Decor with a purpose
Choosing the right image for hotel, office or home
Decor is the impression that stays with your customers. It is the feeling that this is a nice place, I want to come back. Having a repeat customer is cheaper than finding a new one. When someone recommends you to others it eliminates the vast majority of the work. That's what decor does. Yet for so many it is an after thought. And even when they decide to do something about it, they have no idea what to buy because they have not been trained in that area. The images you put up in a medical building should probably be different than the ones you put up in a hotel. Why? Because the emotions and feelings of the clients are different. There is more anxiety with someone going to a medical building, so the images should be more calming. This is done with proven colors, camera techniques, and subject matter. The reason this is not done more often is that very few photographers are trained in this scientific area.
But not everyone has a medical office or hotel so let's talk about the Top Ten RGT reasons you might want to consider wall decor:
Scroll down to get to #1and don't forget to read the copy for an explanation and a few tips.
# 10 Add some color to the wall
Sadly, most walls are still painted white. It is not a big secret that most construction workers are into mechanical things and not the arts. But even if the walls are of a certain color, a great piece of art can add color to a room. Now if you have a house like mine, you want to lift the eyes up off the floor and onto the walls. And if I clean up the house, it looks even nicer.
# 9 Match the art to the region
This image is the town of Manarola in Italy. It is one of five towns in the Cinque Terre that receives over 3 million visitors a year. You can imagine how many photographs are taken from this exact same spot. Sometimes you have to do something to distinguish yourself from all the other images. There are a thousand ways to do that, but in this case I thought the impressionistic painting would match the Italian art theme. The original image was taken at 3 am. That distinguished me too.
# 8 Promote events & sports in the area
This image was produced to promote the largest ski race in the world, over 15,000 participants in Moscow. I was asked to produce it by Mr. Smirnoff, then the President of Russian Olympic Committee. Could I use it years later? I got to think that if I had a restaurant or some place that had was frequented by avid skiers that would be a perfect decor to attract them.
It doesn't have to be sports it can be any or all events. Can you imagine a hotel that has on it's walls images of all the local events that happen throughout the year. Might cause someone to say: "That looks like fun, maybe I should book a room for then, before it fills up."
We choose to go to places because of the images we see. The key is the images have to be so good that people can't resist. If the image does not say, "Holy Cow" - don't put it up. This is no time to give your nephew a start in the business.If you want to influence someone find an influencer. Don't save $1,000 and wish that you hadn't. If you want to grow great plants you have to have the best soil.
# 7 Say something about the room
I take pride in the fact that nobody can decorate a bar better than I can. It wasn't always like that, I had to practice a lot. When my wife and I spent three years traveling the USA we got the idea to photograph all 50 state capitals in the USA. I had seen books on the capitals but most of them were based on architecture. I wanted mine to express the beauty and detail both inside and out. That included the beauty of the capitals at night. After photographing the inside during the day, we would go to a bar and eat. Bored while waiting for food (good food takes time) we would pull out our cameras and see how creative we could get. Everything from table settings, to glassware, to bottle decor, to dishes.
At first when people asked what I was doing I would say I am doing a review of your place and I would show them a couple shots. They would always say those are great. Someone said that should be in a book. That's when I came up with the idea; "Three cameras walked into a bar." From then on I told someone I was working on a book. When I said the name they all laughed and said I'd buy it. That was six years ago and now I have extended it to restaurants and bars around the world. Nobody asks additional questions like who are you writing for, plus they laugh and you make their day. I love my job.
# 6 Display something unusual
"Where is that place?" You'd expect an American to say that because most have never seen anything like that. (And by the way when someone says; Where is that?, they are really wishing they could go there.) However, having over 20 trips to China, I was surprised how many Chinese asked the same question. When people see something out of the ordinary they are curious. Curiosity is one of the best things you can arouse in a person. You immediately open up their mind. No change occurs without an open mind. Remember that when you are decorating a board room. One of the many reasons people come to me.
# 5 Landmarks that everyone knows
There are times when you want to create the emotion of stability or familiarity. That's when you come up with unique views and renditions of notable landmarks. This is great for start up companies or stock brokerages. Coming soon is my membership site where members can browse over 3,00 images for their business decor. Before you view, contact me for a consultation to fine tune your needs. I always tell clients that the most important part of art is knowing who your audience is and what their needs are.
There is a reason not too many have this perspective, but it's a long story that I'll explain in my 100 stories.
# 4 Expressions of love
Who doesn't like love? Well, I can think of a few, but most people would look at this picture and say; "Isn't that darling." Anytime you can instill the feeling of love, you have a person's attention. One of the best maternity wards I've seen had huge 30 x 40s lining their halls with parents with their newborns. Very well done and a lot of different poses. The sitting fee was picked up by the hospital. In reality I am sure the photographer waived the fee because her/his images were that good and he/she knew they'd get big orders. A great way to lock up the business and a win-win-win for the hospital, the parents, and photographer.
# 3 A different point of view
There are a million ways to photograph Yellowstone National Park. The key is can you capture it in a way that no one else has. This is a image of Grand Prismatic , one of the most photographed areas of the park. It was taken at mid day. Even though I was on a scouting trip for the following morning, it is still one of my favorites. This looks stunning in a large 20x30 acrylic print. It even stops me in my tracks when I walk past it. That's what you want to do with your images.
# 2 Local attractions
I live in a very scenic part of the United States - the Olympic Peninsula. In fact, other professional photographers hire me to show them my favorite spots. It is easy to impress people from out of town when they have not seen the area, but when the locals say, "Now that's a great shot," you know you have a keeper. The most salable prints are the ones of the local area. That is the reason they are going there. I learned this when I had a booth set up for the local Lavender Festival. People wanted the images of Lavender, nothing else. It was what they came for. You don't sell many images of Rome in Paris. Lesson learned.
# 1 A popular theme
One of the most popular themes in the world is FLOWERS. They are loved the world over. Flowers are a symbol of love, and are calming and interesting, if done properly. "Done Properly" are the key words. Most captivating flower images are close-up or macro, such as this red rose. Did you know that "flower" is one of the most popular names typed into the internet with nearly 300,000,000 times. Not even all the NFL players combined have that many. Perhaps all the sports figures combined. Yet sadly, most are not done properly. There is a whole section on "Flowers" under "Projects".
