As a commercial photographer in Berkshire, communications is a major part of my work and over the years I have come to the conclusion that every business, no matter how small, diverse or niche has a story to tell.

Every week a vast number of business networking groups and breakfast clubs meet here in Newbury, Berkshire and throughout the UK and no doubt the rest of the world. Attendees are expected to give a one minute, style presentation about their company.

Many of the contributors tend to regurgitate the same message each week but some seize the opportunity to relate an interesting story about some event from the previous seven days.

As a member of the Newbury Business Group, I listen to colleagues relating their ‘one minute’, presentations about their businesses. Motivated by a prize for the best presentation the anecdotes can be quite outstanding and often have the foundation of something that could be used as a press release to promote their company.

So this morning when Sally Rainbow-Ockwell an awarding winning Action Coach, told us that she had contributed to a book called “Counter Attack – Business Strategies for Explosive Growth in the new Economy”, with business guru Brian Tracy, and that overnight it had shot to the top of the Amazon Best seller list for business books. This seemed an ideal opportunity to demonstrate how a picture can enhance a story.

After the meeting I photographed Sally signing a copy of her book for Nigel Morgan of Berkshire public relations and social media consultancy Morgan PR and these images will provide a great tool for promoting her business – and of course the book.

I decided to photograph Sally in both a formal way and more of a fun way, so when she submits the pictures to a newspaper, the picture editor has a choice, I also shot both upright and portrait views so that he can fit any space on a page.

This is the sort of knowledge that I as a professional photographer can bring to promotional pictures, whether they are to be used in a press release, publicity material, websites or in a whole raft of social media opportunities.

So when you plan your next weekly anecdote, think visually, after all, a picture does paint a thousand words and that could be promoting your business.

If you have a picture to take, contact Mike Samuels Photography to discover how I can help.

Having photographs taken by a professional commercial photographer in Berkshire will help to ensure consideration by a picture editor in a way amateur snaps are unlikely ever to.