We were lucky to catch up with Derek Drapeau recently and have shared our conversation below.
Derek, appreciate you joining us today. So, let’s start with trends – what are some of the largest or more impactful trends you are seeing in the industry?
One of the biggest trends in photography and the broader marketing/advertising world is the integration of AI. This technology is super new but is already making waves in the industry, and it’s gotten a lot of photographers wondering how it will affect their role in the commercial space. The obvious concern from the photographers is that this will take away jobs. Launching a new product and developing a marketing campaign around that traditionally meant a company would have to hire a photographer to produce digital assets. This meant hiring them, paying for a studio or models, and several hours of styling amongst other various production costs. However, with the use of AI, a company could theoretically get dozens of computer-generated images that match the general style and look they’re going for and it would only cost them a few minutes of typing a prompt and waiting for renders. This sounds terrifying for people trying to make photography their living. But from personal experience, the technology simply isn’t there yet. In addition, I think people overestimate how many companies want to switch to completely fake AI images for their branding. A great example would be restaurants. Restaurant owners large and small spend a tremendous amount of time developing recipes and honing dish presentation, so when the time comes to unveil new meals through email marketing, social media, or to print on physical menus they want REAL images of their food. You can extrapolate this to any major business. Owners and agencies value having the real product in front of them while on a photoshoot. That way you can see EXACTLY how an image will turn out get it EXACTLY how you want it rather than AI software churning out digital images that are “good enough.”
Derek, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
My name is Derek Drapeau and I am a commercial still-life photographer based in Tallahassee, Florida. I operate under my business Drapeau Media where I produce product, food, and beverage photography for organizations large and small. Recently I’ve primarily been working directly with local restaurants for menu and beverage photography in addition to working through marketing/ad agencies to create images for larger businesses. I have always had an interest in creative work. I was constantly drawing or writing as a little kid! It wasn’t until college, though, that I held a professional camera in my hands for the first time and everything just clicked. Like most photographers, I began making images of things around me. Portraits of friends and family, nature shots from walks in the park, or cityscapes from strolls downtown. During the first few years, I just experimented with everything from portraiture to street photography! It wasn’t until I landed my first major job as the in-house creative for an e-commerce company that I took my first step in commercial product photography. While portraits and street photography are always going to be fun, I felt the world of still-life is where I truly excelled. The experiences from this in-house position allowed me to learn not only how to be a better photographer but also a more effective team member in the marketing and advertising industry. My philosophy when photographing products or beverages is to find a way to make the seemingly mundane look beautiful. I take this personal motivation and focus it on my clients to help them meet their business or campaign goals! Every day I am able to learn something different and meet new people! But most importantly I can be reminded of just how much I love my job.
Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
Yes! A great resource I only recently began to take advantage of are online courses through VisualEducation.com. This resource was created and maintained by a UK commercial photographer named Karl Taylor who has been in the industry for decades. For about the same cost as a Netflix subscription you get access to hundreds of videos ranging from basic lighting tutorials, long discussions about marketing yourself as a creative, and even full photoshoot breakdowns from concept to shooting to editing. In addition, there is an online community you get access to for quarterly photo challenges which is great for keeping yourself accountable to build a portfolio. I can’t recommend this resource enough!
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
At the beginning of my photography journey, I had only one portfolio website where I put ALL of my photography work. I organized it by genre, but this meant I had images of moody street photography and artsy shadows next to my collection of fun and bright graduation photography. And of course, we can’t forget the 1-2 wedding videos I did next to my portfolio of product/beverage work. I did this because at the beginning of my career, I was under the impression if I showed clients how broad my style and knowledge of photography is, that I would be able to appeal to every type of client and get more work. I had to unlearn this, as it was one of the main things holding me back. This was hammered into me when I did my first mentor session with a photographer in Tallahassee. She explained to me the importance of understanding you simply can’t cater to EVERYONE as a photographer and that it is super important to understand who you’re marketing to when creating a website portfolio. Showing only the best and most relevant work to whom you’re trying to attract is of the utmost importance so they can identify your specialty as quickly as possible. Since then I’ve made my commercial still-life photography separate from all my personal work and I have seen a huge increase in client interest because of it!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.drapeaumedia.com/
- Instagram: @Drapeau_Media (https://www.instagram.com/drapeau_media/?hl=en)
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/public-profile/settings?trk=d_flagship3_profile_self_view_public_profile
- Other: My local work for maternity, graduations, and editorial portraits can be found at: TallyPhotographer.com