1. Digital Photography for Business
Use
Brought to you by
Wertman Photography

2. How to use Photography to help market
your Business
Using photography for promotional materials has
become essential in today’s market. Whether you
create your materials in house or have them designed
by a graphic designer, photographs of your services
and products are better than stock photography.
Following are some tips about what to do and what to
avoid in shots if you do not hire a professional
photographer to work for you.

3. Let’s take a look at the camera your business has purchased.
In order to have any hope of getting decent shots of products, people and services, the
camera needs to at least be a SLR camera.
What do those letters stand for anyway?
S - Single
L - Lens
R - Reflex
Any clearer? 
Simply put: your camera should have a reflective mirror inside and a lens that can be
exchanged for a larger or different lens. Even the fanciest point and shoot cameras
have neither and are therefore not a good choice if you want good looking results.
If you have a SLR camera in the company’s arsenal, you are on your way to be able to
get some good results. By the way, if you have a DSLR it simply means your camera is
digital.

4. Before we delve any deeper lets dispel a few myths.
The more expensive the camera the better…….yes and no.
Lots depends on who uses it and how much they know…..
The bigger the lens, the better the picture……..this depends entirely on what
you are shooting, sometimes a smaller lens is much better.
The more Mega pixels the better……..yes and no.
cameras come with a variety of sensor sizes, or frame sizes.
Remember film? The sensor replaces film and the little rectangles we
made enlargements from on the negatives.
Point and shoot cameras have very small sensors and at some point more pixels just
don’t fit. The same holds true for DSLR cameras. The larger the sensor, the more
pixels can be packed into it, and the clearer enlargements will get.
A professional photographer will have at least a full frame camera which translates
to a 35mm film size. Larger sensors can be purchased (large format) at a very high
prize and are not worth the expense if the intent to print will not exceed 24x30.

5. Using the built-in flash. Should you or should you not?
Now that’s a good question!
In most cases the answer is: NO
Did I hear a few groans? I am sorry to inform you that a separate flash unit will
give you much better results and I will get into some reasons why in a few
moments.
Separate, shoe mount flash units can be purchased for under $100 for most
average DSLR cameras. If your company owns a full-frame unit you are looking at
at least $500.
Now let’s look at a few reasons why you should use a shoe mounted flash instead of
the built-in alternative:

6. The built-in flash on any DSLR camera has a limited range because of it’s small light
bulb and overall size. It will light what is immediately in front of it and not much else.
Since the range is small, you will need to be directly in front of your subject, flattening
and over-exposing it.
The built-in flash is not capable of being adjusted to different lighting situations. It
will always leave the subject bright and flat while leaving the background dark and
impenetrable.
The built-in is also stuck in one position, on top of the camera, and sometimes that is
not the desirable position to have it in.
A shoe-mounted flash unit is much more flexible.
Most of them put you in control on what brightness to set it on, where to
position it and what to point it at…..

7. Let me show you what I mean:
This is my camera and though it is a full frame model, it still comes equipped with a
built-in flash. Have I ever used it? Guess 
Here is my shoe mount flash unit. This little thing is one of the pricier ones and
actually communicates with my camera. I do not leave home without it when I
cover events.
This is my flash bracket. They come in a variety of designs and sizes and most can
bend and move like this one. This is a must-have for shooting at events as it enables
me to move the flash unit to the position that is most advantageous in any given
situation.
Let me show you what I mean by that:

8. I have touched on the flash units and the uses of them because, in the interest of
time, I will concentrate on what to do and what not to do when you are using your
company’s camera to record a company event for the years to come.
Never:………position someone in front
of a pillar or post that is more narrow
than the person’s head. It will look as if
that object is growing out of your
subjects head.
Do:…….if it’s not convenient to ask the
person to move because you want to get a
non-posed shot, move yourself and put the
pillar either next to your subject or at the
edge of the frame.
Following will be a few examples of shots I have taken at events

9. Never:……shoot into the light. It
will either darken your subject,
create a halo around your subject
or both.
Do:……..move to avoid the light
and put it behind you if you can
or position yourself or your
subject so the light is out of the
shot or off to the side.

10. Do:…….move around the room
and capture special moments as
they occur, the posed shot is not
always the best one.
Do:……Zoom in on your subject, just
don’t cut them off at any joints, for a
head shot, still show some shoulder,
etc.

11. Do:…….Interact with your subjects, if you have a
good time at the event, it will show in your shots, if
you are bored, it will also show!

12. Events have a funny way of adding background to any shot and that background
can not always be avoided. When that is the case, zoom in to what you want to
capture as much as you can.
The background will blur a bit, which helps with loosing undesirable detail. This
works much better if the camera is not set to automatic everything.

13. Your Camera and Factory Settings
Your company’s camera was purchased somewhere and if it was in original packaging,
it will be set to factory settings.
This simply translates to: Everything is set to automatic.
Since our time here today is limited, I will only be able to touch on a few things you
may want to do to change the settings on your camera. Many of these things depend
on the type and brand of camera your company owns and will need to be discussed
individually, something I can be hired for.
A professional photographer such as myself will not have any automatic settings
turned on, but control everything from shutter speed to white balance, ISO and
F-stop manually as it gives me complete control over how each shot turns out.

14. Overwhelmed yet?
Don’t worry I will explain what some of those terms mean and what they
do and then help you learn how to control one of them manually today.
Shutter speed and F-stop:
These two are in direct relationship to one another and are well worth the
learning, but require the most time to teach.
Here is a quick overview:
Shutter speed controls how quickly the F-stop decides how strong the light is
opening behind your lens opens and going to be that is allowed to touch
closes to let light touch the mirror the sensor.
behind it which in turn throws the light
onto the sensor.
Both also control depth of field depending on how they are set in relationship to each other
As you can tell this could get hairy, so it will not be what
you learn today 

15. White Balance: To manually control white balance,
you need to understand what light
This is something new and unique to falls into what temperature bracket.
the digital camera. If your company
has you using a film camera, you will Here is a quick overview:
not need to learn this.
Regular round light bulbs are Tungsten
Since we are in the digital age, let me and warmer in color. If the room is
explain what white balance is: mainly lit by that variety, set the white
balance to the little light bulb icon.
Light has color, or rather the
temperature of light has color. The Fluorescent light is much cooler in
hotter the temperature the cooler the color and the icon on your camera
color. White balance on the camera shows a long version of this bulb,
helps you get the correct color in your choose it if the room is mainly lit by
shots. Automatic white balance lets that type of light.
the camera’s sensor decide what light
it sees and is not always correct. If The manual choices on your white
the camera is set to the automatic balance dial include a cloud, a sun,
setting in this, most shots will be a flash, and shade. All appropriate for
little on the cool side. each situation.

16. There are times when a variety of light is present, and the best white balance choice
will need to be determined with the help of grey cards. If a set of those is not handy,
make the white balance choice fit the majority of the light present.
In most venues one type of light is in the majority, so the choice is easy.
The easiest and quickest manual setting to learn is ISO and you will walk away from
this meeting with a good understanding of it and should be able to handle going
manual in your ISO choice.
ISO is a term you should all be familiar with as it is a leftover from the film days and
was a choice we had to make then as well.
ISO is simply the sensitivity to light. Back then it meant how sensitive the film was to
light, now it means how sensitive to light the camera’s sensor will be.

17. Light sensitivity is measured in numbers, with 100 being the least sensitive and
anything higher being more sensitive. Many cameras boast that they go to 3500
ISO with little grain and noise, but few deliver.
Here are a few examples of what ISO type is good for what situation:
ISO 100 and 200: Great for
a bright sunny day with
plenty of light flooding
your camera. It helps
ensure nice rich color as
well as clear crisp shots.
Shot outdoors at ISO 200

18. ISO 400: Great for indoor
shots, especially when
using flash or studio
lighting. Also nice for
interiors with the camera
on a tripod and the shutter
wide open.
Shot at ISO 400 on tripod, no
additional light.
Shot in studio at ISO 400

19. ISO 500, 640, 800, 1000, 1250, 1600 and above:
Most cameras now will get relatively clear and noise free images in low
light at those higher ISO settings. Use them if using the flash is not an
option and you can not add additional lighting in any other form.
Be warned however, that unless you are using a
professional grade camera that has been tested at
higher ISO settings such as 2000 and above, you should
stay away from using them even if your camera shows
these numbers, as these higher settings are prone to
produce noise or grain.
I mentioned noise and grain. What is noise? What is
grain?
Noise happens in an image when a picture is shot in
very low light and at a very high ISO. The sensor in
your camera receives all the light available and if it can
not read some of it correctly is creates random pixels
that it adds to the image you shoot.
Grain makes the picture look fuzzy and unfocused and
is created in a similar fashion as noise. Shot at ISO 800

20. Remember, you are using a computer
as much as a camera! It does not act
quite like film does but interprets what
it sees and adds what it thinks is
correct unless you stay in control.
The best way to stay in control when it
comes to noise and grain is using a
lower ISO, some extra lighting, thereby
producing a clearer crisper shot.
Let’s take a closer look at what all this
means to you and shooting at events.
We have established that you will use a flash and
preferably a shoe mount flash unit, off camera.

21. Set the ISO to 400 for any indoor shooting at an
event as you will be using a flash unit.
Set the ISO to 200 or 250 if the event is outside
and during the day, as long as it is not overcast.
If the event is outside on an overcast day, the ISO
should be set at 400.
If you feel comfortable, set the white
balance to the appropriate setting, on a
sunny day choose the sun icon, indoors
judge what lighting dominates the room
and choose accordingly, either the right
light bulb icon or the long fluorescent bulb.
Leave the rest of the settings on automatic and start
working the room.

22. A note on the image quality you choose to set your camera on.
The factory setting will be jpeg…….
Jpeg is a compressed form of imaging and nothing much can be adjusted
after the picture has been shot.
Jpeg is the easiest way to handle photos if you are not familiar with
Photoshop and are not planning on doing any editing.
The best image quality to shoot in is raw.
Raw is like the roll of film after it has been turned into negatives.
Editing in raw format requires thorough knowledge of Photoshop but gives you
endless opportunities for post shooting editing……..
That said, unless your company has a graphic designer on staff who has time to edit
photos, shoot in jpeg, especially if the event photos you have taken will be posted in
online newsletters and other digital media.

23. A small note on formatting photos for the internet.
Format images in 72 ppi, never bigger as they will take too long to load.
What is ppi?
ppi stands for pixels per inch. Monitors are composed of pixels, so
formatting for viewing on monitors happens in pixels.
How, do you ask, can I format my images?
This can be done in two ways:
You can set your image quality in your camera to jpeg basic and
depending on what the manufacturer means by that you will be close to
the internet standard.
If your company has a photo editing program such as Photoshop Elements
or the full version, the image quality can be formatted by opening the
photo in question, and choosing save for internet under the file menu.
After the photo loads you size the photo to no more than 400 pixels for
the longest side and click save. It saves the photo at 72 ppi.

24. In closing I would like to give you some ideas on how photography can be used for
your business outside of the obvious:
Photography for promotional materials such as brochures, client
handouts, advertising in print and online.
Photography for use in proposals, personalizing your proposals by adding
images of your products and services instead of stock images.
Photographs of staff, both for the office walls and in promotional
materials.
Commercial photography, images of buildings, both exterior and
interior.
Wertman Photography offers all of the above mentioned types of
photography as services to you and can also be hired to teach everything touched
on today in greater depth.

25. I will conclude this presentation with a list of Photographic services and
instructional services I offer. These are also listed on the rack cards I handed out
earlier.
Portraits for personal and business use
Engagements and weddings Photography for promotional
Event photography materials, including proper
staging and lighting
Pets and owners
Commercial photography
Photography for proposals
Model and glamour photography
Photo restorations and alterations
Portraits of children both at the studio and on location, including childcare
centers and pre-schools
Basic use of camera classes
Intro to Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign
How to style and light for promotional material shots

26. Wertman
Photography
Your one-stop studio for all of
your photographic needs.
Find us online at wertmanphotography.net
or call
301-693-3021