Corporate photographers learn early that each corporate photo-shoot is unique – as unique the company which the images will represent. Every company needs corporate head shots and most firms will ask me to do executive portrait photography of the CEO, the president and the partners. The projects I like best are the ones that afford me ample time for each executive portrait. It’s great to have an hour or more to photograph the executive in their natural environment. With enough time, I enjoy creating uncommon compositions in interesting locations like lobbies, foyers, and cityscapes. When a firm engages me to update their corporate library of photographic images, I’ll spend an additional day or two capturing reportage style corporate meeting pictures and corporate still-life details. Some companies also bring me on board to create dynamic group-shot team photography.
Corporate photographers find niches which allow their work to thrive. Lately, Ive been requisitioned quite often by law firms to make elegant portraits. And they’re usually hip to my suggestion of creating candid style editorial and reportage photography of their law firm in action. So we’ll take an extra day or two to capture photographs of real-life meetings to be used in brochures and on websites. A New York based law firm recently sent several requests for me to photograph 1,000 attorneys in 20 different cities around the globe. There are ten cities here in the USA plus five in Europe and five more in Asia. Exotic locations like Singapore, Paris, London and Tokyo will make for creative portrait photo-shoots, but it will be a ton of work. So I just bid my normal rate – $480 per individual plus travel, accommodations and a make-up artist.
The thought I keep in the forefront of my mind while making corporate photographs is that each company is unique. First, I listen to their ideas while offering some of my own insights. My initial meeting with a new corporate photography client typically happens when I first visit their office before the photo-shoot. I scout the location and analyze lighting conditions. Listening to their desires, I weave a plan how best to accomplish the upcoming commercial photo-shoot that will reflect the company through my photography. Once the photo-shoot is scheduled, I take time research the company as I stretch my creativity to invoke new ideas. I never want to do the same exact thing I did in the last gig. So I push myself to offer more that what they requested. Scheduling a few breaks in the midst of every photo-shoot gives me a chance to review previously captured images and to inspire work not yet done.
Digital Fusion
The pictures posted in this story come from a company named Digital Fusion. These images were done in one day after an initial request for corporate team group-shot photography. Using a mobile first approach, Digital Fusion recreates or optimizes websites to be responsive across all platforms. They use dynamic content to create compelling user experiences that consistently engage and convert site visitors. Digital Fusion caters to a vast array of companies who need marketing assistance with website SEO, e-commerce and email.
What strikes this corporate photographer as I analyze the photography done for Digital Fusion, is how casual the team is. The photographs reflect a workspace that is as vibrant as it is productive. Of course, Colorado based businesses are typically more casual than similar companies located the east coast or in places like Chicago or Charlotte. But tech companies have the luxury of conducting the bulk of their business online. The need for suites and skirts is simply not the same as it is for a downtown face-to-face corporation. As you might expect, a law firm located in Beijing will be a tad more formal.
Although Digital Fusion didn’t use it, this casual business head-shot portrait in office location is one of my all-time favorites.
CEO and founder of Digital Fusion, Joe Morrow inspires to his team during group meeting. He’s “fired up to help clients outsmart and out-execute larger rivals through digital marketing strategy.”
Real-to-life corporate photography images like this one, portray contemplative moments of the workday.
Udis sought out Digital Fusion to create a mobile marketing plan. Corporate advertising photographs like this one are done using a very shallow depth of field. Narrow area of focus directs the viewer to the product.