Why photography matters for a small business

A year ago, we spent two very full days having Chintz & Wood photographed properly for the first time.

At the end of 2024, I had decided that one of my main goals for the year ahead was to get more visibility for the shop. We’d been open for six months, Christmas had gone well, and it was clear that people responded to what we were doing when they came through the door. The challenge was reaching more of them — especially beyond Worthing.

I knew we needed some PR, and when I started looking into what that involved, one thing came up again and again: good photography.

Until then, Jubal and I had taken most of the photographs ourselves. They were fine — useful, honest, and good enough to get us started. But they weren’t quite doing the job I needed them to do. I didn’t just need product shots. I needed photographs that showed the shop, the studio, the making, the materials, the atmosphere, and the story behind Chintz & Wood.

As Shelley Welti, who I worked with on PR, puts it:

“Of course, the words you use across your marketing matter, as they tell your story. But beautiful, high-quality authentic imagery is just as important. It gives journalists, award panel judges and potential customers an immediate, visual understanding of what you do, bringing your copy to life across everything from press releases to social media posts and newsletters.”

That was exactly what we needed.

Getting ready for the shoot

The shoot was photographed by Claire Waddell, who I’d met at an Artists Open House in Brighton the year before. I contacted a couple of photographers, but Claire felt like the right fit straight away. I liked her use of natural light, her style felt warm and real, and we got on well — which turned out to be very useful when I was standing outside the shop at 7am trying to look relaxed.

Claire was clear from the start that the value of a photoshoot comes partly from the thinking you do beforehand.

As she says:

“The more prepared we are, the more value you'll get from the shoot. Before I arrive with a camera, it's worth asking — where will these images live? Who are we trying to reach? What story do we need to tell?”

That became a really useful way to approach the whole process. We weren’t just creating photographs for one Instagram post or one website page. We were trying to build a bank of images that could support the website, PR, social media, print, awards and future opportunities.

A professional photoshoot sounds glamorous, but a lot of it is preparation.

What should I wear? What would feel like me, but also work for the shop and not look too seasonal? I ended up with a Toast denim pinafore I’d found in the sale, and a linen tunic I’d had for years.

Make-up was another question, because I don’t usually wear much. Claire and I agreed it would be worth making a bit more effort for the portrait-style shots, so I ended up going to Selfridges in London for a makeover. Slightly ridiculous, surprisingly fun, and actually useful, because you can put the cost towards products you’ll use again.

Then there were the locations.

Day one focused on the shop and the making: the outside of the shop, the inside of the shop, me in the studio above the shop, Jubal and I talking about lamps, my dyeing process at home, and Jubal in his workshop.

Day two was more about products in context. Because almost everything we make is unique, it wasn’t about getting one perfect shot of each individual product. It was more about showing the pieces in a home setting — cushions on beds and chairs, lampshades in rooms, bowls and wooden pieces in places where people could imagine living with them.

Our own house has far too much going on to work as a neutral backdrop, so after considering a few options, I contacted Alex Legendre, who was restoring and redeveloping some houses in Shoreham. The houses were beautifully decorated and furnished, and because they were staged for sale, they worked brilliantly as a location. We were able to use different rooms, move things around, create several setups, and then put everything back where it belonged.

Making everything look effortless took quite a lot of effort

The shop itself was the easiest part. It just needed to look its best — full, warm, and not too tied to a particular season.

The studio above the shop took rather more work. At the time, I was still in the process of turning it from a slightly chaotic storage room into a proper creative workspace. There was a lot of artful arranging, but it turned out to be one of the best parts of the whole process. The room has stayed much more like that ever since, and I enjoy working in it so much more.

At home, things were less straightforward. Our umbrella washing line had fallen over, which was not ideal for picturesque fabric drying, so Jubal made a temporary washing line across the lawn. It looked slightly as if we were about to take up tightrope walking, but it worked beautifully in the photographs.

My real dyeing setup is in the old garage, which is practical but has terrible light and a generous amount of spider web. For the shoot, I set everything up temporarily in the conservatory, which gave us much better light and more control. It was still all my real equipment and materials, just not quite my everyday working conditions.

Jubal also had to tidy his workshop enough that it still looked like a working studio, but not like complete chaos.

And for the location shoot, we had to pack up half the shop. Lamps, cushions, bowls, textiles and wooden pieces were carefully wrapped, taken to Shoreham, moved between rooms and houses, photographed, packed back up, brought home, and put back in the shop.

Shelley came along to help with the editorial and PR perspective, and my stepdaughter Hannan helped with styling and moving. Jubal also helped with the moving, and perhaps most importantly, with lunch.

Working with Claire Waddell

Claire brought much more than a camera. She helped us think through the shoot beforehand, made use of the best natural light, and gently adjusted the staging so that the images worked without feeling forced.

As Claire explains:

“Every element carries a message in brand imagery. Location, wardrobe, lighting — all of these things add up to create an overarching atmosphere, and it's that atmosphere your audience will connect with.”

That was important to me. I didn’t want the shop or the products to look overly styled or polished in a way that didn’t feel true. Chintz & Wood is handmade, layered, practical and full of character. Claire managed to capture that while still making everything look considered and professional.

There is also something incredibly useful about having someone else look carefully at your business. When you are in it every day, you stop noticing what other people might find interesting. The details become normal to you: the studio above the shop, the hand-dyed fabrics, the workshop, the tools, the piles of bowls, the shelves of lampshades, the small decisions that make the whole thing feel like Chintz & Wood.

Photography helped pull those things forward.

Why the photographs mattered for PR

The photographs were never just for Instagram.

From the start, Shelley encouraged us to think of them as part of a wider marketing and PR toolkit. We needed images that could be used across seasons, across different types of content, and for different purposes: press releases, magazine pitches, newsletters, social media, awards, posters and the website.

As Shelley explains:

“When Wendy approached me for PR support, imagery was one of the first things discussed for us to be able to visually share how stunning the Worthing shop, and curated collection of handmade products sold by Wendy, Jubal and the local artisans stocked in Chintz & Wood are.”

That outside perspective was helpful. When you’re inside your own business every day, it can be hard to see what needs explaining. Good photographs do some of that work instantly. They show the space, the products, the people and the atmosphere in a way that words alone can’t always manage.

Shelley puts it very clearly:

“It’s often the image that captures attention first and invites someone to read on.”

That has definitely been true for us.

What we used the photographs for

A year on, the images have worked incredibly hard.

They’ve been used across the website, including the homepage, product pages and collection pages. They’ve appeared on Instagram, in reels, in newsletters, and in printed posters and promotional material.

They’ve also supported PR and press coverage, including features in 91 Magazine and The Simple Things. Shelley describes the images as allowing us to “show, not just tell” — and that really sums it up. They gave journalists and editors an immediate sense of the shop, the products, and the handmade story behind them.

The photographs have also been useful for small business award and competition entries, where it’s not enough to simply describe what you do. Good images help make the business feel real and memorable.

That has mattered more than I expected. Over the past year, Chintz & Wood has been part of the Small Business Saturday UK Small Biz 100, which led to visits to the House of Lords and 11 Downing Street. Having strong, professional images ready to use made it much easier to respond to opportunities quickly and confidently.

A small business grant that made a real difference

Part of the cost of the photoshoot was supported by a small business matching grant from Adur & Worthing Council. I learnt about the grant during a Business Support Program event I attended and I was delighted when my application was successful.

For a small business, professional photography can feel like a big expense. There is always something else to pay for: stock, materials, repairs, signage, packaging, the endless list. But the grant helped make the shoot possible, and looking back a year later, it feels like one of the most useful investments we made.

It wasn’t a one-off piece of marketing. It became a library of images we could return to again and again.

What I’ve learned

The biggest thing I’ve learned is that good photography helps people understand a small business quickly.

It builds trust before someone visits. It helps press and partners take you seriously. It makes your website feel more complete. It gives your social media consistency. It helps people see not just what you sell, but what kind of business you are.

Shelley says:

“Having great storytelling imagery to use in your marketing — from your process to lovely lifestyle photos — really helps to support your efforts, by building trust and showcasing your products in their best light.”

That idea of “storytelling imagery” feels exactly right. For a shop like ours, the story is a big part of the value: the materials, the making, the workshop, the studio, the local craftspeople, the small batches, the fact that things are made by hand and chosen with care.

Professional photography helped us communicate that much more clearly.

Would I recommend it?

Yes. Absolutely.

Not necessarily on day one, and not before you know what you want to say. But once your business has started to find its shape, investing in good photography can make a huge difference.

For us, it helped Chintz & Wood look more like itself — just clearer, stronger and easier to understand.

A year on, those photographs are still being used, still helping us tell the story, and still proving their worth.