Original photographs are as important to a new media production as original design. A professional design deserves professional photographs. Many new media companies are incapable of satisfactorily addressing the photography issue. Often the task is either passed on to external contractors, made the responsibility of the client, `solved' by the use of licensed stock photography, or worse still amateur photographs are deemed to be acceptable. At Granite New Media, we use our experience and equipment to create original professional photographs in-house. We're experienced with a large range of photographic styles including: product, landscape, portrait, fashion, automotive, architectural, abstract, wedding, and incidental photography.
Stock photography is frequently the first suggestion to solve to the photography issue, it's seen as either immediately convenient, a "known quantity", or the only feasible option. However with stock photography, licensing is a significant yet often overlooked issue. A client may find themselves paying for stock images to be used in their production, but the images they have chosen may also be in use, or used in the future by other companies, even competitors. It's a significant faux pas if key photographs used in any form of professional commercial production are licensed and used as generic images by other companies.
Amateur photography's pitfalls are more easily recognised - poor quality photographs. Whilst convenience or budget may appear compelling reasons for photographs to be taken with only consumer level equipment, the results will inherently fall short of what is deemed a production standard. Photographs are more often than not, a feature element of a new media production - they demand the same professional attention as every other aspect of the design process.
At Granite New Media we use professional photographic equipment; medium format cameras, professional film, professional flashes and professional photographers. We still shoot on film, as the saturation and range of colour on the latest professional films from Japan are still unmatched by even the best digital equipment. Our images won't suffer from the artefacting still presented by the majority of current digital equipment. When digital moves ahead of film in all areas of image presentation and quality, then we'll move with it. Our concern first and foremost is the quality of the photographs we capture.
Our equipment is picked for its ability to meet our exacting standards; not because it's fashionable or is perceived as more convenient.
The high resolution and vibrant colour of our photographs gives us the ability to use the images for web, business cards, letterheads, promotional material, advertising or even billboards. Producing photographs of the highest standard the first time saves our clients from booking extra photographic sessions for new images to be produced. All future photographic needs can be satisfied in one session.
Photographic post production is part of our core expertise at Granite New Media. We have the ability to not only perfect the colours, lighting and contrast of our photographs, but we're able to significantly and seamlessly alter their contents according to the wishes of our clients. This photograph is a typical example of what we can do in post production (note: for example purposes the photograph is large in both file size, and screen space).
As our professional photography and post production services are provided in-house, we can simplify the scoping and production process. Our clients can be provided with professional photographs for their production without the need to deal with external contractors who are potentially unfamiliar with the requirements of new media.
Clients lacking professional photographs are saved the hassle of providing them for their production - we take care of it - professionally.
