Going Corporate - Portraiture

Wisdom to know what to do with what I know was what I had to do with this commission.  The client has the law behind them, the gift of the gab and the confidence to enforce all three!   

• Sent a missive by email to all members of the staff regarding their clothing, jewellery, accessories, hair and make-up.  Black and white always looks professional, minimal make-up, minimal jewellery and accessories.   Dark clothes make women look thinner, long sleeves compliment elegant arms.   Manicured hands are recommended if hands are to be included.  I find women prefer doing their own hair unless they use their regular hairdresser, so ladies were advised to do whatever they prefer.   Gentlemen were advised to groom their hair, shave etc., unless they are dishevelled or look like George Clooney.
• Two backgrounds were used to keep the shoot uniform: a black backdrop and a white wall.
• Natural light and a flash with diffuser were used.  (I am not a studio photographer so I don’t have all the professional equipment)
• Client was well aware of my set-up and preferred it that way.
• Clients could peruse a selection of poses which I have on an APP on my iPad.
• To minimise time spent out of the office clients were seated for some photos and for the other they stood.

Client’s brief:

• Staff had to look professional, relaxed and had to smile, the firm has a corporate image where their clients are encouraged to feel comfortable, relaxed and not intimidated when they’re interviewed in person or on the telephone by their professional staff.
• Each staff members’ email front page will display their photograph so that clients will “know” who they’re dealing with.  Photographs had to be natural and a true reflection of the employee.
• Photographs had to be in black and white
• Two photographs had to be submitted for approval.

In my bag:

• Canon EOS 5D Mark ll and Canon EOS 40D
• 50mm 1.8f lens
• SanDisk Extreme Pro 16+32G memory cards
• Lens cleaner
• Black background cloth
• Mirror, comb, lipstick for touching up  make-up and hair and cosmetic wipes for make-up especially mascara smudges.
• Dry Cleaners' Sticky roller to clean dark clothes of dust, hair and threads
• Black and Silver umbrella for extra light or to minimise shadows especially behind the head.
• Speedlite Flash with new batteries
• Extra re-chargeable batteries
• Remote shutter release cable
• Tri-pod

No matter how well educated, what your status is or your social position when people are faced with a camera male, female, young or mature everyone feels insecure, nervous, intimidated and vulnerable.   The more confidence the photographer has the easier the job will be and the more rewarding the experience is.  Looking people in the eye and explaining exactly what’s expected made my job easier.

“The reason some portraits don’t look true to life is that some people make no effort to resemble their pictures.”  Salvador Dali

Client was:  Muller, Terblanche and Beyers Attorneys

Tel:  023 34 86000

Website: www.mtb.co.za