Photography

Political Campaign Photography Shoots Are Worth the Money

Good political campaign photography is a must.

Good political campaign photography is the cornerstone of a quality communications program. We’ve all seen bad political advertising. It’s a kind of bad that transcends the traditional meaning of the word. But it doesn’t have to be all European stock photos misused in Kentucky or stock photos of supposed endorsers (good grief, do NOT do this!). We can do better.

Do Political Mailers Work for You?

As I wrote a couple of years ago, political mailers haven’t gone the way of the dinosaurs – they’re still a very effective method of communication for both persuasion and GOTV efforts. Political mailers may not be as sexy as the world of digital, but here are a few reasons to hang onto mail a while longer.

Dont Skimp on Political Campaign Photography

Political campaign photography matters. The quality of the photos provided for mail, walk cards, etc., are crucially important. Nowadays, everyone is used to seeing glossy, vibrant photos on screen, and assume they can grab a digital photo off the Internet and include it on their campaign lit. They are often surprised that the photo is not as clear, crisp or vibrant as the on-screen versions.

Political Campaign Photography Matters: Do NOT Wear Your Campaign T-shirt, Or any T-Shirt, to Your Photo Shoot

Running for office requires great political campaign photography that yield a set of great campaign photos. Last year’s holiday card just won’t cut it. Luckily, most candidate campaigns can get away with just one day of shooting, which means when you hire a photographer you can generally just pay a flat day rate, instead of a potentially costly hourly rate.  Here are some other tips:

A Beginners Guide to Putting Together a Candidate Photo Shoot

So, you are going to put together your first candidate photo shoot, great! As we’ve written before, producing custom photography is one of the best ways to increase the impact and appeal of your political direct mail. But where do you begin? Well, there’s a lot to do, and if you don’t prepare in advance, chances are your campaign shoot won’t go that well. Below is a beginner’s guide to organizing a candidate photo shoot that will hopefully help you start planning.

Everything You Were Afraid to Ask About Political Direct Mail Printing—The Final Installment

In previous installments of this series we covered finding a printer, managing schedules, specifying paper and digital vs. offset printing. This week is the final installment of the series and we’re going to talk about photos, file preparation and proofing.

Choosing Political Direct Mail Printing Paper

When it comes to political direct mail printing paper, there are as many choices as there are types of coffee drinks at your local Starbucks. Each paper type has specific characteristics that influence not only printability, color and texture, but also price.

Most political direct mail  printing paper starts out as a wood fiber-based, uncoated paper. To create coated stock, the paper is then coated with a white clay or filler material then calibrated to obtain a hard, smooth printing surface. Coated papers are less porous, allowing ink to sit better on top of the sheet, whereas uncoated paper is more porous and ink is more likely to be absorbed into the paper. The porous nature of the paper will have a huge influence on the final look and feel of the printed piece. Coated paper is most likely to be used for materials with heavy ink coverage and when using full color photography in the design.