The spring and summer months were fruitful at Wonderful Machine. From March to June, our growing Outreach team connected with clients through 2,643 emails, promoting our photographers to publications, agencies, and brands. This effort was aided by our research team, who stayed busy updating and adding 2,251 contacts to our ever-growing database.
When connecting with clients, we try to learn as much as we can about how they work and about their photography and production needs. We do our best to get a sense of their vision, hiring practices, and aesthetics. We’re happy to report that we consistently hear that Wonderful Machine is a go-to resource when clients are looking for high-quality commercial photographers.
Melissa Miller, from Imagination Publishing, shared that sentiment by saying our directory has “saved her” many times. Anna Goldwater Alexander, the Director of Photography at Wired, put it quite simply…
“I trust your site because there are great photographers here.”
During numerous phone calls, we also learned that clients frequently rely on Instagram to find new talent (as we suspected!) and that LinkedIn continues to grow in importance. Photographers should take advantage of this resource by setting up and frequently updating their profiles. Clients repeatedly tell us they look, more and more, for photographers with videography skills, whether traditional motion capture, CGI, or GIF creation.
While discussing our clients’ aesthetic needs, we found out that within brands and agencies, there is a growing demand for commercial images that can convey a feeling of authenticity. Publications also emphasized that they look for a variety of styles, from traditional reportage to polished luxe. Across the board, the push for inclusivity and diversity continues to be a driving force in hiring as well.
That said, most people still rely on established relationships, even when seeking new talent. This is why our outreach team is always working hard to nurture our existing relationships and establish new ones.
Check back next month to see how we’re doing!