Interview  •  Sectors & markets

Capturing the moment

INFO speaks with Franck Jehanne, Director & Co-founder of Kalory Photo and Video, to discover the photo studio’s take on today’s marketing landscape

Fresh from winning the ‘Best Product Photo Studio 2019 – London’ award, photography studio Kalory Photo & Video is not resting on its laurels. It was originally set up in London by Co-Founders Franck Jehanne and Brijesh Patel, born out of their combined technical photography expertise and expansive luxury sector network, and now targeting an expansion across the Channel.


The visual landscape

According to Jehanne, the visual marketing landscape is shifting. ‘Photography needs are changing fast because of Instagram. Everyone has become a photographer, but they need better pictures as a brand,’ says Jehanne. ‘If things go badly, photography budgets tend to be cut, but at the same time it’s when it’s bad that you need to invest. That’s how successful companies do it.’ The studio practises what it preaches. ‘Eight months ago, people were more conservative. We put energy into marketing the studio more broadly. We joined the Chamber of Commerce because of Brexit […] as a just-in-case strategy, and to recruit new clients in different ways.’ Jehanne says that it is better to prepare in the face of such uncertainty. ‘Part of entrepreneurship is the need to react to circumstances that you can’t change or you can’t control, like Brexit,’ he says. Jehanne also reacted by seeing the opportunities Brexit can provide, with a planned expansion to Paris.


French markets

‘It will be a very flexible opening at the beginning,’ says Jehanne. ‘We have the network and our London team will be shooting there, helped by a couple of reliable freelancers. The retouching will take place in London'. Jehanne says there are no specific cultural contrasts between France and Britain when working to a creative brief. 
The scope of the vision instead depends on the source of the commission. ‘Company headquarters have a global vision, and not a country specific or market vision. The creative process is very different,’ Jehanne explains. Subsidiaries require more specific imagery. Kalory already had a global cliental taking advantage of the cheaper regulatory system in the UK. Targeting Paris was the natural next step so France based clients can now take advantage of the benefits of Kalory’s London location. ‘There are fewer requirements for shooting in the UK,’ says Jehanne. ‘The main cost difference is the models.’ Employment law for models’ working hours and compensation are less stringent in the UK. Permits for shooting in public places also take longer to confirm in France. After being puzzled by the referendum results, Jehanne now has an optimistic outlook. ‘I am surprised myself, but Brexit pushed me to do some really positive things,’ he says. 

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