Clients today need a constant stream of visuals for every platform, yet the perceived value of each individual photo is plummeting. Marcus explains how to stay profitable when the market demands more for less.
The Perceived Value Drop: Why delivering hundreds of images can actually make your business look like a low-cost commodity.
The Value Chain Pivot: Discover the specific repositioning required to move away from “supplier” status and why it’s the only way to build a sustainable career today.
The 24-Hour Reality: How to handle the modern expectation of “shoot today, deliver tomorrow” without losing your mind or your margins.
Sam Hollis
Hello, Marcus, how are you doing?
00:03.65
Marcus Ahmad
I’m very well, Sam. How’s yourself?
00:06.13
Sam Hollis
Coping, coping, moving house is quite a stressful procedure. as As Marcus can see, it’s it’s not the prettiest behind me at the moment.
00:14.01
Marcus Ahmad
But you’re still you’re still in Mozambique, though, aren’t you, for our listeners? Not quite in the UK yet.
00:16.95
Sam Hollis
I am still in Rozanbeak. I’ve shipped a loads of stuff to the UK. We’re going to be kind of red doing dual living between the two before too long.
00:24.78
Marcus Ahmad
Oh, dual living. Oh, very yeah very nice. Dual passport. and Well, the weather’s warming up for you here, Sam.
00:28.31
Sam Hollis
Not dual passport. They won’t give us a Mozambican one, but there we go.
00:30.01
Marcus Ahmad
that
00:33.05
Marcus Ahmad
It sounds very exotic and yeah, it sounds lovely, Sam, actually. it What a great compromise. um So yeah, it’s me talking today. And what i’m going to be talking about is probably one of the biggest challenges that commercial photographers are facing right now.
00:47.80
Marcus Ahmad
And it’s not AI. We’ve done the AI season. We’ve talked about that. like Our listeners can go back and dig into that. But AI does seem to be getting all the headlines at the moment. But when I speak to working photographers and when I run workshops or just talk to people in in in the industry, the thing that comes up again and again is something much more practical.
01:09.30
Marcus Ahmad
And it’s the V word, Sam. It’s the V word. It’s value.
01:14.26
Sam Hollis
Value. So there’s all sorts of things we can mean by that. Are you able to quickly summarize it now? Or is this going to be you’ll explain during the during the course of the podcast?
01:21.24
Marcus Ahmad
Yeah, hopefully it will come come through. but But specifically what I’m to be talking about is that clients these days and are needing more photography than ever before. And it’s not necessarily that they want to pay for it.
01:36.31
Marcus Ahmad
So in some ways, this is completely understandable in some ways.
01:36.87
Sam Hollis
OK.
01:40.19
Marcus Ahmad
Businesses today need far more imagery than they did 10 or 15 years ago. Look, think about it. A company now needs photographs for their website, LinkedIn, Instagram, advertising, newsletters, the presentations, press releases, and often multiple social media platforms.
02:01.10
Marcus Ahmad
Where Sam, you know, 20 years ago, um ah a commercial shoot would just consist of producing like ah what we would call a company brochure. Do you remember them?
02:13.46
Sam Hollis
Yeah, that’s it. and And it would be simple, wouldn’t it? And you’re done and then they probably wouldn’t to get any photos for 10 years. that That would do them, wouldn’t it?
02:20.32
Marcus Ahmad
Well, it could be, hopefully. it wasn’t and Sometimes there were annual reports, but these were basically… um They were just basically just a small amounts of photographs. You’d go and do a shoot and they’d probably, you’d you’d be submitting maybe 20 or 30 photographs for these brochures.
02:37.52
Marcus Ahmad
So now businesses need a constant stream of visuals. And this is really where the tension begins. Because from the client’s perspective, they’re thinking, we just need some photos for marketing. But us, as photographers, we think the reality is very different. We are, as I said, we’re,
02:56.63
Marcus Ahmad
We used to just supply a few images. Now we have to supply multiple images, multiple crops, vertical versions, square versions, banners for LinkedIn, and sometimes short videos, which is becoming more and more common. So what looks like a small job can quickly become a large volume of deliverables.
03:17.19
Marcus Ahmad
It’s a content machine. And I often describe modern photography as a content machine. Businesses today want on content. They don’t need visual. Sorry, they do need visuals all the time.
03:30.04
Marcus Ahmad
And in many ways, that’s actually good news for us photographers because the demand for imagery has never been higher. But the challenge is that the perceived value of each photograph is dropped.
03:44.38
Marcus Ahmad
So when images were square scarce, they had enormous value. Now, they need hundreds the business will need hundreds of them every year, and the conversation can shift quickly from quality to quantity.
03:59.51
Marcus Ahmad
And so for photographers who have been spending years, like myself, developing their craft, understanding light, whatever, composition, that can sometimes feel frustrating.
04:11.00
Sam Hollis
So yeah, so that can be quite a challenge. So is that a lot, Marcus, about getting the client to understand what you’re providing, but also you get them to understand, yeah, the the value that you’re giving ah yeah and getting them to understand that.
04:25.62
Marcus Ahmad
Yes. Yeah. it it It’s a tricky one. I mean, back in the days, you know, in film, as I said, in corporate brochures, the photographs, have you you were delivered less and they had more value.
04:38.22
Marcus Ahmad
But these days, the more you more deliver, the less value it becomes, especially as they think, oh, I can probably do this for myself, some of this myself on a phone.
04:39.01
Sam Hollis
Yeah.
04:46.71
Marcus Ahmad
But anyhow, it’s not all bad news.
04:47.31
Sam Hollis
Yeah.
04:48.55
Marcus Ahmad
um But let me just talk a little bit about the speed side of things, rather delivery, because that’s where another big change is happening. Photographers used to have a bit of breathing space built into the process.
05:00.10
Marcus Ahmad
You would shoot, edit carefully, make selections, refine the images. But now the expectations can be incredibly fast. Shoot today, images tomorrow.
05:11.22
Marcus Ahmad
In fact, Sam, tonight I’m doing an event. I know i’m gonna have tomorrow morning I’m going to want the images delivered because they want to get them out on the social media.
05:18.65
Sam Hollis
Yeah.
05:20.09
Marcus Ahmad
So speed is becoming um a preference. And when everything becomes about speed, it can start to feel like you’re producing content on a conveyor belt rather than crafting photographs.
05:33.14
Marcus Ahmad
So let’s talk about photography as craft versus photography as content. So what we’re really seeing is a shift from photography as craft to photography as content.
05:44.41
Marcus Ahmad
Businesses are thinking in terms of content production. Photographers are thinking in terms of image making and the two perspectives don’t always align.
05:55.06
Marcus Ahmad
But there is a positive side to this. the photograph The photographers who seem to be doing well right now are the ones who move up the value chain.
06:06.10
Marcus Ahmad
Instead of positioning positioning themselves, is that word again, simply as photographers, they position themselves as creative partners, visual storytellers, brand photographers, or visual strategists. Sam, we’ve talked about this before extensively on different shows, I know.
06:23.38
Sam Hollis
Yeah. Yeah. So it’s about that getting across the real value you’re adding and doing that with your position.
06:31.03
Marcus Ahmad
Yeah, exactly. So businesses need to understand how imagery supports their brand and their marketing. So when you start having that conversation, the relationship with the client changes.
06:44.82
Marcus Ahmad
It’s no longer just how much for some photos, it becomes how do we visually communicate this brand? And that’s a very different conversation. So In branding photography, um this is why it’s grown, i feel, so much. Brand photography isn’t just about taking a set of pictures. It’s about understanding the business, the audience, and the message the client wants to communicate.
07:11.35
Marcus Ahmad
Then, creating imagery that supports that story. So when folk photographers do that well, they stop being seen as simply a supplier and become much more of a creative current collaborator. And that usually leads to better work and better projects.
07:28.41
Marcus Ahmad
So again, so like, like like yes, yes.
07:29.08
Sam Hollis
That presumably so that presumably also often is also recurring. ah so you know Somebody who is a photographer, you get them in, they do a photo and they go. Someone who’s a collaborative partner is more likely to be referred to, you’re talking to, is more of an ongoing conversation over time and are providing images over time.
07:47.48
Marcus Ahmad
is That’s exactly right, Sam. And to take the event tonight. I’m looking at it, not just documenting an event. I’m looking how I can add branding value to that. So I’ll be looking for logos that I can incorporate, whatever it might be. It might it might be lit or photographed in a way that would suit their brand. So that’s what I’m looking for. I’m not thinking about it as an event photographer. I’m actually putting it on my branding photographer hat on and approaching it that way.
08:13.78
Marcus Ahmad
um So if you’re a commercial photographer feeling some of this pressure, more deliverables, faster turnaround, tighter budgets, you’re certainly not alone. The industry has changed.
08:27.72
Marcus Ahmad
But the photographers who adapt by thinking more strategically about the role of images in business are often the ones who build the most sustainable career, just like you just said, Sam. Because ultimately, businesses don’t just need photographs, they need visual communication.
08:44.54
Marcus Ahmad
And that’s where photographers still bring enormous value. And just to redefine just the last to to finish this, Sam, the interesting question photographers today is, are you producing content or are you helping businesses communicate visually?
09:02.29
Marcus Ahmad
So there, yeah, that’s those are my thoughts on that.
09:02.49
Sam Hollis
Excellent. Interesting point to finish on.
09:05.37
Marcus Ahmad
Thank you. Thank you. I think you’ve got to go that extra mile these days, Tom.
09:06.14
Sam Hollis
Yeah.
09:09.73
Marcus Ahmad
It’s a very competitive industry. Budgets are shrinking. But nevertheless, there’s opportunity out there.
09:16.22
Sam Hollis
Yeah, and presumably as well, there are some options, like you said, you have to provide images this way. Sorry, we’re on a podcast. I’ll stop waving my arms around. Square and portrait and landscape everything.
09:23.54
Marcus Ahmad
yeah
09:25.66
Sam Hollis
But that does not, does that not also mean that it looks like you’re producing a lot of images, you’re providing a lot of images and actually you’ve just provided six versions of the same thing. So in some ways, it that can work both ways a little bit.
09:38.26
Marcus Ahmad
cat But you have to shoot it differently, Sam, especially for like this 16 by 9 vertical. You have to really consciously think, how am we going to shoot this? You can’t just crop it in from a…
09:47.64
Sam Hollis
ah So you’re not talking about just cropping it. Okay, right.
09:50.07
Marcus Ahmad
No, definitely not. And, you know, again, when I speak to my clients, do you want this predominantly landscape, predominantly vertical? Where you going to be using this? And that’s all part of that, you know, it’s helping their businesses.
10:01.31
Marcus Ahmad
But also, it’s helping me get in… not ending up with photographs that are caught, wholly caught by the client, you know?
10:09.72
Sam Hollis
Yeah, which which can be a terrible mess, can’t after you’ve spent all that time doing them. And then I was also going to ask about that people wanting photos right away. So, I mean, my thought is there’s a couple of ways ah yeah of approaching it.
10:18.55
Marcus Ahmad
Yes.
10:20.54
Sam Hollis
I mean, is one way just to to give them a selection right away to go, right, let’s find, you know, five key images and the event and let’s get those sorted, deliver in the morning and then deliver the rest later. Does that sort of thing work or do they tend to just want everything right away?
10:31.51
Marcus Ahmad
yes it Both work, Sam. You’re quite right. but Some clients, they’re going to want um images like a recap at the end of the day that they might they want to put on a slideshow the next morning or if it’s like a multiple day event.
10:46.97
Marcus Ahmad
um But generally, i you know within my contract, I say I deliver 48 hours, the images, and I try and always try and do it in 24 just to give a little bit of an extra little boost to to it at at that last touch point with the client.
10:58.87
Sam Hollis
yeah. Yeah.
11:00.45
Marcus Ahmad
and but And it doesn’t take long you know to to edit and cull. You can get AI culling, I know, to these days. But i ah you just go through. just think, oh don’t allow yourself too much time.
11:12.54
Marcus Ahmad
And just do it. you know and and when you’re shooting, bearing in mind, you’ve got to edit it. you know And just don’t overshoot, really.
11:21.27
Sam Hollis
Yeah, I mean, the other thing, I was chatting to Fabrizio on the last show, and she was talking about outsourcing the editing.
11:25.11
Marcus Ahmad
Yes.
11:27.79
Sam Hollis
So in some ways, if you’ve got an outsourcing part, you’re on the other side of the world in a different time zone.
11:28.73
Marcus Ahmad
Yes, I did hear that.
11:32.60
Sam Hollis
That could work well in terms of you finish the shoot, you’re coming, kind of going to bed, going off, done the shoot, I’m exhausted.
11:38.97
Marcus Ahmad
Oh, yeah.
11:38.85
Sam Hollis
You hand it to them, spin up, they can effectively do all that work while you’re asleep, and you next morning, and there you go.
11:39.21
Marcus Ahmad
Yeah.
11:42.65
Marcus Ahmad
yeah
11:46.23
Marcus Ahmad
That’s very true, Sam. I never thought of that, actually. um I have outsourced images before when it’s rather complicated cutout or ah repe something very repetitive. um I do like to edit myself and I do listen to that show. and ah you know i see Of course, it’s there’s different ways of doing it. different I’m pretty quick with the old Capture One at getting things done you know and and choosing images.
12:10.46
Marcus Ahmad
So I edit myself, but yeah, you’re right. That that could be something that you can use to the advantage.
12:17.70
Sam Hollis
That’s it. And especially if the editors are on the other side of the world in the opposite time zone, often the rates are quite ah quite competitive as well.
12:24.99
Marcus Ahmad
Oh, Sam, the rates are very competitive. Yeah, sure. if i if i had but but but If I had a bit more of a business head on me, I’d be definitely outsourcing it. Yeah, they’re very they’re very they’re very competitive.
12:36.73
Marcus Ahmad
and God, you know, in I’m not quite sure we really if it’s a good thing or a bad thing, but there you go. It is what it is. Yeah, yeah. So, you know, ah’ in fact, we we ah is it time to announce our masterclass? I know we haven’t got a date for it, but we are doing a little webinar coming up soon, Sam. And I’m hoping to include some little tips about but how you can supply extra value to the how you can add extra value to the images you supply to a client.
13:04.28
Sam Hollis
Perfect. And we should have full news on the webinar next week.
13:08.34
Marcus Ahmad
Great stuff. Fantastic. Thanks, Sam.
13:09.94
Sam Hollis
Cool. Well, thank you, Marcus. See you next week.
13:13.00
Marcus Ahmad
See you next week.
13:16.98
Marcus Ahmad
Great, Sam. That was very that was really good.
