Business portraits can take many forms depending on what sector you operate it. Banking, the law, religious figures and senior medical appointments often call for a more conservative approach and for photographs in a traditional style. With the creative and entertainment industries obviously the approach can be different. It can be fun to shoot these kind of photographic portraits in a more creative, contemporary or interesting way.
I had the pleasure of photographing close up magician Rob James recently. Rob’s one of the country’s leading magicians and has worked all over the world at weddings, corporate events and parties. Hyperbole aside, he performs incredible things at his fingertips right in front of you that will have you doubting your senses.
Here we shot some studio portraits using natural light. There are subtle differences in artificial photographic lighting and the light that enters a room naturally. It can be trickier to use but gives a result I really like for business portraits. We took the opposite tack with the exterior shots and used supplementary location lighting to create a slightly edgy, unreal look to some of the images which I think works really well.
Here are a few favourite images from his business portrait session.
I was asked to shoot some informal business portraits in Forbury Square, Reading Berkshire today. The light was soft and overcast which is ideal for people photography. The client was a financial services company with two new employees and the brief for the photography was to keep the images natural and relaxed and make sure the subjects look approachable and friendly. I think these kind of images are ideal for websites where you are trying to build a relationship with the customer or potential customers.
Here are a few favourites from the shoot.
Business portrait photography is probably the most common type of photographic service I am asked to do. Recently I was booked by GE Energy in Bracknell, Berkshire to produce some simple shots of their staff for inclusion on the GE Energy website.
To keep a light, flexible feel to the pictures we used an off white background which can give a slightly less stark look than a pure white backdrop. It also has the advantage that white clothing doesn’t blend as much with the background and retains a little separation.
Quite often due the availability of personnel, we are working to a tight timescale. In this case we had around 45 seconds per person (!) which isn’t a lot of time to shoot a photographic portrait. One thing we always do is make sure everything is set up before the subject arrives. Lighting and camera settings are standardised so the time taken is minimised. Another little time saver is a piece of tape on the floor showing our subjects exactly where to stand.
These measures ensure that we can shoot a significant amount of headshots for your website, brochure or other marketing materials in a surprisingly short time. If you have a project in mind, please drop us a line for further details.
Depending on what industry you are in, an informal studio portrait is ideal for website use. The friendly and relaxed nature of the image is ideal for creating a welcoming impression. These pictures are from Naava’s studio session. I had photographed Naava before a few years ago and her pictures were in need of updating. Naava is a birthing specialist and runs the Fertility Support Company.
A relaxed and approachable impression was essential to the feel of the pictures. Here’s a few favourite images from the portrait session.
Environmental portraits matter when the location tells you something about the subject. They can be more interesting than standard studio shots and can be enhanced by portable lighting, shot using daylight or, as is quite common, a mixture of the two.
A relaxed location portrait for a director of a firm specialising in office refurbishment
Portable lighting outdoors makes for an interesting picture and helps the image have more impact
The staff and management of The Dorchester Hotel in London
