(Q&A) Where to Start: Visual problem solving – Hunter Studio, Photography & Videography
For 2023 my monthly photo chats email has been taken over by the ‘Where to start’ series, a monthly Q&A with different creative professionals across Aotearoa. In this series we chat with copywriters, videographers, web developers, designers, and more about what you need to know before bringing them onboard in your business.
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Getting to know Hunter Studio:
We’re Hunter Studio, a multidisciplinary agency based in Tauranga, New Zealand. We work with clients who have creative problems which require creative solutions.
We also run Suburbia, film and photography studio & equipment rental house. Suburbia hosts a wide range of creative media projects for freelancers, agencies and businesses, and supplies photographic and film making equipment for creatives across the central north island.
In a nutshell, what do your services help businesses achieve?
In a nutshell, we are visual problem solvers. We connect people with information, and bring to life ideas that move the viewer to take action.
Whether we’re working in design, photography or film the aim is to always leave the audience with a change of state. Whether that be more informed, intrigued or moved emotionally.
Working with businesses, the focus is always on our customers' customer. If the work is not relatable to the intended audience, it will always miss the mark, no matter how enthusiastic the person or business commissioning the work is.
What do clients need to know/prepare before enquiring for a photo/video project?
A well rounded brief. Start with the obvious. Who, What, When, Where and most importantly Why. If you’re not supplying the creative brief, then it’s important to invest in ideation, planning and pre-production with an agency or strategist. The better the planning, the better the outcome.
Know your budget. All budgets can be worked with, but being upfront will allow for the most efficient use of time and resources to achieve your desired outcome.
Invest in your talent. Sure, your friend could model in your fashion shoot or ad, but as the old saying goes, you get what you pay for.
How do I know I’ve picked a good one (photographer & videographer that is)?
Portfolio. Pay close attention to things like composition, how they’ve controlled lighting, camera work, editing, colour. How do these effect the story? Does their style of work resonate with your intended audience?
What information or details do you need from the client to ensure the shoot goes smoothly and so they get the video of their dreams?
Every client is different. It’s important to spend time on the relationship and get to know one another. Set expectations early and have set deliverables, timeframes and Terms & Conditions. These protect both parties.
Let’s chat $$$, don’t be surprised to see X service costing anywhere between . . .
Currently most of our projects sit withing the $5k-$50k range. The lower end of the scale is a small amount of pre-production, single day shooting and limited outputs. The upper end of the scale for us is larger creative briefs which require a lot of pre-production, planning, and multiday shoots with a bigger team.
Creative industries are unique where there’s no set standard for anything. There are no standards for quality, no set deliverables and no two projects, clients or photographers (etc) is the same.
Come prepared with a budget and be realistic. Film and Photography is expensive to produce. Ensure your budget reflects your desired outcome and find the person who can achieve that for you.
A golden nugget of photographer/videographer wisdom:
It’s all in the lighting. Lighting is everything. Lighting is shape. Lighting is emotion. Lighting is more important than the camera, the lens or any other production element. Your photographer/videograper needs to understand light manipulation to be able to tell your story.
For the photographer/videograper reading this, this is the most important thing to upskill in, and continually develop.
Don’t be afraid to take risks. Sell an idea, learn the look and then nail it on the day. Safe is boring.
Stalk Hunter Studio:
Socials: @hunterstudionz
Website: https://www.hunter.co.nz/
More from the Where to Start Series - Meg Raynor ( Copywriter ) and Paulownia Design Studio