A Case Study from Chesterfield
Great commercial photography isn’t just about taking good pictures; it’s about understanding the purpose and the story behind a business, service or product. A skilled commercial photographer brings together creativity, technical expertise and visual literacy to capture images that feel authentic, reflect the brand, and genuinely help organisations communicate who they are.
Good commercial photographers know that authenticity builds trust. The right visuals show clients, investors, partners and communities what an organisation stands for. This post breaks this down, explaining and showing what this means in practice.
They interpret the purpose of a project, understand the brand’s message, and translate that into visuals that feel authentic, commercially useful and aligned within the constraints, of time, budget and location.
Background
When VEV partnered with Stagecoach to electrify their Chesterfield bus depot, the £31 million investment marked a major step forward for sustainable transport and cleaner air across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.
As a commercial photographer working regularly in the Chesterfield and North Derbyshire area, I was commissioned by VEV to create a suite of images to support their marketing, PR and project communications.
Planning the Shoot
Swipe to view a selection of highlights from the shoot.
For commercial photography to deliver real value, planning is everything.
I always start with a client call to fully understand the brief. My goal is to dig beneath what they want photographed and uncover why the project matters. This is also how I approach Industrial Photography and Construction Photography Shoots
Some of the questions I explore include:
- How will the images be used? (Press, PR, LinkedIn, website, internal reports, trade publications)
- What do they want their audience to understand about the project?
- How do they normally promote their services?
- What does the project represent?
For VEV, this meant highlighting clean air, reduced emissions, sustainable transport and a better future for Chesterfield.
These insights shape how I plan and direct the shoot.
This may involve suggesting:
- Locations
- Time of day
- Scenarios to set up
- Team members to include
- Props, tools, signage or vehicles
- Environmental storytelling details
Throughout the shoot I focused on visual cues that would communicate the core themes of the project: ease of use, scale, problem solving, sector leading expertise, conscientious workflows, advanced technology, visible cleanliness, competence and an organised, well run operation.
The aim is always the same: create images that work hard for the client.
Creating Impactful, Multi-Purpose Images
For this project there were multiple uses for the images:
- Press releases
- PR and media coverage
- LinkedIn campaigns
- Website content
- Annual reports
- Trade and industry publications
To meet these needs, I captured:
- Portraits of the director, drivers and team members
- Technical and product focused shots
- Consultation and implementation processes
- The new charging infrastructure in use
- Environmental context
- Wider storytelling frames showing scale, investment and positive change
And on top of all that, the images needed to look great; clean, modern, high production value and consistent with VEV’s own standards. This is key. High-quality photography reinforces a strong, confident and credible brand narrative.
That’s ultimately what commercial photography does:
It gives organisations the visual language they need to announce their story clearly, confidently and professionally.
I also have an post that explores the relationship between Authenticity and AI in the Commercial Photography sector. If you like this post I have a similar post explaining and showing What is Great Event Photography
