Guidance for Business Portrait Clients

Plan Ahead

Business portraits may be used for a variety of purposes and therefore no single photographic style will be right for all purposes. Please do not wait till the time of the session to begin evaluating what will be best for you. The more information you can give us ahead of time, the better.

1. If you are with a company that has a predetermined look please let us know when you book your session and we will try to be set up and ready for you when you arrive.

                        Examples:
                            a)      Close up head-and-shoulders against black background   
                            b)      Standing three-quarters against white background

                        In many cases we will have already photographed others with your company so we may be able to provide this information   for  you.  If your company has a pre-determined style and you want to refer us to your website or email us examples ahead of time, please do so.

2. If you are not working with a company with a pre-determined style you will want to consult with the graphic artist, printer, or webmaster you will be working with to produce your business cards, brochures, or other end products. An advertising photographer needs to be skilled at capturing an image that fits the needs of your ad, but is generally not an ad designer.

                        Examples and Issues:

a)      Some of our clients want to have a head and shoulder portrait on a white or black background so that the portrait and text can be “floated” on a business card without the portrait being “boxed in”. 
             In either of these cases you may want to pick a wardrobe color that  matches or compliments text  colors.

b)      Many clients want to be photographed on a background that can be “dropped out” or extracted so that their portrait can be superimposed on a scenic background. Knowing the nature and color of the scenic   background will help us pick a studio background color that will let the images blend together best.

c)      Body language and posing may be very important in ensuring your image will match the design of your final product.

d)      Ideally, the portrait pose and background will be predetermined by the graphic designer, and often a pre-shoot sketch is helpful.

e)      If you are certain that your image will always be “boxed-in” just as a framed portrait would be, you may want to visit our website and look at examples. Most of our traditional portraits are done against black, white, or charcoal backgrounds, our most popular look being black.

3. It is not uncommon for clients to arrive and tell us they want something “different” from a normal business portrait. Obviously, we can do numerous things that will be different from a traditional business portrait but many of them would be inappropriate for your uses. The number of choices is infinite and if you are not sure what you are looking for, then we are unlikely to know either. We enjoy creating new and interesting images for our client, but the design of these images need to be done prior to the session. You are welcome to schedule a free consultation on a day prior to your session. You may also want to visit our website (and other websites) and look at images in categories other than “Business”. Magazine ads can also be a source of inspiration. It is much easier to communicate through images rather than words.

Wardrobe

1.       Dark solids (black, navy, charcoal, etc.) are always a safe choice.
2.       Bright solids (red, royal blue, etc.) can be used to make a bolder statement.
3.       Patterns are likely to draw too much attention for the main wardrobe items but can  be used for accent in scarves and ties.
4.       Jewelry is more of a personal statement than a photographic issue. Wear whatever  you would normally wear.

Makeup, Hair, and Related Issues

1.       Females- you may, if you desire, have us schedule a Makeup Artist to help you prepare for your portrait session. If you are scheduling a session as a single individual you will have the option of a full makeup session (arrive early if you need to remove makeup you already have on).

2.       If you are one of a group of two or more, you will want to schedule a touch-up session (half the price and half the time). This option is only available if you normally wear makeup (foundation, etc.). If you have questions regarding this option please call ahead. Because we typically book our sessions back to back, be sure to read the touch-up session document before scheduling this option to ensure enough time for your make-up and photo session and to keep from acquiring any additional make-up charges.

3.       The Makeup Artists we use specialize in makeup and therefore are usually not hairstylists. Please have your hair as close to the way you want it, and the makeup artist will help you touch it up at the end. Please do not do anything unusual with your hair or makeup the day of the shoot. You do not want to pay for a second session just because you do not like your hair.

4.       Males- You will usually not require a Makeup Artist. We will help you control facial shine with translucent face powder, at no additional cost. If you require any special products for your hair, please bring them with you. If you are shooting late in the day, you may also want to bring a razor and shaving gel, though we usually have shaving gel and disposable razors at the studio if you forget to bring your own. As for hair, it is usually not a good idea to get your hair cut immediately prior to a session, or to allow your hair to grow too long.

Narrow Your Scope

1.       Not only is time limited in each session, but session fees increase with extra  wardrobe changes, so try to make your wardrobe decisions ahead of time. It is not  uncommon for a client to schedule a single-look business portrait session and then upon arriving say “I thought since I was already here we could also do…” –There usually will be only enough time set aside to do the scheduled session.

2.       If you want more than one look that’s fine. You can scheduled as many looks as you want but we need to know ahead of time and make sure you have gone over business portrait pricing.

3.       It is usually not advisable to try multiple looks if you only need one, because you run the risk of liking one outfit best but the expression or pose from another. It can be very frustrating so try to decide ahead of time.

Payments

    We typically invoice our business clients individually, as we do with the rest of our clients. If however your company is paying for your portraits, we will need to get prior approval from the accounting office that will be providing payment prior to your session. Regardless of who is making the payments on the account, we will need to receive final payment before providing you with a final product.

Email

    We understand that email is the primary form of contact for many of our business clients, and we will do our best to assist you via email. However, there are times we get extremely busy and we cannot guarantee that there will always be someone monitoring the incoming mail. We suggest if you are dealing with something time sensitive that you give us a call to follow up and ensure we received your email.