Day in the Life of an Agency Photographer

June 12, 2018

Content is King

In the industry of digital marketing, content is king. It’s the face of your brand. It’s what draws viewers in. But in the social media obsessed world of sharing, liking, and re-tweeting, standing out among the millions of data uploaded every day can be challenging. So, how do we help clients not get lost in the sea of search?

Producing high-quality content across multiple platforms is what sets your work far above the rest. In fact, 67% of consumers reported that they consider clear, detailed images to be very important and carry even more weight than the product information, full description, and customer ratings (MDG Advertising). And nobody feels the weight of visual responsibility more than a digital marketing agency photographer/ videographer.

Each day photographers and videographers set out attempting to create new and imaginative content that sparks the viewer’s interest and holds their attention. It’s a difficult job, but, in reality, it’s what every photographer and videographer dreams about, right?

Our in-house photographer/ videographer, Max Daines, thinks so.

Working with a variety of clients across multiple industries, Max spends his days driving from shoot to shoot, exploring new and creative solutions, capturing real life moments, and looking for the best in everything around him. Basically, he’s living out his dream. But as an in-house photographer/ videographer what does that dream really consist of day-to-day? We recently sat down with Max and asked him a few questions about his creative approach, what he does each day, and what he loves about his work. Check it out.

How did you get involved in video and photography?

MAX: I’m self-taught. I picked up an old camera and started learning. I focused on stuff I love – cars, trucks, bikes, and the outdoors. I watched commercials and movies differently than I had before and started to absorb the camera moves and editing techniques. As I graduated college with a degree in advertising, I found a way to merge the two paths and work in the content creation side of advertising.

What’s your creative approach?

MAX: I love that I never know where I’ll end up next. One day I might be in NYC shooting an ad in Times Square, and the next week I’m back in Utah shooting motorcycles up a canyon at sunset.

What do most of your projects include?

MAX: We like to cover as much ground as possible with our projects. My shoots give the design and marketing team assets they can use for everything from banner ads to homepage videos to commercials and social media content. One of the basics is images for Google – first impressions are so important, and Google results for businesses have to reflect well. I get the outside of the business, employees at work, products, or behind the scenes. From there we’ll branch into the content the client needs for marketing – YouTube ads, homepage videos, Instagram/Facebook content, TV commercials, or images for billboards.

What type of content is your favorite to shoot?

MAX: It’s always fun shooting trucks, bikes or snowboarding – it’s easy to make that stuff look good. But when it comes down to it, our clients all have something interesting to feature. Whether it’s a candy maker, remote control cars, construction, interior design, high-end homes, or swimming pools, it’s always fun to take a look behind the scenes and show off something you don’t normally see.

How do you typically interact with a client?

MAX: When working with a client, I’ll coordinate with the dedicated account manager and marketing team here at Red Olive to determine how we’re going to translate their marketing plans into usable content. Each client is different, and we’ll tailor and scale each shoot accordingly. I’ve seen everything from small one day photo shoots in a client’s office for use on Google to multiple photo and video shoots with extra content just for social media and a homepage video for their website.

What are some of your favorite projects you’ve worked on?

MAX: One of my favorite recent projects was a video I shot for Optima Batteries. We teamed up with an off-road company, Pelfreybilt Offroad, and took a couple kitted out Toyota Tacoma’s up into the Wyoming/Montana wilderness. We spent a few days traveling on one of the most rugged off-road trails in the US and had a blast. The video turned out almost ten minutes long, which is rare in today’s short attention span world – but it was too great to cut down and turned out to be one of my favorite videos I’ve ever made.

What do you love about working at a digital marketing agency?

MAX: I love working at Red Olive because I get all the pros of a freelance photography career without all the cons. I get to focus just on the creative side of things, and when it comes to everything else that makes a project successful – client relations, PR, marketing, etc. – I have a team of specialists to rely on instead of trying to tackle it all myself. It always leads to a better product for the client.