One of the most important elements of how a brand builds affinity with fans in sport is in the imagery that is attached to its partnerships in sport.
Sport for Business is fortunate to partner with Inpho photography as our Official image partner and the agency, led since its creation by Billy Stickland, has today unveiled a new website which gives greater prominence to the role of PR and marketing in it’s own business planning.
“The corporate side has become a much bigger part of our business over the past three years,” said Stickland speaking to Sport for Business yesterday.
“The editorial side is still very important but the media landscape is changing and this is an area where we can deliver a greater sense of personality in the sporting stars whose images we capture.”
“The degree of trust that our top photographers have built up with them over the years allows for a much easier time setting up different shots that would be the case if they were coming in with no knowledge of the individuals and their personality.”
“A photo shoot can be a pretty time pressured environment and often the people that a brand or agency wants to capture will not necessarily be comfortable in front of a camera.”
“That’s where the degree of trust comes in. We don’t have to break down barriers to get people comfortable. They know that we get the different demands placed upon them away from their sporting achievement and that’s a real bonus.”
Inpho was a real leader in terms of developing strong relationships with the official governing bodies and through them the players.
“We travel with touring teams like to the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand and with the British and Irish Lions and can take the time to produce more creative feature imagery that really helps get fans to know the players characters.”
Translating that relationship into creative images that work for publishers and brands is now a mainstay of the business.
“Our images have adorned the covers of autobiographies of stars like Katie Taylor, Peter Stringer and Brian O’Driscoll. When you sit down to reveal yourself in a book the front cover is like a window on your soul and the stars trust us to make sure that window is clear.”
Inpho deliver many of the strong corporate and sponsorship images which you see on Sport for Business every day. They work with the main agencies and direct with the brands to produce photography that will connect the brand to what they are doing.
We were on site with the Dublin City Council Sports Partnership team when it was preparing to launch at the end of last year and saw the detail and the planning that went into capturing the kind of image reproduced below.
This was in the midst of a raging storm and equipment had to be secured by brave hands in order to capture moments that have featured in the launch of the Partnership and will continue to do so as it develops in the months ahead.
“This was a shoot where we had time to plan, working with stars like Fiona Coghlan but also the everyday heroes of sport who we wanted to bring to life as well.”
Another image that stood out was the one launching Liberty Insurance’s sponsorship of Camogie.
“This was taken from above and we had to ask the players to trust that what we were doing would work,” said Cathal Noonan.
“Getting them to lie down on a concrete ground and hold themselves in positions that felt unnatural was a big ask but they went with us and we got a great image as a result.”
The new Inpho Photography website can be seen at www.inpho.ie. It reveals the very best and the very latest images capturing the moments that bring irish sport to life.
Inpho will have three staff photographers travelling to each of the European Championships in France and the Olympic Games in Rio this summer.
“There are greater controls and restrictions on where photographers can operate at the big events now but we will be there to capture the moments that will define the achievement of those who are on the pitch, on the track, in the ring and in the many different locations that will make this a memorable year,” said Stickland before heading off to another location and another shoot yesterday.
We have no doubt that the images which capture the magic of sport will continue to be shot through Inpho lenses for a long time to come yet.
