I have written before about the benefits of hiring a corporate photographer and would like to discuss the merits of getting a professional LinkedIn photo for your profile page.
After searching for examples of professional LinkedIn photos I came to the understanding that anyone searching the same was being given endless headshots against a white background or some tips on how to take a headshot with your phone. This made me think that once an individual or company decide to hire a professional photographer that we should look at the variety of LinkedIn headshots that can be achieved rather than just the headshot with a default white background.
Above are two great LinkedIn headshots which have been professionally taken. A decent portrait lens has been used and good soft lighting with a quality colour balance. We have applied a white web friendly background in post production which is an essential if you want your LinkedIn photo to look crisp and sharp.
Below we have added a London cityscape to give the headshot a interesting background and to show where you are based. This is produced in editing after the shoot so anyone commissions a pro LinkedIn headshot could request this option.
Continuing on the London theme some people prefer to get out of the studio or office and feel more relaxed outside for their photo. This does create a few headaches for the professional photographer as they are unable to control weather conditions but it can often result in a strong LinkedIn photo.
Often companies want the professional photographer to come to their offices. The first questions we are asked is can we bring a white background for their staff headshots. We can always do this for you but lets consider using your office as a background for the LinkedIn photos. Clients often say their office is messy or needs decorating but a professional can hide all the imperfections and use elements to benefit the headshot. Blurry backgrounds, using subtle shades and exposing tones.
Lastly lets look at my favourite still of headshot the reportage photo. Very rarely used on LinkedIn as they are a little less conventional and you need a professional photographer with the correct lens and plenty of experience in capturing this style. These are great for showing people’s personalities and where they work. Full of character and gives the LinkedIn visitor to your profile page a glimpse into your working world.
© Corporate Photography London
Three wonderful images created by one of my favourite portrait photographers Annie Leibovitz.
Connecticut born Leibovitz first became interested in photography on a school trip to Japan.
In the 1970s Leibovitz approached Jann Wenner of the Rolling Stone magazine with her portfolio. Wenner approved of her photographs of John Lennon and Leibovitz was quickly made the magazine’s chief photographer.
Although she had already photographed Lennon in the early 1970s, it is her single polaroid shot with Lennon and Yoko Ono that she is most renowned for. In 2005 it was named the best magazine cover by the American Society of Magazine Editors.
© Annie Leibovitz
I find this image striking with Lennon looking childlike in the fetal position and his nakedness contrasts against Yoko’s dark clothes and her relaxed hands behind the head position.
Not sure who’s idea or what discussion lead to the overhead shot but it is a beautiful photograph which shows their commitment to each other.
In 1983 coinciding with releasing her first book, Photographs, Leibovitz joined Vanity Fair. Leibovitz has created many famous covers, including 1989 cover with Michael Jackson in an angelic white shirt and in 1991 Demi More who was pregnant with her daughter.
© Annie Leibovitz
This is another favourite of mine and for different reasons than the obvious fact that she has captured him in his famous dance move or that he looks an angel. I admire the expression and the stillness of the portrait and to me he looks like a statue captured at the height of his stardom.
© Annie Leibovitz
Again not sure who came up with this idea but it is stunning to see such a strong portrait of a pregnant lady. In my opinion prior to this photograph female movie stars seem to disappear from the public gaze when pregnant so to see Demi Moore looking defiant and proud of her body was remarkable. I admire the fact she is not looking to camera and she has a distant look in her eyes as if she is looking to the future.
I had a chance to see her exhibition at National Portrait Gallery in London in 2009 where she was displaying her recent work. I had expected more of the above, strong and striking portraits. I was amazed to see she had captured images of family which were very intimate with natural lighting and dream like in their quality.
All rights and copyright Annie Leibovitz.
We are sometimes asked what the difference is between executive headshots and executive portrait photography. Put simply the executive headshot is a photograph capturing the features of the person for ease of recognition in the business world. Putting a name to a face. Executive portrait photography is a longer process where we see the person but in a more flattering and interesting way. Bringing elements of their personality, their clothes, their business environment and showing how they have succeeded in their profession.
When I first started my career as a corporate portrait photographer I mainly worked for business magazines and for design agencies who both commissioned me to shoot business portraits. These were shot on 120 and 35mm film and involved lots of professional kit and plenty of time spent on recce, setting up and with the sitter. Follow this I could also add creative contrast and lighting in the darkroom.
Sadly with the digital age and the increase of internet use printed publications started to dwindle and so did the requirement for executive portrait photography. In the early days of companies using online as a their main marketing tool we saw very little spent on corporate photography as internet speeds were low and image took time to load and slowed down websites. Over the last 10 years we have seen the rise in companies investing in their corporate photography and commissions for executive headshots are very popular with City professionals.
I must take a moment to mention a photographer who influenced me heavily when I used to shoot on film. Brian Griffin was a portrait photography and his work would feature in business magazines and I was fascinated by how he managed to get the executives to go along with his creative ideas. He must have had excellent communication skills to get his vision across. I remember reading an article on him in British Journal of Photography and he explained how he used battery power flash guns independently placed at different positions to create his images.
Copyright Brian Griffin
Copyright Brian Griffin
Copyright Brian Griffin
Moving on to what we capture these days and we find that clients require a blend of both headshot and portrait. The importance of looking professional online is paramount and although most social media business platforms only allow for a relatively small profile photo clients understand that a headshot is preferable in these circumstances but understand the need to look contemporary and to stand out from the normal passport style headshot.
Copyright © Brian Griffin where shown.
All other content and copyright © Corporate Photography London
Corporate event and conference photography in London is one of our main photographic sectors. Over the recent years we have seen a decline in commissions which is down to our clients spending less on marketing due to the uncertainty surrounding Brexit. Although businesses still have events they are skimping on the professional photography and relying on staff and guests to capture images on phones etc. This is more than evident when we look at press releases from past events and see poorly captured event photos.
To encourage clients to go with a professional corporate photographer at their next event we are offering extra services so they see it as great value at the same rates we always charge. We now offer a corporate events video service which can run parallel to our photographic service. With modern DSLRs we can capture excellent video clips which can easily be used on the company website to illustrate the event to a professional standard. Video clips showing a wide view of the event are excellent along with general clips of people communicating and enjoying listening to business advice. Sound can be captured using professional microphone so you can have a good record of the presentations and the key speakers.
We also offer a corporate headshot service at events and conferences. Often companies have remote workers or international offices and it is only at their events that all these people come together. We can set up or mobile studio and capture your entire company at an event. Ideal for LinkedIn profiles so that you can ensure all your staff and directors have a good corporate portrait to keep things consistent and professional.
To make sure the images are a benefit to the client we offer a online preview gallery and with a secure password so the company can allow guests and staff to view all the images and video and also download to then use the content as part of social media promotions and for advertising the event for next year.
As we have a great team of corporate photographers so we can cover any size event which we have found can be very handy on large day and evening events which can have several speakers in different locations and break out groups happening simultaneously.
Professional corporate event and conference photography samples.
Good wide photo showing the guests and speaker with a team based theme showing on the screen.
Detail photograph of corporate awards to be presented to the winners at a London business event.
Photograph of a key speaker captured in action as he talks to his interested audience. This was taken using a long lens with a good wide aperture so it could work in poor lighting. Events are often lit with a low light to allow for the projectors and stage lighting.
Investor day photograph capture with a good wide angle lens to make sure we got the whole panel in the image.
Fast shutter and wide long lens allow for bright crisp images of staff and guests enjoying your event.
Professional lighting allows for a great team photo and keeps the atmosphere of the event venue’s lighting and decor.
Top quality corporate headshot captured at your London event for all staff, directors and offer the service to guests as well.
© Corporate Photography London.
Why you should consider hiring a corporate photographer to benefit your marketing material.
Basic corporate photography is used by companies to show their offices and staff are a professional business.
A corporate website without any photography is not a good marketing plan as people tend to trust images and the old saying that photographs do not lie is still perceived as true.
Viewers will always look to photographs to confirm the text they have been reading so it is vital that businesses make the best use of corporate photography.
Creative corporate photography is now being used as a branding tool to allow companies to present a professional and individual profile to current and potential clients.
Understanding the potential benefits of using visually strong images to represent your business is a vital part of your companies marketing. For many years we have been approached by clients to capture images for their websites and so often photography is the last thing on their to do list. Companies will invest time and money with website designers and copyrighters ignoring the fact that the first thing clients see when visiting their site is the photography. We hear the same thing time and time again that they let an employee who has a good camera take the photos or the web designers said he would do the photos as part or the website design.
Let us look at the different areas creative corporate photography can be used in a positive way.
1. Corporate headshots.
If you are an individual or large corporate business making sure that everyone looks professional and approachable is vital. There are many different styles you can choose and the best suited to your company really depends on the business sector you operate in. Financial and legal sectors tend to prefer a more formal headshot whereas consulting businesses go for a more relaxed and informal style. Our one tip for any business getting ready to photograph their staff and directors is to use a decent long portrait lens to capture the headshots. A long lens will always make people look better and the second tip is to never take headshots with a phone as the phone camera lens is a slight wide angle and not good for portraits.
2. Corporate office photography.
Often overlooked as a potential marketing tool as the office is the hub of your business and contains all the elements that make you the company that you are. Take the thousands spent on interior design which is great when your clients come to meet you but this should be photographed and used to let potential clients see who you are. You do not have to make your website look like an office interior supplier but use elements from your working space to brand your website. Show your employees at work looking productive and busy. Photograph your people in meetings, communicating with clients, discussing work with co-workers and enjoying their employment at your company.
3. Corporate video.
Modern DSLRs have the function to capture short video clips. Take advantage of this by using the high quality photography lens and capture video around your offices. Video of staff and directors at work is a great way to show what you do and adding these to your company website is good marketing. We have shot employees talking to camera about their work and what they bring to their jobs.
4. Corporate event photography.
Alongside the traditional PR shots normally taken at your corporate event think about how you can utilise this event to capture reportage shots of your staff and invited guests enjoying and participating. These are very good for advertising and attracting more businesses to your next event. Get a good record of your conference and promote your events with press releases images of the key speakers or VIPs who attended your event. Using a good reportage corporate photographers allows you to gain a natural and informal picture library of your event and you can draw on these images for all aspects of your annual marketing requirements.
5. Corporate group photography.
Great opportunity to get your team together and capture a strong image showing the size of your company and how you all work together. Do not skimp on this one as a poor photograph of a group of people is very easy to achieve if you to not spend time and hire a professional corporate photographer with experience in group photos. Choose a good location and recce it first to make sure you can fit all the people into it and that you the photographer has a decent view of group from an elevated position. These are some samples of past group photos that have worked very well and lots of planning went into these and it shows.
If you are considering commissioning a corporate photographer in London it helps to do your homework first. We love it when clients come to us and have an idea of what they want. They have decided on a style or format they want for their website and want us to implement it. Choose a photographer you like the look of their portfolio. Do not pick a wedding photographer and hope that they can approach corporate work the same way. Always choose your corporate photographer who has years of experience in shooting in London offices and who will know all the pitfalls to avoid and has techniques to accommodate the most camera shy employees. It is a good idea to find corporate website photography that you like and send the photographer links to images you prefer so the photographer has a visual idea of exactly what you want to achieve for your companies marketing.
Finally when you commission a corporate photographer make sure you ask them their opinion as to what will make the best photos. Do not impose your ideas on them as this will make the photographer have to move away from his natural style. At the end of the day you hired them because you like their portfolio so let them follow your shot list. Once you have the photographer on site ask them to capture anything they see as they go around your business as they will see potential in areas that you have not spotted as they have a trained eye for corporate work and this will give you extra material for your picture library.
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Formal corporate headshots.
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Informal corporate headshots.
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Corporate office photography in London.
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Corporate video production in London
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If you have any questions regarding your corporate photography requirements please get in touch and we can arrange for one of our corporate London photographers to pop in and discuss how we could help you.
Samples of recent corporate headshots captured on location in London offices using our professional mobile studio system.
Over the last year we have been building up our mobile studio set up so we can produce ‘studio’ style headshots at any location in London. Although this means lugging a little more kit around it enables us to capture contemporary headshots at client’s offices or individual’s homes. We have found that many businesses prefer the formal headshot but need to have a photographer visit them as taking employees away from their office interferes with the running of their business. We come on site and it takes approx 10-15 minutes to set up the background and the professional lighting. We can then capture a good range of portraits for each member of staff which gives a much more polished look to the company website ‘About Us’ page.
With many companies having remote workers and employees in different offices around the UK and across the globe, sometimes a conference or AGM is the only time everyone gets together in one place. We are often asked to take headshots on these occasions and they are normally at a function centre or hotel in London. With our mobile studio kit we can set up in a spare room and capture uniformed and consistent styles of headshots to either match existing current headshots or create a new look for the client.
Getting professional business portraits for your company has become a major factor in marketing as potential customers want to see who they are dealing with on your website or LinkedIn profile. Our studio system allows you to capture up to 60 staff in one day and we provide a pop back service to photograph any staff who were not in the office that day.
© Corporate Photography Ltd
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