Whether it’s a newly minted company or a well-established one, companies want their brand to stand out. One of the best ways to do so is with highly professional, well-executed corporate photography. Every business can benefit greatly from professional photographs. With the online marketplace continuously expanding its reach, the quality of your photographs will make all the difference. After all, Continue Reading
The post Do’s And Don’ts Of A Corporate Photo Shoot appeared first on Photodoto.
Whether it’s a newly minted company or a well-established one, companies want their brand to stand out. One of the best ways to do so is with highly professional, well-executed corporate photography. Every business can benefit greatly from professional photographs. With the online marketplace continuously expanding its reach, the quality of your photographs will make all the difference. After all, Continue Reading
The post Do’s And Don’ts Of A Corporate Photo Shoot appeared first on Photodoto.
Although even lighting, and perfect exposure are your biggest allies when it comes to making people look their best in headshots, there are many small adjustments you can make in the editing process, that will make your shots (and your clients) look that much more professional.
To begin, a lot of things on the day of the shoot will be out of your control. Take a booking I had recently, for example, it was scheduled on a Friday afternoon after a full week of the Annual Meeting. All the head honchos were dead tired and this was the last thing on their to-do list. After a week of deciding the future of their company, a lot of them looked a little, let’s say, less than fresh. Dehydration, bags under the eyes, and coffee-stained teeth began to rear their ugly heads. Because we’re human, and that’s what happens. Although soft light helps, our wonderfully designed cameras tend to be rather unforgiving of the under-slept.
Although most of my corporate headshot clients know that post-production doesn’t mean they’ll end up as Heidi Klum, they do appreciate just a smidge of help once the photos are loaded up.
Corporate touch-ups are about making the subject look as fresh as can be. I like to keep my post-processing efficient, effective, and easy, so I can get the photos off my desk and onto theirs as quickly as possible. Here’s how I tackle it.
Let’s start with the shot straight out of camera.
This particular company wanted to feature their employees in their native work environment, so the office became the background, which eliminated the need to bring a backdrop. I lit the subject with window light, an octabox, and a reflector. You’ll notice I shot these with 50mm lens as well. Normally, I’d grab my 85mm for corporate work, but we were out of town and didn’t have our full complement of gear with us. The 50mm did the job just fine.
My first step is to adjust the Cropping, Exposure, and White Balance. I need to crop the reflector out of the frame for starters, apply a lens correction to get the side wall to line up. I’m happy with the way the White Balance is on this, but I’d like to take the exposure up slightly and take the overall highlights down slightly.
We end up with this:
The local (in one area of the image only) adjustments I use are subtle. The best way to get some of these adjustments is to have the client get a great night’s rest and stay hydrated, but those are mostly out of our control. These adjustments aren’t meant to turn anyone into an airbrushed masterpiece, just to give them a little nudge.
Before we dive in, let’s review some Local Adjustment Quick Keys to help you in the process.
Okay, here are the adjustments I make (in this order too):
This helps just to clear up pores and generally be forgiving of any blemishes.
I take my brush over the entire face except for the eyes, eyebrows, and lips, so the face is fully Hulkified.
Note that you can change the color of the Mask Overlay (Shift+O), but I just stick with green as it’s nice and easy to see. If you make a mistake and go over any of the areas you want unaffected, just use the Alt key to turn the brush into an eraser and paint them away.
I put this in to give an overall softening of shadows created with any kind of wrinkle or smile line.
So let’s look at the before and after of what we have so far. You’ll see that the the skin is more even throughout, and the deep shadows of the lines are reduced and softened, but not removed completely. The goal is to freshen, not make them look like a plastic doll.
Next up, let’s get those eyes popping a little more. This is easy to overdo, so be judicious with this step.
Get the whole eye in this first adjustment:
Now we’ll focus on just the colorful part of the eye, the iris. We’ll add a little more exposure and a touch of saturation:
Let’s check back in with a before and after comparison:
It’s subtle, but there’s just enough pop around the eyes, without it being overdone.
Let’s make their dentist proud:
For this final touch, it’s nice to give a little definition to the hair and eyelashes.
Cute wig, right?
Let’s look at the final before and after now:
And here’s the photo that was delivered to the client:
All of these changes are delicate. Done right, and they’re almost imperceptible. Retouching your corporate headshots doesn’t need to be an hours-long endeavor. Your clients don’t need to be on the cover of Vogue– they need a no-fuss photo that’s Linkedin ready, and shows them at their best.
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The post How to Edit Corporate Headshots in Lightroom by Tim Sullivan appeared first on Digital Photography School.
Corporate events may not be every photographer’s dream, but they can certainly be interesting and maybe even fun depending on the assignment. As a freelance event photographer, about half of my shoots are corporate events, and they are among my favorite things to shoot. There’s always lots to learn from the speakers at these events, and they tend to be relatively easy gigs to shoot if you use a pre-planned shot list and know what to look for. This article details the six key people shots that you absolutely must focus on when photographing corporate events.
Every corporate event will have its own form of VIPs, and your client will definitely want lots of images of them. Larger events will typically have recognizable local or national celebrities as their designated VIPs, while smaller events may have harder to recognize internal executives as their VIPs. Either way, it’s important to check with your client ahead of time to get a list of their VIPs in attendance, and ideally someone on-site who will help you identify them. Always make sure you understand the perimeters of photographing these VIPs as some, particularly celebrities, can be image-conscious. Whenever possible try to get posed shots of these VIPs with signage in the background that shows proof that they were present at your particular event.
Actor Billy Dee Williams posing at a step-and-repeat.
Corporate events typically include keynote speakers who may or may not be the VIPs described above. Before you start shooting, grab ahold of the event program, and find out who are the keynote speakers. Work with your client to arrange posed shots of the keynote speakers both alone and posed with VIPs. Also, don’t forget to get plenty of shots of the keynote speaker, from a variety of angles, giving his or her speech.
Actor and activist George Takei giving a keynote address.
In addition to getting posed shots of VIPs and keynote speakers, it’s also important to get candid shots of them interacting with each other, or event attendees. Depending on the nature of the event, these opportunities could include book signings, meet and greets in the green room, or an organized step-and-repeat photo booth. These days, many candid shots of VIPs will include selfies with guests, which can be a challenge to capture, so be prepared for that!
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson posing for a selfie with a fan.
Depending on the type of event you’re photographing, most attendees will be looking their absolute best and will want photos of themselves. Always be on the lookout for well-dressed and energetic event attendees, and don’t hesitate to approach them to ask for a posed photo. Along these lines, it’s also not unusual to have at least one event attendee who doesn’t want to be photographed. Sometimes, you’ll be made aware of this by your client, and other times the attendee will explicitly tell you themselves. Either way, respect the wishes of the attendees, and definitely do not photograph someone who doesn’t provide consent.
Corporate event party attendees.
Most corporate events are held for two main reasons: to give keynote speakers chances to educate and address an audience, and to allow for networking among attendees. Always be on the lookout for attendees chatting or interacting with each other, and get their reactions while they are listening to keynote speakers. Ideally, make sure these shots incorporate some form of your client’s branding materials, such as a brochure or sign, to give the photos context.
A final type of corporate event photo that almost every client will request are shots that show off how many attendees were present at an event. This can be tricky depending on the type of venue you are photographing at, and whether or not the event is actually well-attended. Addressing these two challenges can usually be solved in one of two ways:
Try to get access to a ladder, stool, balcony, or some vantage point within the venue that will let you shoot from overhead and capture wide-angle shots showing a full room. If the room isn’t really that full, try to find angles or special crops that still hint at a room being moderately full. Your client will appreciate the extra effort.
Shooting from up high to show a different vantage point.
Whenever possible, I always ask my client to make sure that the first several rows of seats or tables at an event are packed with as many people as possible. This way, I can always make an event feel well-attended, even when it’s not. The approach in this case is to avoid wide-angle shots and shoot as close to the stage or from wherever the keynote address is being made, including as many rows or tables of people as possible.
This was actually a well-attended event, but an example of how to shoot up close with attendees in the frame.
These are just several types of photos to always capture when photographing a corporate event. Above all, it’s important to understand why clients hire corporate event photographers in the first place. Typically, the reasons involve showing visual documentation of special people who were at the event, the fact that the event was well-attended, and the fact that event attendees were engaged and enjoyed themselves. Always keep these overall goals in mind when photographing an event and be sure to snap photos that help you and your client meet these overall objectives.
This week on dPS we’re featuring articles all about different kinds of people photography including portrait, event and travel photography. See all the previous ones below, and watch for more people photography articles over the next few days.
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The post 6 Must-Have People Shots to Capture When Photographing Corporate Events by Suzi Pratt appeared first on Digital Photography School.
Businesses as well as individual business professionals have a wide range of photography needs that may need to be filled over time, and as a professional photographer, you have the opportunity to profit when you make an effort to fill these needs. There are essentially two types of corporate photography that you can focus on, and you may choose to Continue Reading
The post The Quick Guide To Corporate Photography appeared first on Photodoto.
[ By Steve in Design & Graphics & Branding. ]
In today’s dog-eat-dog commercial arena, trusting clueless celebrities or characterless characters to pitch one’s products is a bad business decision at best; a quick ticket to Chapter 11 at worst. Inventing a unique corporate superhero, on the other hand, gives companies the means to punch up their sales while instilling a not-so-secret brand identity that will resonate with the youth demographic. What could possibly go wrong?
(images via: Wikipedia and The Archnemesis)
Kool-Aid Man may not fit the stereotypical superhero mold (not to mention the stereotypical superhero tights) but his MO sure fit the bill: kids call out, Kool-Aid Man responds! The big guy doesn’t take any shortcuts, either, crashing through brick walls and dense hedges that would stop mere mortal men in their tracks. Debuting in 1978, Kool-Aid Man (and Kool-Aid itself) is still around, probably ’cause moms everywhere will buy the sweet stuff in mass quantities to avoid massive home repair bills. OH YEAH!!
(images via: Fustians and Armagideon Time)
In the early days of the Great Video Game Revolution of the early 1980s, many social commentators predicted the nation’s youth would throw away their comic books in favor of the futuristic, electronic, paperless excitement offered by console video games. Naturally, the visionary execs at Warner Communications subsidiary saw comic books as the ideal medium with which to promote new games issued by its subsidiary, Atari Inc.
(image via: Pixfans)
The result was Atari Force, created by Gerry Conway and Roy Thomas for DC Comics (another Warner Communications subsidiary) and featured in two comic book series published by DC Comics beginning in 1982. Alas, the multiracial Atari Force team was helpless to stop the Great North American Video Game Crash of 1983 and by 1984, Atari was history.
(image via: UPROXX)
Roberto Vergati Santos once wondered what would happen if corporate brands branded, as it were, the classic superheroes we’ve come to know and love. Would we still love them… or more importantly perhaps, still respect them? Check out “The Dark Nike” above and decide for yourself.
(images via: ComicAttack)
When danger looms, who ya gonna call: Man of Steel or Man of Gelatin? The answer is obvious, unless the danger happens to be the threat of an empty belly. Released at no charge in 1991, the self-proclaimed “Collector’s Edition” comic book The Adventures of Jell-O Man and Wobbly epitomized Kraft Foods’ slightly skewed marketing mojo. Stick to KD, guys, Jell-O’s doing fine.
(image via: ComicAttack)
As for Jell-O Man’s vaguely puppy-ish, J-shaped sidekick Wobbly, what can we say… maybe only Robin appreciated him for lowering the bar for superhero sidekicks everywhere. Bad dog, BAD! As for Jell-O Man, we can see his O-face… eww.
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www.synapsecreative.com.au Synapse Creative, video production brisbane , marketing agency Anaglyph stereoscopic 3D VFX video Best viewed In High Quality with red & cyan glasses, ……………………………………………………………………. …………………………….
Commercial photographer Jay P. Morgan’s The Slanted Lens videos (which you may remember from this insane portrait) are consistently good stuff.
Today, he dials it back a notch or three to give a great walk-thru on corporate portraiture. Solid basic info, plus some tips that you may well not have known. Trust me, the flag-for-light-shirts thing alone will save you much needless Photoshopping…
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Sandy Schaeffer Photography Washington DC Photographer 715 14th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005 (703) 926-0666 slsphoto.com slsphotog@aol.com Washington DC Photographer – Corporate, Capitol Hill, public relations, association, portrait, and commercial photography. washington dc…
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Woot woot another cover of an amazing song :3 love it, hate it, I don’t really care cuz I love it and yeah i did dedicate it to my bf LOVE YOU HONEY
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