FAQs

Q. Why should I choose Photographic Techniques Ltd?

A. Because we will produce a first class result under even the most challenging conditions for a cost that is affordable. Twenty years at the sharp end of corporate photography gives us an unrivalled experience in this arena, coupled with the knowledge of how to behave and how to get the best result.


Q. How do I book a Photographer and what is the process?

A. Simple. Contact either Lara Prentice or Jill Venables on 020 8542 2444 or office@phototech.co.uk and tell them what you need. You will be given access to the diary of the most suitable photographer (unless you request a particular individual) and an estimate of cost based on your requirements. If you should decide to proceed, a schedule of work form will be sent to you detailing photographer´s name and contact information, shoot location, timings and a brief description of the proposed work, along with cost information. All you need to do is check everything is correct and e-mail back to us and your booking is complete.


Q. Can I book an individual photographer or will anyone turn up?

A. Yes you can book an individual photographer of your choice or you might prefer to ask us for our recommendation. In all cases, they will be one of our team and you will know beforehand who is coming.


Q. How long does it take?

A. That really depends on what your requirements are. As a rule of thumb, you should allow half hour to set-up and 20 minutes per person for portrait photography. We will be happy to advise you about timings for your specific requirements.


Q. Can I have my images immediately on disc?

A. Well, the quick answer is yes although we prefer not to work in this way. Please refer to "What is file optimisation?" for a full explanation.


Q. What will it cost?

A. That depends on what your requirements are, please ring or e-mail for advice.


Q. Do I have the rights to use the image forever and do I own the copyright?

A. The copyright is owned by Photographic Techniques Ltd under the terms of the 1988 Copyright Act and we will grant you a licence to use the images for a certain period of time or for the intended purposes. Under certain circumstances, we might grant licences for indefinite usage across all media or we may even assign copyright completely. We will, however, retain the right to use all imagery for the purposes of self-promotion.


Q. What is digital capture and how big are the files that you provide?

A. Digital capture is a term used to describe the method of taking a photograph. It is not the same as a digital image. Digital capture is a photograph that has been taken with a digital camera as opposed to a digital image which could come from a scanned negative, transparency, or print, as well as from a digital camera. We charge a small amount of money, known as a digital capture fee which covers the use of camera equipment, lighting, computers and software instead of an amount of money for each roll of film used. This enables us to keep completely up to date with the latest and best equipment. The size of the files will depend on the requirements of every job. Rest assured that we will always use the best and most appropriate equipment for each job and draw it from our stores as and when required.


Q. What is an image gallery?

A. An image gallery is a very convenient way of sorting through a given number of files for the purposes of selecting the most appropriate images. Each image appears on screen in a slide show format which enables you to choose between images and, a particularly important advantage when it comes to group shots, you can see who has their eyes shut! You will get access to the gallery via an e-mailed link which you can forward to as many people as you like.


Q. Why should I use a company rather than an individual photographer?

A. There are several benefits in using a safe, long-established company over a one-man band. You can be absolutely certain that we take our business and your business responsibilities seriously. Such things as Public Liability Insurance, using legal paid-for software on our computers, ensuring that our employees do not have a criminal record (particularly important when photographing children), not to mention the consistency and brand protection issues that arise from using different photographers. We are also able to offer holiday cover and access to images every working day because we are not a sole trader. Imagine trying to get hold of your images in a hurry when your photographer is on holiday for 2 weeks.


Q. What is File Optimisation?

A. No digital camera in the world will produce a perfect colour-balanced and contrast balanced file straight from the camera. By their very nature, they are designed to produce a flat-looking result, capturing maximum information in the blacks and whites (shadows and highlights). This is a good thing but left un-optimised will produce a rather flat, dull-looking picture. We take the raw file, make the colour and contrast corrections, do any simple retouching that may be required (such as removing blemishes, spots, etc), crop the image, size it sensibly for your intended use and save it in a format most appropriate to your use. A good example of the benefits of file optimisation would be as follows:

Following a day´s work of portrait photography, you might have photographed 30 individuals, with as many as 40 captures for each person. If we were to simply write a disc at the end of the day, you would have a total of 1200 images taking up 6Gb of disc space. How would you view them, how would you store them and how would you send them? Far better to ask the individuals to choose there and then or to upload a web gallery to our server and send you a link, which can then be forwarded to anyone who has a view on image selection. You can then e-mail your preferred choices and we will send you the finished result – perfect and ready to go and all tailored to your usage requirements. You get files which suit your purpose, we get our work looking its best!


Q. What if I am not satisfied?

A. If you are not satisfied, you won´t give us another job so we will not allow this to happen. To be honest, it doesn´t happen. We have our future reputation in mind with every job we do, word of mouth is our most important promotional tool!


Q. And if I am delighted with the results?

A. Tell your friends and colleagues and recommend us!