New from Blue Sky - Page 4 of 4 - Corporate & Executive Portraits

July 16, 2013May 7, 2020

Executive Candids

I recently did a photography session for Morgan Stanley, the investment firm. It was a mix of traditional executive portraits plus candid photographs of the executive team in their work environment. I especially enjoy shooting candids because of the freedom it allows me. Instead of the studio-style lighting that I create for portraits, I oftentimes shoot hand-held using ambient light.

If time permits and I have the luxury of working with a photo assistant, we’ll do a mix of ambient along with strobe lighting. Regardless of the technical aspects of the shoot, the important thing is to come away with images the clients like and can use to market themselves successfully.

May 13, 2013

Capturing Confidence

When an executive hires me to photograph them for a business portrait, they are relying on my expertise to show them in their best light. Their images may be used for company brochures, a bio in an upcoming press release, or for their own website in hopes of attracting new business. I’ve discovered that its the subtleties in expression that can make a corporate business owner seem approachable or as in this case, confident.

During an executive portrait session, I’ll often share with my subject captures that I’ve made so they too can view those subtle changes, and more often than not, they are enlightened to the process and are willing to refocus on a look that will benefit them.

April 22, 2013

Cool and Calm

When photographing executive headshots, one of the key things to keep in mind is that their time is precious. Typically I am given a short window to create a portrait, and knowing that, I like to arrive at least an hour early to begin my lighting set-up. In situations where I haven’t had the opportunity to scout the headshot location beforehand, I’ll arrive even earlier.

When photographing this CEO, I was told upon arrival that I would only have twenty minutes to set up his headshot and that he would be available to me for only a few minutes. Staying cool and calm under pressure is no easy task but it’s essential in order to get the job done. This executive was a gem and ended up staying on set for two hours! We photographed him on multiple sets and actually accomplished more than we had originally anticipated. A pleasurable experience for all.

April 10, 2013

First Impressions

There’s an old adage that says you only get one chance at making a good first impression. There are variations to that theme, but as a professional portrait photographer, I am whole-heartedly in agreement with it. With the proliferation of inexpensive digital cameras along with decent quality camera phones, there seems to be a tendency to use what I’ll call “grab shots” in lieu of professionally photographed portraits. It’s probably fine for one’s FaceBook headshot, but I find more and more business executives hiring Blue Sky Photography to photograph them for their LinkedIn page, company bios, business cards, and websites.

These businessmen and women have a desire to stand out from their competition and are willing to invest a bit of their time and money to achieve those results. They realize hiring a commercial portrait photographer may give them an edge, and more importantly, they know that in the competitive business world we live in, it is essential to make a great first and lasting impression.