Ummm, It's a Video - Why Do You Need Still Photography?

When and Why You Should Add Still Photography to a Video Production

An artistic image. A perfectly posed and stylized snapshot. A candid photograph that captures a memory. A picture is worth so much more than the cliched “thousand words.” But are those “thousand words” necessary when doing a video project?! The whole objective is to create motion, is it not?

Here are a few questions to ask when deciding if a video production could use a little boost to enhance your message.

Will the video be shown on your website? If posting a video on a website, supporting materials - graphics, textual content still photos - are essential in not just featuring a project, but retaining interest in it as well.

Internal communications? Still photos don't only serve to promote an event. Behind-the-scenes images can create a more personal connection amongst viewers, giving them a better understanding of what the video production entailed, making them feel like they were onset with the crew.

Marketing Plans…Print/collateral? Social Media? Professional stills are vital to any marketing and social media campaign. Portraits highlighting the day, team photos, behind-the-scenes moments capture the overall event and can be used to promote internal communications alongside any marketing plans.

Working with a celebrity? Why not maximize your time with the talent by having the still photographer capture images that encompass the overall experience and can be used for decades to come?! Plus, images showcasing the team interacting and posing with the celebrity go quite a long way both internally and externally. Celebrity photos can be used for print collateral, internal communications, social media, a campaign landing page and/or other websites.

When working with a professional still photographer, keep in mind where and how you plan to post this content as this helps create the best frame for the desired layout.

It's more than just point-and-shoot, “say cheese” and blue steel poses. Still images- and good still images at that- are invaluable as they can be used across a multitude of content and marketing platforms. It's truly an investment that will be seen throughout time.

ABOUT THE EXPERT: Kim McCabe

Kim McCabe is the Director of Broadcast Operations at MultiVu, a Cision company. She joined MultiVu in 2003 after five years with The Orbis Broadcast Group as a project manager where she developed the project management team.

During her time in this industry she's been involved with account management, media relations, pitching and producing satellite and radio media tours, and then moved over to management.

Kim works from her home office, outside of Philadelphia. In her spare time, Kim's enjoys spending time with her husband and two teenage boys.

Kim is a graduate of The Catholic University of America, Washington D.C.