During my work placement days, I learned the differences of ordinary phorography and PR photography although I didn't participate in any big photograph sessions of my work placement's events. The only session I attended was a photoshoot with my colleague, Alex and our boss, the Director of Communications of my work placement. The photoshoot was handled by a professional photographer from Canada and he was responsible for taking photographs of the CHI stones that are needed for story angles, print and media promotions, and other PR, marketing and sales activities of the opening of my work placement's CHI the Spa somewhere around second week of February 2008. My only role was to help out with the setup of the photoshoot with my colleague. It was an extremely busy period during that time. Many press kits in paid mails and more needed to be processed and completed on time few weeks before the week of the opening itself.
Usually, it's easy to take photographs we want using good digital cameras. Sometimes, the resolutions of those photographs are either good or bad, Furthermore, they could be taken or retaken anytime.
But for PR photography, that is not what happens. All photographs are to be taken professionally for different story angles of any PR print or media stories and in high-resolutioned colours. Yup, this is something we learned from PR 200, the PR photographs that are to be good qualities and correctly captioned, doing newsletter and others to do with writing of PR print or media stuff.
In my work placement, my boss taught me that it is the photographers who handles anything to do with any photography of my work placement's PR events. She mentioned that her role is only to make sure that no crisis will happen to any of the photoshoot or photography session. She specialises in crisis management, writing speeches, answering to media queries of journalists and others. Her tasks and roles as Director of Communications were big responsibilities, professional and most of all, admirable and a person who is highly dedicated to her job.
After the photographs are being taken, only the good ones (let's just say about two to ten out of 100) will be chosen and being placed for different PR story angles of my work placement's PR, marketing and sales activities.
My boss emphasised that for our hotel, high-resolutioned PR photographs with clear and good colours play an important role in positioning the image of our hotel's brand names to a more professional corporate level as a five-star and competitive hotel with other five-stars. Furthermore, she explains that without good PR photographs writing and sending good press releases to targeted medias, and, doing or organising promotions and events for the hotel do not mean anything valuable.
I learned a lot from the photoshoot that I attended. I get to see the views of the Tanjung Aru beach, one of the famous beach attractions of my hometown and a frequent visitations from both local and international visitors located just close to my work placement. I also get to know with my colleague, Alex and my boss even more. Most of all, I met other staffs of my work placement that have different personalities. Meeting them was very rewarding experience. Wow, I would say I had experienced 'tourist factor' for a trainee like myself since my work placement and the Tanjung Aru beach were like 'ages of tourism' of my hometown. I felt like a tourist at the same time a working person while doing my work placement whenever I attend any photoshoot.
The interesting conclusion to learn about PR photography in tourism and hospitality industries at most times or sometimes is image. Without good and professional image through good PR photography, it is impossible for these industries to compete as being the tops.
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