Photography is extremely important for gift basket designers because our livelihood depends on creating a visual masterpiece that brings joy and comfort to individuals, while influencing partnerships and agreements between multi-million dollar corporations that depend on our designs to celebrate the completion of long and short-term deals.

How do you know if your design work is getting better?
How do you remember which gift basket was given to which client?
How do you capture an idea displayed in a window, on a billboard, and at a meeting?

Unless you’re a sketch artist, there’s only one way: by taking a picture.

Visual stimulus is all around us, so a camera is an integral part of your mobile toolbox. It won’t sit in the same tray as ribbon, scissors, and curling ribbon that waits to fix a problem that happens on the way to a delivery, but it's just as important when an occasion calls for a snapshot.

A camera will be stationed by your side, waiting to photograph elements that can only be captured at a specific moment.

Here are six reasons to have a camera with you at all times:

Photograph a finished gift basket in your studio.
Capture the presentation of your design(s) at private homes and corporate settings.
Take pictures of displays and ideas in places where picture taking is allowed.
Recall how items were stabilized in your vehicle.
Photograph a recipient’s joy to send to the client via Email or within your thank-you note by mail.
Document ideas for business building as you travel in other states.

I use an eight-pixel digital camera, and it's compact enough for a small purse. Its performance is fantastic, but it’s very difficult not to want a new camera because of the low prices.

Electronics retailers are selling ten-pixel, name-brand cameras for incredible deals well below the price paid years ago for my current model. However, I'm not making 11x17-inch photos from my work, so a higher-pixel camera is not necessary.

When making your initial purchase or upgrading to a new model, you also must budget for accessories:

Memory sticks
Camera case
Tripod, table top and floor models
Batteries

Some digital cameras also support various lenses, filters, and flash accessories, which are other costs that are to be considered an investment in your business’s future.

Digital options allow us to capture and immediately view our work. This immediacy is what people love about digital cameras. However, don’t overlook traditional film cameras. These cameras, available in permanent or temporary models, are found everywhere, and both work well at a moment’s notice.

If you still use a non-digital camera, photo developing centers will put your photos on disk, and they do the same with the one-use models generally associated with on-the-fly family travel photos.

Consider a camera to be your silent partner that retains images and captures memories that build relationships and increases sales.

Click here for reprint information.

Read the intro