15 Jul 2014

North Yorkshire Commercial Head Shot Portrait Photographer | Annual Reports, Social Pages or Press Releases

For my commercial head shot photography sessions around the North East and Yorkshire I start by identifying what particular look and feel the client wants to achieve, and secondly how they want to use the pictures. For instance the commercial portraits for an annual report for a law firm will be very different to that of a digital design company’s social media feeds like Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter. The client might need different portrait photography for certain people too.  



I might photograph the Chief Executive looking solemn if the brief is a photo to go out with a news release involving poor financial results,  but take the same shot with different lighting and add some movement and energy for a piece about the company’s charity support.


If I’m working with a new client I do some research on their website and in the press to give me a feel for the style of images it prefers. A US-based pharmaceutical business may want a very polished and corporate look, while a UK call centre wants its pictures to give a warm, inviting impression, and a graphic design company prefers to give off a creative, edgy vibe.





Where senior executive portraits are concerned I’m always conscious that they are busy people, so it’s important to get the job done quickly but still return the shot that meets the brief. Whether I’m working with the board of directors or a young subject on work experience I’m always confident and relaxed, I’ve been doing this for three decades and my background as a press photographer based in Middlesborough and Scotland, gave me the  ability to work quickly and under pressure comes in very handy.



The shot I’m looking for will often dictate the angle I use for commercial portrait photography, as this can change its whole feel. I might give the shot a slight tilt, or shoot the subject from below. Or if I’m looking for a warm, less authoritative look I might photograph the subject from above. Business people don’t want to have to travel to visit a portrait studio, so I’ve put together a portable, flexible range of camera kit that gives me all the tools of a studio, in a small amount of equipment. I call it my studio in a box and means I have everything with me if I decide to use a telephoto portrait lens or Lastolite light reflectors to add atmosphere and contrast to a shot.



Sometimes I meet the client beforehand to discuss the job, or we speak on the phone so I get a feel for what they want to achieve from the commercial head shot portrait session. I often visit a locations before the photo shoot too with perfect locations on our doorstep - say an industrial background of Billingham, North Yorkshire Moors landscapes or maybe Durham city retail centre getting across what the business does. For example if I’m photographing the chief executive of a car parts manufacturing business the client will probably want me to do those pictures on the production line, and for the managing director of a fitness gym I’d be looking for shots in a busy studio with people exercising in the background.








I believe commercial portraits are a form of photojournalism, they need to tell the story and that means getting the setting right, to create a type of environmental portraiture.  


There are as many ways to shoot a portrait as there are people. Commercial Portraits over the North East don’t have to be boring studio shots, and my client feedback over the years shows that clients hire me because they know I will use all my skills and experience to inject some energy and life into the photos, and deliver the shots they need.





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