Scott Ramsey Photography & Videography | UK Visual Storyteller

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Creative Commercial Photography For Marketing Campaigns That Need To Tell A Story - Selling The Sizzle Not The Steak

Commercial Photography UK Assignment - This photograph shows a staff member at a car body repair business spray painting a vehicle in a garage. The photo forms part of a collection of photographs taken for a marketing campaign by UK based Commercial Photographer Scott Ramsey. Photo © Scott Ramsey Photography 2021. www.scottramsey.co.uk

Things have been a little hectic recently, as I’ve been away on a photographic assignment and just completed a film project I shot for a client at Goodwood Festival of Speed – something I’ll tell you more about in a future blog. You might think that I’d be a little bit ‘car-d’ out after that, but actually, all of this motorsport has inspired me to return to one of my previous blogs.

Last autumn, I told you about how Repair Smart in West Sussex had asked me to come in and take some photos for their website and a marketing campaign that they were planning. Run by two brothers, Mike and Nick, it’s a brilliant family business, with a tangible care for their customers. My role as a commercial photographer was to find a way of capturing the essence of their business – their ethos – through my pictures.

It’s the type of challenge that I relish, and one that brings to mind the famous marketing mantra, ‘sell the sizzle, not the steak’. In other words, it’s not about the product or ‘thing’ that you are selling; it’s the experience you provide in its creation. Less transactional, more emotional!

For Mike and Nick, cars are beautiful things. From muscular BMWs to well-loved VW Beetles, their passion for automobiles is reflected in the care and attention they put into their work. That’s why I chose to do lots of ‘working shots’, as I call them, putting the camera right into the heart of their workshop. I wanted to convey how close Mike, Nick and the team get to the cars – somewhere between a forensic scientist and a master craftsman! And these pictures then add context to the more traditional customer shots because it establishes an unspoken bond; the team understands what these cars mean to their owners!

So from Goodwood to simply good business – it’s all been about the cars. And if you’re interested in discovering how commercial photography can help to capture the essence of your business – that sizzle – then don’t hesitate to get in contact.

Fancy seeing how Repair Smart used the photographs I created for them? Head over to their website at www.repairsmartsussex.co.uk
The photographs are also regularly used on their social media accounts to promote their business and their services, links below.

Repair Smart Facebook Page

Repair Smart Instagram Account