When we were approached by Danis, a commercial building company in Dayton, OH, to provide headshots for over 175 of their employees, we knew that we would have to be creative and flexible. They wanted modern, fresh headshots. It was important to them to have an environmental backdrop with a similar look and style without the cookie cutter sameness that can blur all of the images together on a website. (make sure to scroll to the bottom to see them all together) All told we photographed over 175 employees in 6 days, from corporate leadership to boots-on-the-ground supervisors overseeing their construction sites.
This company has three locations within a 90-mile radius of our studio: Cincinnati, Columbus, and Dayton. Each of the sites has its own personality and, therefore, its own photographic challenges. The marketing department set up initial schedules for two days at each office location with a 10 minute block of time per employee.
Having several options for each office and location was important to the marketing team. We were up for the challenge of providing multiple environmental headshots in three separate locations.
Challenge 1: Finding suitable backdrops within locations.
Using a conference room or kitchen area can be tricky because fixed lighting can cast shadows and change the hue in a room. Busy backgrounds can take the focus from the subject of the photo. Experience and flexibility mean that we can adapt and use a window or a wall and our portable lighting to compensate and highlight. When we return to a location to find that our previous photography location is unavailable, we adapt on the fly.
Challenge 2: Reluctant subjects.
Not everyone likes to be photographed. We are very sympathetic to that and we make the headshot session as low-stress and quick as possible. We know how to help your team pose in a way that looks and feels natural and we have even been known to tell bad jokes to coax smiles. And if your employees don’t want to smile, we are okay with that, too.
Challenge 3: Lighting changes throughout the day.
While photographing all day long, lighting can change significantly – even indoors. Changes in weather throughout the day affect the amount of light and the temperature of the light as well. We have the experience to compensate so that the headshots look cohesive.
Challenge 4: Eliminating pain points for our clients.
We offer services such as renaming files with employee names and locations, onsite image selection via a tethered laptop, appointment scheduling through our software, online delivery, and more.
Challenge 5: Multi-site proofing and delivery.
We can make proofing simple with access to all images online. We have multiple ways to deliver the final images and can be flexible to accommodate your security and privacy requirements.
Challenge 6: New hires and retakes.
It is not uncommon for an organization to have us back again within a few months to photograph new employees or additional staff. We can recreate backdrops and lighting to ensure new headshots blend seamlessly with the older ones..
When you need corporate headshots, give us a call. Our experience means you’ll get the images you want. And our portable studio means we can capture those images wherever you need them. We’re up for all the challenges you can throw our way.
