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 on their side, the gift of the gab, and the confidence to enforce all three!   

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This is what I did:

1. Sent a missive by email to all members of the staff regarding their clothing, jewellery, accessories, hair and make-up. 
2. Black and white always looks professional, with minimal make-up, minimal jewellery, and accessories.  
3. Dark clothes make women look thinner, and long sleeves complement elegant arms.   Manicured hands are recommended if hands are to be included. 
4. 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 were dishevelled or looked like George Clooney.
5. Two backgrounds were used to keep the shoot uniform: a black backdrop and a white wall.
6. Natural light and a flash with a diffuser were used.  (I am not a studio photographer, so I don’t have all the professional equipment)
7. Client was well aware of my setup and preferred it that way, which helped build trust and made the process smoother for everyone involved.
8. Clients could peruse a selection of poses which I have on an APP on my iPad.
9. To minimise time spent out of the office, clients were seated for some photos and for others they stood.

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Client’s brief:

1. Staff had to look professional and 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.
2. Each staff member’s email front page will display their photograph so that clients will “know” who they’re dealing with. 
3. Photographs had to be natural and a true reflection of the employee.
4. Photographs had to be in black and white
5. Two photographs had to be submitted for approval.
    

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In my bag:

1. Canon EOS 5D Mark II and Canon EOS 40D
2. 50mm 1.8f lens
3. SanDisk Extreme Pro 16+32G memory cards.
4. Lens cleaner
5. Black background cloth
6. Mirror, comb, lipstick for touching up make-up and hair, and cosmetic wipes for make-up, especially mascara smudges.
7. Dry Cleaners' Sticky roller to clean dark clothes of dust, hair, and threads
8. Black and Silver umbrella for extra light or to minimise shadows, especially behind the head.
9. Speedlite Flash with new batteries
10. Extra rechargeable batteries
11. Remote shutter release cable
12. Tripod
     

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No matter how well-educated you are, what your status or social position is, or whether you are male or female, young or mature, when people are in front of a camera, 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 will be.  Looking people in the eye and explaining exactly what’s expected made my job easier.

This was an excellent exercise in Portraiture photography; not only did it give me clearer insight into photographing strangers, but it also cured me of my fear of encroaching on someone’s personal space, even with permission.   I found the repetition of working in the Digital Darkroom with the hundreds of photographs I had to edit to be a steep learning curve, and zooming in on the subjects' faces felt almost intimate, as I know the planes of their faces so well now; they’re forever imprinted on my soul.   I can honestly say that every person I photographed is beautiful, interesting, and unique.

With all these mental notes, I set off, noticing details like the washing line, which sparked curiosity about potential wardrobe requests like a red bra, purple panty, and lacy pull-up nylons.

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