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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