How to prepare yourself for a Professional Corporate Photography Shoot?

You’ve booked a professional corporate photography shoot or maybe even some headshots for your LinkedIn profile. Now, what do you do as preparation? How should you prepare yourself to get the most out of the photoshoot?

Preparation is the key factor that you should possess when doing a professional corporate photography shoot. We’ve done hundreds of executive portrait sessions.

Over the years we’ve developed simple yet effective tips to produce the best photography session with your booked photographer. Effective preparation is the key motive with these tips.

1. Know What You Want From Your Portrait Photography

You should consider how your photos will be used, as well as what message should the photograph portray about you specifically. Without preparation, there isn’t any guarantee you’ll get what you want from your photography. You might not even know what you want from the start that’s why it is best to understand and know what you exactly want from your portrait photography beforehand.

2. Personal Branding

Think of your professional headshots as part of your personal branding. If you’re unsure what your personal branding will be, try this simple activity. Collect a series of portraits that you would like to have (try using Pinterest). Then one by one write down the keywords that describe what you see of yourself in that collection. Pay extra attention don’t use the same keywords more than once.

3. Communicate With Your Photographer

For you to be able to know what your photographer can do, an interview with them would help you easily. In doing this you can let them know what you exactly want and you can be reassured that:

• they know what exactly they’ll be doing and
• they are willing, & will be able to create whatever it is you have in mind

Show your photographer existing photos of you and your team. It doesn’t have to be corporate photography. What the photographer is looking after is a sense of who you are. Are you glamorous or subtle, loud or quiet, friendly or intense? You can also discuss the photography style. Work with your corporate photographer to decide on a style of photography to suit you and your organisation. If there are a number of people to photograph then it’s important that the photo styling be consistent.

You may choose a standard style such as doing the shoot on a white background. One major advantage of that is it’s easy to match if there’s a change of staff in the future.

You may also choose a distinct style such as portraits using your office’s special architecture,
or using a coloured backdrop, or even photographing each person with unique props that were mentioned in their biography.

The advantage of this is, the branding message that you were able to showcase will surely be exceptional and memorable. Having open communication with your photographer can really speed up and simplify the process.

4. Think About Your Clothing

Remember first impressions last. Your clothing can often determine your style and illustrate a physical representation of who you want to be known for.

Should men wear a Suit?

Wearing a suit can present you and your organisation as experienced and successful. It can also indicate that you take your image sincerely & you are keen on details. On the other hand, your clients may be comfortable seeing you in more relaxed clothing. For some, an open shirt would be more appropriate. On a webpage, do not mix photos of the members or your team wearing suits while others are more casual. You can always try both and check which one works best. It’s still your choice.

For ladies, choose a nice fitting blouse that will go well with your form. A button-down blouse usually goes well, or even a suit coat. If you go for a baggy or a blouse that is too tight, the tendency is you won’t feel comfortable. But if you think you can pull that look go for it!

You may want to wear clothes that you are familiar or comfortable with. You should avoid clashing colours or outlandish articles of clothing unless this is really your style. If you wear clothes that you just recently bought from the shops, you may not feel comfortable as you haven’t been wearing them for some time. Using a blouse, dress or a suit that you’re familiar with will make you feel at ease and will give you that extra confidence.

Another thing to consider is bringing extra clothes. Although you may feel prepared with all the clothes you brought, you’ll never know when a spillage or a downpour might render them unusable for photography. Having extra clothes will give you some alternative looks which can come handy.

Thinking and preparing your clothing will help you show your best self.

5. Use a Stylist

If you’re still in doubt about clothing, and if the style is important to you then consider using a stylist. You can also plan out your hairdo. As with clothing, your hair should be thought of. If you get a haircut a week or so before the photo shoot, you will have time to get comfortable with how it feels. Women may choose to book a hairdresser appointment on the day. If there are multiple portraits to make consider having your hairdresser come to your offices.

Another one to consider is having a make-up artist for the photoshoot.
If you are using a hair-dresser then you may want to book one who also does the makeup. A photo shoot is about presenting yourself at your best and projecting the confidence that you and your business have. Even men can benefit from a little powder to avoid shiny patches, but proper retouching can really do magic.

6. Give Yourself Time

Do not you walk into the photoshoot unmotivated after a tough meeting as it will show through in your portraits. Try to book a time when everyone being photographed has enough time to enjoy the whole experience. You may want to think of it as a social experience. If you can do the photoshoot with a smile and in a good mood, that will come through in your photographs naturally.

7. Give your Photographer a call a few days before the Photoshoot

Talking with your photographer with any last-minute questions will keep you in the loop with what’s to be expected on your photoshoot. Further views from your photographer about the photoshoot you booked will also lessen any concerns you might have beforehand.

It is really obvious that preparation is one of the main factors in creating a unique & eye-catching portrait that can represent personal branding for you and your team.

How Great Industrial Photography Showcases your Key Capabilities & Achievements

Clean Energy Council | Industrial Photography

Your business needs to attract and engage with people, no matter what industry you are in or who your customers are.

According to a recent study, you have a very short amount of time to grab someone’s attention, say a little over 8 seconds.

A huge percentage of our brains are dedicated to visual processing, and we’re wired to be fascinated to bright colors and impressive imagery and design. Dazzling pictures are essential, whether it’s on your billboards, your printed materials, your website, or your social media.

A great professional photography will help you stand out over the others. And though it might be handy nowadays with the use of smartphone camera, when it comes to your business photography, doing it yourself isn’t the best idea after all.

Learn how professional photography can showcase your products in the best light and give your business that perfect edge.

Showcasing your products:

Your business might be small or just a startup, but with high-quality professional product photography, it can make you look bigger and more established.

If you are selling something with a strong visual component like apparel or food, you have to consider other factors. With food photography it’s not just a simple case of adding a food on a plate and taking pictures. You have to make it appetising and inviting, it needs to be shown in a most delectable manner. For apparel and fashion the shots should be attractive and glamorous.

Services can be a bit harder to illustrate, but professional photography can still help you out. You can try showing your services by means of action or images of your satisfied customers along with their testimonials. Your website could have a gallery of your works, your finished products and the like.

 

Showing your personality:

A great way to show your company’s personality is with the use of professional photos. Authentic photos helps your customers make that personal and special connection with you and your business. It builds their trust and increase your credibility.
Let me tell you this, there’s nothing better than showing your customers real people and real products and services.

You can use Stock images on how you want to be described but Stock images or stock photography is commonly considered a poor substitute for a personalised photo shoot.

Anyone can buy stock photographs and this is a big problem when it comes to your brand identity. If you are using stock photography, this means you are using an image that anyone can also buy and use in the future. That’s not good specially if you want to stand out over your competitors.

For your website’s About us page, you can hire a professional photographer to take team headshots and team photos. Be creative, show your company's personality without sacrificing your brands identity with the use of great industrial photography service.

 

Advertising:

Now that you have your professional photos of your products and services, it’s time to advertise.
Get your message across effectively and having a professional photograph can bring that impact. Hire a professional photographer to do the photo shoot for you and your business.
This way, you can be sure that you’ll be able to have original professional images that you can use for your future promotional materials.

 

Stand out from the crowd:

Like what’s mentioned above, there’s nothing better than showing your customers real people, real products and services. This can give you that competitive edge over your competitors.

If you have a best employee, a best selling product, or an awesome office building, show them off! Add them on your website, on your printed materials and even in social media. Sharing great images of what makes you and your business unique across all of your marketing platforms will make you stand out, this way people will be much more likely to remember you.

A great professional photographer produce high quality images that will showcase the authenticity and uniqueness of your business.  You can be sure that they will be unique because only you and your company can have them. They will help your products and services stand out from your competitors.  They can be custom to fit your branding, which can help you in targeting the perfect customers.

Interested in having a professional photography service taken for your business? 

Get in touch Pitch Visuals today to discuss your project needs!

Why Not Hiring A Professional Headshot Photographer Is A Mistake?

You need headshot photos for your personal or business profile of your team. But why do you need to hire a professional headshot photographer? It might not be worth the money, the time or the effort. There could be simpler ways to find your best profile photo. Wouldn’t it be just as good to use the photos that your friends took?

At a glance, you’ve probably noticed that the profile photos of your LinkedIn contacts might have a ‘homemade’ look to them. This may apply to other social media contacts, too. But I’m going to show you why not hiring a professional headshot photographer is a mistake. Your profile photo on social media will determine their first impression of you, whether they are your business prospect or a social media follower. A professional portrait photographer has a range of ways to ensure that first impression is positive and lasting.

Your Headshot Should Stand Above the Crowd

To make the most of your first impression, your portrait should shine through other headshots. A professional photographer can show you a range of options to make your portrait noticeable. It must still be an attractive portrait in which your friends, colleagues and social media contacts can recognise you. This may be through simply capturing your enticing expressions predominantly through your profile photo. Even a simple prop or background location could be utilised by the photographer as a hook to introduce your story. These simple, yet high-quality methods will be useful in attracting recognition and eyes from your social media followers.

Project Your Style

The question of style is a complex one. However, capturing that style well is an important matter because it’s what makes you unique. Uniqueness is key to standing above the crowd. Capturing your style will include how you present yourself personally, your attire, as well as the way you express yourself. You may not even recognise your own style until you work with a professional photographer. A professional portrait photographer will be able to exhibit your style in your portrait session. Having your style presented will ultimately boost your own morale, as well as helping you attract the public eye on social media.

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Your Headshots Should Be Replicable

Just as you might need a personal profile photo, you may need a series of business photographs of your team. All features — the style, backdrop, lighting, angles and other components — all need to be consistent between the photographs. If let’s say, each person provides their own photograph, what might this say about your business as a whole? The images are then an erratic jumble of varying quality without consistent features. If there is a common high quality and consistency, this will brighten your business’s reputation. The images also need to be replicable in order to ensure future members of your team can easily be photographed in a similar way.

Professionals Know Their Stuff

Your professional headshot photographer is your friend and will give advice along the way to attract an audience & make sure your friends recognise your true self in the photos. As a professional, your photographer can assist you in your headshot’s location, expressions, attire and even your stance. Simply asking for help will ensure your brand is captured in the most effective way possible. This may include the angles, additional props or the lighting to express your business properly. After all, an old, pixelated snapshot from your phone is a far cry from a photographer’s high-quality photos.

At Pitch Visuals, we ensure your every headshot photographs leave the impression from both business prospect and social media followers. Remember us for professional photography service including corporate, industrial, event, editorial, public relation and commercial photography. For any queries, contact us on 0419 354 162 or email us on info@pitchvisuals.com.au.