Did you hear the one about the builder who’s own home was never finished because he was always too busy working on everybody elses, or the plumber with the ever leaking tap in the bathroom? Well … meet the partner of a professional photography business who to her horror realised she hadn’t updated her business portrait recently … and is putting that right straight away!
It’s a standing joke amongst photographers that they don’t like to have their photograph taken and so they chose a career behind the camera, but in the corporate world a professional business portrait (sometimes known as an executive portrait) is an essential component, contributing to your business’s success and elevating your professional profile in the business environment.
It used to be that we only ever had our portraits taken for passports, visas or Curriculum Vitaes. But in today’s highly visual, multi-media world , professional photographs are used in so many more ways, business cards, social media, websites, press…..the list is endless.
It may be a cliche, but is true nonetheless that you only get one chance to make a first impression. Whether you are starting out as a new company, or have been trading as an established business for many years, it’s a fairly safe bet you’d like to convey a professional, positive impression to everybody of both yourself and your company. So why would you use a grainy, badly lit photograph that somebody took of you on your last holiday, or at the Christmas party? If you were checking out somebody’s website ask yourself what kind of impression that would leave you with. Sounds unlikely? I thought so too but a quick check of profile photographs on linked in, Facebook and Twitter proves it does actually happen.
So why should you commission a professional photographer for your corporate portrait?
1. It puts you in control.
It’s your commission. Your can decide exactly how, where and when your photograph is taken. Do you want a formal portrait with a plain background, or something more casual posed within your work environment, or even taken outdoors? You can discuss exactly how you want your photograph to be taken with the photographer well in advance of the photoshoot so that you can tailor the style of the shoot to reflect the impression you want to give.
2. You can be as two-faced as you like….
….or three … or four ..or more. Just because you are having your photograph taken in one sitting doesn’t mean you have to look exactly the same for the entire shoot. By bringing several outfits, changing your hair style, and even changing the background you can achieve several different looks from the same session. This means you can build up a portfolio of different photographs from just one sitting. Some professional photographers will also offer make-up and hair services, so don’t forget to check with them when you book.
3. We’re all in this together.
If you have a team of people, whether large or small, you can arrange for everybody to have their photograph taken on the same day, with the same background, under the same lighting. This creates a consistent corporate identity for your company and means photographs of different people can be reproduced within the same literature or online in a clean, tidy and professional manner. In effect, everything matches.
4. Anything for an easy life.
We’re all busy right? And you know that just as you are dashing out of the door for that really important meeting an email arrives asking for head shots of you, and your sales team which simply has to go to press within the next 30 minutes. The business portrait shoot that you arranged for everybody several months ago now really comes into it’s own. You know instantly where to find the images, and can be confident that they are all appropriate, professional and sized correctly, you can just hit the send button. Sorted.
5. Get in the right gear.
Any job is made easier provided you can bring experience and the correct tools to the table. A professional photographer will supply everything that is needed to ensure the very best results on the day. Not just a high end digital camera, but also studio lights and stands, backgrounds, a full and up to date version of the industry’s latest software to process the images following the shoot, and of course a wealth of knowledge, experience and advice to guide you through the shoot.
So with all of that in mind I am off to put a comb through my hair and rifle through my wardrobe … now then, dressing for your portrait …. that’s a whole new blog!