A few years’ ago, after experiencing intense frustration with a lack of images available to accompany press releases for clients, I made a small investment. I bought a Nikon DSLR camera.

Now, I have a background in working with images. I was for many years a video producer and occasional director. I’m not bad a framing a picture. My photos have been featured in magazines, newspapers and websites.

However, I am not a photographer. I do my best but I have limited technical knowhow. My photos rarely have that extra sparkle that a news editor, for example, is looking for. I’m not doing myself down here, there’s a place for my type of photograph. However…

Robin Rea 1 My mini case study is a visual one. On the left, a photo I took for lovely client, Robin Rea of the Rusty Pig restaurant. On the right, a photo taken by the talented Andy Johnstone of Wild Dog Productions.

Sue Cade PortraitSue Cade ProfileAnd here I shall, without vanity, expose myself. On the left, a photo of me taken with my camera by my delightful teenage daughter. On the right, one taken by Matt Austin of Matt Austin Images.

I commissioned Matt to take a series of profile pics for me for business use. He swears he didn’t use Photoshop, just a ‘beautifier’ lamp… (I am currently attempting to find a portable version to attach permanently to my head).

The moral of the story is, if you can possibly afford to employ a photographer, do. They are worth their weight in gold. And they may not be as expensive as you think.

I love my camera. I mainly love my camera because it’s red and almost foolproof. But I love a professional photograph more.