done something similar for S. Truett Cathy for Chick-fil-A. I sent them this photo of the statue of Cathy in front of the Original Dwarf House in Hapeville, Georgia.

They were initially looking at real people. The advantage of going with a statue of someone who is no longer here but embodies the institution’s core values is that it becomes “Iconic.”