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Specialism

CORPORATE HEADSHOT AND PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHER IN LONDON

LOCATION AND STYLE

I undertake corporate portraits usually at a clients premises, office or home. Occasionally hiring studio space.  I work throughout the UK with most of my clients being located in the South East, Surrey, Sussex, Kent and London. 

I capture corporate portraits on location using either an environmental background or a plain seamless background. My method is about putting people at ease and capturing a subject looking relaxed and approachable. Utilising either minimal lighting equipment or natural daylight. I enjoy making the process easy for everyone involved while crafting an image which best reflects my clients brand, either through lighting, location or a particular pose.

I favour balanced lighting style without harsh shadows and with a shallow depth of field or out of focus background. I enjoy creating a specific look and tone to a portrait and I’m happy to craft this to a clients requirement.

WORKFLOW

Pre-Shoot Brief > Shoot Day > Post Production > Delivery

PRE-SHOOT BRIEF

The pre shoot brief usually consists of describing the purpose and how the images will be used. Further information provided can take the form of creative options such as style and tone, locations, background, props, and clothing. In some instances a site recce may be required. I can provide input at this stage on the best way to achieve your goals while remaining within brand guidelines.

I provide a pre-shoot guide for clients and subjects to prepare for the shoot and what to expect.

SHOOT DAY

  • I work on location at a clients workspace, home or specified environment occasionally hiring studio space when necessary. 
  • I usually aim if necessary to arrive on site 1 hour before the first person is scheduled, in order to setup and or scout suitable locations. Arriving on site within London can sometimes be lengthy especially in the the City of London, as it’s not always possible to park outside a clients location and so it may be necessary to transport equipment from a car park either using a hand cart or taxi depending on the distance and amount of equipment. 
  • Loading bays at an office are very useful and arranging this access in advance can save a lot of time.
  • I work with the available light or supplement this with additional lighting or completely substituting existing lighting to create a specific look and tone to the final result.
  • Headshot portraits only – I aim to shoot 6-12 shots per person capturing a range of expressions and subtle differences in pose. The time required is usually around 5 mins per person although can vary if changes of clothing and background are required.
  • Editorial and business portraits requiring more scope – I may capture between 12-50 shots of varying background, pose or even clothing depending on requirements timing can take up to 20 mins or more for a single person.

POST PRODUCTION

  • All my images are shot in RAW format on high resolution DSLR’s. Typically around 40megapixels. This is more than enough resolution for most applications.  
  • I follow a fully colour managed workflow and where necessary communicate with graphic designers and printers to achieve the appropriate results for the intended publication.
  • The resulting digital files are fully edited so that only the best images remain and low resolution watermarked previews are supplied via an online web gallery with access to download the files. From these previews it is possible to select images for optimising, retouching and colour grading
  • Download access can be configured with varying levels of security and personalisation. From completely open public access through to password protection in conjunction with a specific email. By default the highest security level is applied which grants access to a specific email and password combination. 
  • Optimising involves individually adjusting each client selected image for exposure, colour balance, tone and contrast. 
  • Retouching is also carried out in order to remove such things as stray hairs, blemishes and to smooth skin tones.

DELIVERY

All images are supplied as a Full Resolution 300ppi RGB JPG or TIFF downloadable via a dedicated secure website or app. 

Standard Image Dimensions and Size:Full Size 8256 x 5504 px

  • JPG – 20mb
  • TIFF – 272mb – 8bit

PRE SHOOT GUIDE

Corporate headshot photos are generally cropped about half way between chin and waist. But the final crop could be closer than this. Lighting is frontal from one side sometimes with soft back light.

All other corporate portraits may include a full length crop and so your shoes may also be shown.

Lighting is frontal from one side sometimes with soft back light.

Location:

Its worth discussing this with me before I arrive even if time has been allocated to scout the location(s) on the shoot day. Things to consider include: 

  • Available free floor space, will chairs and desks need to be moved or even added to the space.
  • Availability of natural daylight and whether any windows will have direct sunlight.
  • Privacy of those being photographed or colleagues working close by.
  • Will it be necessary to book a room in advance.

Clothing: 

  • Should be neutral and coordinated. Its better to opt for darker tones of either black or greys (muted/pastel reds, blues, yellows are fine also)
  • A white shirt or blouse with a dark plain suit jacket and plain blue/red/yellow tie is the best choice. 
  • Its better to avoid stripes and busy / loud patterns. Including clothing with patterns on
  • the inside lining or inside collars etc. Avoid wearing cardigans and avoid jumpers/fleeces
  • worn over clothing. 
  • Bring a choice of jacket and tie. Clothing should be ironed and if possible bring a fresh shirt

to avoid creases. If you usually walk or cycle to work and the weather is windy and wet try to

arrive in time to sort out any hair or clothing issues which might result because of the weather.

Looking your best tips: 

  • Try to get hair cut/styled as close to the shoot as possible. For men a shave on the day. For women bring hair clips / bands ties etc in case needed.
  • Without sounding like an overzealous health guru. Try to get an early night, stay hydrated but 

avoid hot drinks on the day, before your photograph as this can make you sweat and look flustered. Eat a light meal before the shoot….So no coffee or fry ups before the shoot please……Only joking! This is just advice and I suggest you follow what ever makes you feel relaxed on the day.

Useful Items:

  • A small mirror, 
  • brush, 
  • hair clips / bands
  • hair spray
  • Sticky roller to remove hair etc from clothing