Almost Getting Arrested and Why Companies Should Work with Bloggers

All photos are by Joshua Brandenburg from J.A.B Photos.

We parked the Stinger in the middle of a parking garage and started taking photographs. After an hour of landing the perfect shot, a police car rolled into the garage. I was operating a light that from far away, could look like a weapon, so I did the wise thing and handed it to my brother-in-law. This caused him to carry a camera in one hand and a gun-shaped light in the other. Before the police officer got out of his car, I walked over and informed him we were taking pictures of the brand new Stinger and the garage was providing the perfect light. He got out of the car and surveyed the two of us and told us that we should take photos in a spot a little more secluded. We chatted a while more and even answered questions about the Stinger and how much fun the car is to drive, and then he left. And that is why companies should work with bloggers.

 
What my brother-in-law and I did was something that would have taken a lot of paperwork for companies to produce. There would have been a lot of strategies, discussions, and red tape, but as we drove the Kia Stinger around, we saw the parking garage and decided it would be an excellent venue for some shots of the car. Kia at the moment was working with a group of bloggers and we were creating stories and taking photographs of cars in places that frankly, most companies would not have considered or would have paid a lot more money to locate the right photographers, models, etc. With us, we were two guys and a car trying to capture the perfect shot. And we did.

 
LeBron James is a spokesperson for Kia and I am sure he sells a lot more Kias than I do, but you will not get a personal story from a spokesperson. For those people that are wondering if a car is suitable for them, then my reports and images go a long way. And Kia received excellent photos.

 
When companies reach out to bloggers and ask us to work with them, but don’t want to pay, they’re missing out on an opportunity. With bloggers, you get original articles and pictures and people who think outside of the box.

Disclosure: This post is in response to working with KIA on our Bourbon Trail road trip.