Creative Problem-Solving: When the Brief Needs More Than a Camera

Commercial photography isn’t always about the obvious shot. Sometimes a client comes to you with a problem that doesn’t have an obvious photographic solution — and that’s when the work gets interesting.

A client recently needed a visual representation of their distribution network: centres spread across the UK, shown on a map in a way that communicated scale, reach, and brand identity all at once. A plain map with text labels would have been cluttered and flat. We needed something more considered.

The idea

The solution was to create a physical map pin for each location — with the client’s logo cut by hand onto each pin head. Photograph them on a UK map with a drop shadow, and the image does something a graphic-design-only approach can’t: it looks real, tangible, and authoritative.

The reality

Cutting a small logo by hand onto a series of pins is, frankly, a tedious task. There’s no shortcut — each one has to be exactly right, or it shows in the final image. It took a while. Good music helps.

The finished image was exactly what the client needed — clear, professional, and on-brand. More importantly, it solved their communication problem in a way that a stock image or a purely digital graphic couldn’t have done.

Why this kind of work matters

The gap between an average photographer and a good commercial photographer often isn’t technical — it’s the willingness to think beyond the obvious and do the unglamorous work that makes an idea actually happen. Anyone can click a shutter. Not everyone will spend an afternoon hand-cutting logo pins.

Going the extra mile isn’t unique to us — but it’s something we take seriously on every brief.

To find out more about our commercial photography work, visit our service page.

Related reading: How to Brief a Photographer: Ten Tips for Better Results.

Also worth reading: Product Photography for a Coffin Manufacturer.