Establishing your name as a business photographer comes down to how well you can capture corporate portraits. Someone who can show the value of a business through a portrait is bound to become successful as a corporate photographer.
To elevate your corporate portraits, you need to work on some key aspects of corporate photography. Here, we bring you some of the most effective tips that many professional portrait photographers use for corporate portraits.
So, if you are still trying to make your mark on corporate photography, this is the perfect place for you. Stay till the end of the discussion to start your journey as a successful corporate portrait photographer.
Simply put, corporate photoshoots are photographs that are meant to capture the essence of a business or a company. The purpose of taking corporate photographs is to showcase the business identity in a more engaging way.
Usually, this kind of photoshoot is meant for the marketing and branding purposes of a business. The photos include headshots, team photos, office lifestyle photos, fashion photography, and so forth.
As a photographer, here you will be trying to avoid photos where the people don’t have stiff and robotic expressions. The goal is to click photos with proper engagement while maintaining professional decorum.
Well, in today’s world, photographs have become the prime identity in the online world. Whether it’s an individual or a business, the best way to express themselves is through pictures.
That’s why it’s important to have portraits that can express the goal of the business. Here are some of the key benefits that businesses can get with professional corporate portraits.
When a business has corporate portraits that are engaging, it can help them create an emotional connection with the audience. Whether it’s just random people visiting their website and social media, or their clients, they will feel a connection with the business more.
Businesses with photographs of their employees on banners, or social media posts, always feel like a more credible and trustworthy business. It’s easier to build trust in companies that are transparent with their ideas and the people working in the company.
Having corporate portraits as the online presence of a business makes it very easy to express the objectives and goals. With such photos, they can portray what the business wants to achieve through emotions, rather than words. Combined with words, photos can create a more impact on people.
When a business uses corporate portraits for its online presence, it can have a positive impact on attracting a capable workforce. People seeing happy faces without forced expressions puts a positive image of the company in their minds which helps them recruit a competent workforce.
Previously logos were the way to recognize a brand. While it was great, it didn’t have the human touch in it. People could see a logo and know what business it is, but they couldn’t make a connection. Using portraits gives businesses a way to humanize their identity and connect with people.
Here’s the thing, clicking regular portraits is a bit different from clicking corporate portraits. You won’t have the same level of flexibility with corporate portraits, because they still have to have some form of professional aspect of it.
So, make sure to check out these tips that can easily elevate the level of your corporate portrait photos. These are some things that a top-tier New York City corporate portrait and headshot photographer would use. Let’s get started with them.
Whenever you are dealing with business portraits, you have to consider the needs of your clients first. Discuss what they want to achieve with the photographs, what their purpose is, and where they want to use the photos.
Once you have a clear understanding of client requirements, you can easily provide them with the perfect photos for their business. For instance, you will know the color schemes they prefer or the photography style they like. With this knowledge, it’s just easy to satisfy them.
The secret to quality photographs is always using the right kind of lighting setup. To click the perfect corporate portrait you will need to use lighting in such a way that it doesn’t go too gimmicky while keeping the subject in focus.
For the most part, you can use a soft, diffused light which keeps the harshness of the shadows minimal while maintaining a professional look. Keep things simple with corporate portraits to get the best results out of them.
You should never rush the process of taking portraits, especially in a corporate setup. Even though you are trying to avoid any stiffness or formality in the portraits, it’s still important to maintain decorum. You have to set up the whole scene very patiently, don’t rush the process.
The best way to achieve the perfect timing to click a photo is to plan out the whole thing. How you want to take the photo, what background you want, and what the composition will be, are some crucial things you need to plan out beforehand.
How good your photo will look depends on how well you compose it. If you get the right composition, you can have a very simple photo that just attracts the viewers regardless. With corporate photography, there are some composition rules that can give you professional-looking results.
For starters, you can only focus on the straight and front perspectives, don’t try out different angles here. Next, try implementing the rule of thirds into your photos, so that the subjects are properly aligned in the framing. And most importantly make your subjects be in their natural state.
By creating the right environment, we simply mean, you have to set the scene right for the photo. Try clicking the picture in a corporate setup. You have to make sure the surroundings go well with the theme of your photo.
To create the perfect corporate environment, you need to keep things simple. Don’t click the picture with a lot of distractions around. A minimal setup, with some desks and chairs around, can be a perfect setup for corporate photographs. Also, make sure the people in the photo are dressed formally since it’s about taking corporate photos.
Once you have a proper corporate environment for the scene, make sure to take control of the whole thing. With corporate portrait photography, you will be working with corporates or regular employees rather than models. You will need to direct them through the photoshoot while making them comfortable.
Always make sure that the employees are in their natural state. Otherwise, the photos will definitely end up looking awkward. Simply direct the shot in such a way that the employees don’t get uncomfortable. Direct them regarding the poses, and spots where they should go, but don’t restrict their expressions.
Never think about corporate portraits as passport photos, where they just have to look into the camera with a straight face. The photographs have to connect with the audience, which requires the people to express what they feel in the most natural way.
You can instruct the employees on what poses to do, so that the picture comes out looking good, and not just a headshot. There are various different kinds of poses you can find on the internet and follow them. The thing here is to keep the photo engaging with poses.
One mistake a lot of new portrait photographers make is trying to use a very complicated background for aesthetic appeal. But what happens is that the background ends up becoming too distracting, and loses the value overall.
That’s why, to keep focus on the subjects you have to make sure that the background is simple for your corporate photos. Try avoiding distracting backgrounds with too many colors or complicated patterns. Remember the more minimalistic you can keep your background, the better the picture will look.
While a lot of beginner photographers are concerned about having expensive setups, it truly isn’t necessary. All you need is just the right setup for your corporate photos. They don’t always have to be expensive, as long as you have all the right things, you are good to go.
Here’s a breakdown of the gear you should get at least;
Of course, the primary thing is you will need a camera. If you are low on budget, go with an APS-C camera but if you can spend money, then pick a full-mirrorless camera. Mirrorless cameras give you great quality, but they also cost quite a lot.
For the lens, if you are clicking corporate portraits, it’s always best to choose a prime lens. You can either go with a 50mm or 85mm prime lens to click photos in a corporate setup. You can also keep a zoom lens if you feel like being creative or clicking other types of pictures.
As for the lighting, you have to use several different things. Firstly, you will need an external flash and a softbox. Using a softbox gives you the option to try out different creative lighting for quality pictures. It’s also great to have reflectors to soften the light effect further.
Last but on least, editing is a key aspect of taking quality corporate portraits. If you are expecting great pictures just out of the camera, then you are gravely mistaken. You have to go through some level of post-processing to make sure the pictures that come out are good enough.
Usually, corporate portraits don't need too extravagant editing on them. All you have to do is, get the balance of highlights, shadows, mid-tones, and a bit of color correction for the perfect results. Just doing a bit of photo retouching should be enough to get quality results on the photos.
If you are just starting out your journey as a corporate portrait photographer, then you are bound to make some mistakes. These are mistakes almost every professional photographer makes in the beginning. Thankfully, you will be able to avoid them after this guide.
Below are the things, that you should not do while clicking corporate portraits -
These are some of the most basic mistakes anyone starting out will make. Having a prior understanding of these can help you avoid them to perfect the craft of taking corporate portraits.
To conclude, using the 10 simple tips we have shared here, you can easily master taking corporate portraits by yourself. Whether you are in a studio, or you get an assignment to click pictures in an office, these tips are useful everywhere.
Especially, if you are a beginner, these tips can prove crucial to your success in this field. With a bit of photography knowledge, combined with these tips, you can surely become a top name in the list of top-tier New York City’s corporate portrait photographers.
Based in New York City, David Genik is the premier headshot photographer in the area. He specializes in portraits for actors, fashion industry clients, LinkedIn profiles, corporations, executives, and other professionals. David's photography style is heavily influenced by fashion-based editorials with dramatic lighting choices mixed with classic design. With over 15 years of experience photographing diverse subjects, David is highly skilled at connecting with his clients and understanding their needs for the perfect headshot. Whether his clients are looking for traditional corporate shots or edgy, artistic portraits, David works closely with them to understand their vision and goals. The final images showcase both his technical expertise and creative artistry.
