Atlantic Photographics

Sometime around October 17-22, people will begin asking us “Furniture Market is here – I’ll bet The answer to that question is always “Not as busy are we are the few weeks before and after!”

Why before? (the answer to “Why afterwards” is somewhat obvious, and is a topic for another blog post in and of itself). In a word: Premarket. It’s a facet of the twice yearly Furniture Market that folks know the least about, but possibly carries the most influence ON the Market that’s held about 6 weeks later. (this year, from September 14-15). The manufacturers who exhibit during Premarket use it as a ‘dress rehearsal’ for their products. They then use the feedback that they get from their clientele there to make any product modifications prior to the actual market event a month later.

So, what is Atlantic Photographic’s link in this chain?
Photography sells product.

These manufacturers not only have to have product so sell at the actual Furniture Market. They often must provide photographs of their product for those buyers purchasing it. These buyers in turn use that photography to sell the pieces that they have bought, in addition to the manufacturer using that same photography to show (and sell!) the product to later buyers.

Plus, photography adds that additional ‘visual element’

In a showroom, the prospective buyer and touch and see the actual product – but does he or she get a true sense of what it would look like in an actual room or in print advertising? In several showrooms, the answer would be yes. But…the buyer cannot take the showroom with him to show his company what he has bought, or is thinking of buying. So a manufacturer turns to a photography studio to create a reality that their client can take with him. We use one of our numerous room-sized sets to create a setting for the product and decorate it just as an actual room would be decorated. Some days we may have sets containing bedrooms, living rooms, and dining rooms all at once!

To those of you who are buying or selling at this year’s Premarket event Atlantic Photographics wishes you success! Remember that we are here for all your photographic needs before or after October’s Market.

Watching all the new products that have been introduced at the New York International Gift Fair and The New York Home Textiles Show last week has us thinking in circles.

Our involvement with the beautiful new things shown there is on the backside – after they’ve left the market and perhaps prior to their entering the main consumer market. After they’ve moved from an artist’s inspiration and before they become part of everyone’s culture and consciousness.

But artistians and companies don’t exist in a void. The energies of one feeds the other feeds the other, and vice-versa. They create a yin-yang circle and the studio here sits in the middle of it and photographs the results of that creativity. And that’s a pretty exciting place to be!

We’ve gotten a taste of what was being introduced at both of the New York markets, and can’t wait to see what other treasures from there come through our studio doors! Our thanks to all of you reporters and marketgoers who gave the rest of us a preview of what we’ll be seeing soon. Special thanks to the fine folks at Home Accents Today and particularly the tweets from Wes Kennedy and Tracy Bulla for keeping us informed (and excited!) about this season’s Markets.

“Photography” is a combination of two Greek words “photos” and “graphos” meaning “light” and “drawing.”

We love the idea of drawing or painting with light. It evokes a bit of magic that happens under the light and the alchemy that happens in the darkroom under the chemicals….or these days, as the pixels are arranged about on the computer screen.

If the act of photography is ‘writing with light,’ can we then think of the act of staging the shot as photography’s penmanship? Is it sloppy or neat? Bland or bold? Boring or beautiful? Does the product sit there like a lump on the page or does it show the proper flourishes that give it that extra vibe? Is the photo carefully crafted or sloppy and smudged? And like the regal penmanship of an engraver, the calligraphy of a Japanese master, the artistic flourish of an artist, or even the tidy penmanship of an accountant – does the photograph actually express what its product is in a beautiful appropriate manner. Or does the subject just sit there in the middle of the photograph visually saying the equivalent of ‘I am a brown queen sized bed’ (and probably in a 10 pt Arial font!).

Something to think about in today’s fast-paced world where everyone is bombarded with images: What do you want your product to say? Who do you want to write your product’s story?

What kind of light do you want to write your photograph with?

The upcoming textile market in New York has us thinking about fabric. Yes, fabric. We’re hard-pressed to think of any other base component of a finished item that looks as good on its own as fabric.

Wood may look good, but it usually must be worked or formed into an object to really release its beauty. The same can be said of stone. Actually, Michelangelo DID say “Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it.” Metals are ingots or pellets. Plastic is granules or perhaps later on, sheets.

But fabric. Bolts of cloth unfurling their colors. Highlights glancing off silks and satins. Gauzy voile drapes back on itself making patterns in the light. It’s easy to see why tales of traders with exotic fabrics convey such striking mental images.

And perhaps it is that extra spark of life that makes fabric – and items created from textiles – potentially tricky to photograph. One is working not only with the finished product, but a material that can stand on its own. Could a photographer compare it to trying to capture two beings in one body? In a way, yes, for he wants to show off both the item and its material to its best advantage.

So, something to think about when beginning to sort out photography for your textile goods: who will best capture the essence of your product?

You’re applying for a job and your hand the interviewer your resume. It is:

1. handwritten on yellow legal pad
2. typed on white paper (complete with correction tape)
3. printed in four color with a coordinating cover letter and engraved letterhead.

You’re at a conference and you meet your ‘dream client’. You give him your company’s business card. It is:

1. your name, phone number, and AOL email address written on a napkin
2. one you printed yourself from a package of blanks…making sure that you pick one that isn’t too blurry
3. one you got through your office supply store with the same artwork and background several other businesses use.
4. die-cut translucent vinyl

We are hoping that in both of these scenarios, you didn’t rely on either of the first choices as a course of action as neither of them really represent the professional that you really are. And while the last choices are nice, they certainly aren’t necessary in most instances.

When it comes to marketing, your product IS your company and by extension the products’ photographs ARE the product. And as the old saying goes, ‘appearances matter.’

The advent of digital camera has made photography more accessible by more people than ever.  But any professional photographer will tell you that a quality photograph is more than just snapping a picture.

-  Is the digital photo of high enough resolution and sufficient quality to go to print if necessary?
-  Is the color of the product accurately reproduced?
-  Is the product lit in such a way as to enhance it?
-  Does the product’s setting compliment it?
-  Would the product’s photo benefit from post-capture retouching to remove any imperfections?

In a large number of cases, a business doing its own photography would have to reply ‘no’ to most if not all of those questions. And by not showcasing a product to its best advantage, the company is essentially degrading its own image.

Think about it. How would you prefer to represent your company?

A.  A smudged pencil sketch done on notebook paper

B.  A professionally lit and styled, color accurate photograph that is ready to go to press.

If you choose B, then choose Atlantic Photographics.  Our business is to make YOUR business look its best!

Give one of our sales reps a call today at 336-887-8600 or email us at sales@atlanticphoto.com. You’ll be glad that you went with a professional!

A recent article on the importance of how one markets ones business got us to thinking about how vendors market their products.

Businesses can’t just open their doors and say “come on in!” Nor can they tell 10 friends about their business and hope that they’ll tell 10 friends. A successful business invests in all the supporting marketing tools: business cards, advertising, a website, and perhaps a blog. Any smart businessperson knows that you’re never caught without a business card – inside or outside of the store.

“What’s this got to do with marketing my product?” you’re asking. Well – everything.

Just as you wouldn’t open a business without marketing it, vendors and manufacturers simply don’t create or acquire product without ‘marketing’ it. And they cannot ‘market’ it by a description alone. Photography is your product’s ‘business card.” It quickly lets your potential customer know what that piece is all about and how it might look in their home or showroom. Plus it accomplishes MORE in a small space than pages of copy ever could.

Doesn’t your product deserve the powerful marketing that good photography can provide?

Photography – Impact for your product.

P H O T O G R A P H Y
We are celebrating summer time here at Atlantic Photographics, and we want you to celebrate with us. Everyone loves Specials, don’t they?
We are offering a 10% discount on all photography during the month of July. We specialize in images for the home furnishings industry, catalog photography, and product photography. Please contact us today for a free consultation about the images we can do for you to improve your sales.

EXPANDING YOUR HORIZONS ……
ONE IMAGE AT A TIME.

STUDIO – SHOWROOM – LOCATION

Atlantic Photographics

(336) 887-8600 or email us at sales@atlanticphoto.com

Spring Furniture Market 09 is already upon us and we have been quite busy here at Atlantic Photographics, providing high quality, dynamic, and cost effective marketing images for the home funishings industry.  Product photography has been our speciality for over 25 years.

Here are some of our current promotional efforts for this season.

Please contact us and let us show you how we can cut your costs and give you exciting and effective marketing photos.

Studio   •    Showroom   •   Location

Atlantic Photographics

Expanding your horizons … one image at a time.

(336) 887-8600 or email us at sales@atlanticphoto.com

Spring is here and we are in full swing getting ready for the upcoming High Point Furniture Market here at Atlantic Photo.
Our showroom photography schedule is now underway, with several of our customers in new spaces for this show.

We are also busy at the studio completing our new sets and finishing alterations on others, while working on existing projects.

Do you need dynamic creative photography that sells your product?  Call us for a free consultation.  Our business is to create a look that defines your product.  Studio, location, showroom, or Bahamas.  Our images expand your horizons.  Don’t miss out on a free shot if booked in the month of April.  Our schedule is filling up fast.  Call today.

Spring is bursting out all over here in HIgh Point, NC. Flowers are coming up, trees are budding, and the entire area is looking brand new again. What better time for Atlantic Photographics to launch both its completely revised website, and its brand new blog!

What can you expect to see here?  Some of it will depend on what we are photographing in the studio.  We’ve had some really outstanding examples of bedding and interior photography in our sets lately. Plus some catalog photography that it pretty eye-catching. With the advent of Furniture Market in a few weeks, we’re sure to have some location photography to share images from.  And throughout the year we plan to bring you photos from our studio and from the High Point area. Perhaps some of the “behind the scenes” work that goes into the production of a commercial photo shoot. Maybe what goes into propping a bedroom set. Or some interesting detailing from a kitchen or tabletop shoot.

So continue to stop on by – - -  we want you to get to know us a little better!