Corporate photography "in-house"? – 6 reasons to entrust it to a professional!
Updated: 2 days ago
The photographs on your website help shape people's first impression of your business. Yet when it is time to update them, the conversation can quickly become: “Let's use a few stock images” or “Someone in the office has a good camera.” Both sound convenient. The question is whether the result will show your company the way you want people to see it.
Why the quick option may fall short
Stock photographs can illustrate a general idea, but they cannot introduce your actual team or show what it feels like to work with you. The smiling people around that meeting table might look perfectly professional; they could just as easily be introducing another business.
Asking a colleague to take the pictures presents a different challenge. They may be an excellent hobby photographer, but corporate work brings its own demands: lighting an office, directing people who would rather be answering emails, and producing a consistent set of images for your business. A good camera helps, but it does not make those decisions on its own.
If you are planning corporate photography, it is worth considering the preparation as well as who will take the photographs. The differences can be easier to see than to explain, so here are a few everyday and professional portrait comparisons:
Which version would you choose to introduce someone on your company website? The person has not changed between the two photographs. The lighting, direction and care taken with the image have.
Six things a professional corporate photographer brings to the shoot
Knowing what is worth photographing. A corporate shoot often needs to show more than the faces on your team page. It may also introduce your working environment and explain what your people actually do. I look for activities, details and camera angles that make that work understandable. A photograph of someone at a desk should tell the viewer something useful about the business, rather than simply confirm that you own desks.
Working around your team. An office or factory is a working environment, so the shoot needs to fit around the people using it. Knowing when to step in with an instruction and when to give someone space helps keep things moving. The aim is to get the photographs we need without turning everyone's day into an obstacle course of lights, bags and camera equipment.
Making arranged scenes feel natural. For workplace images, I arrange the scenes and tell people what to do. The people taking part are usually members of the team, so the activity needs to make sense for their actual work. Simple, clear direction helps them look comfortable instead of leaving them to invent a pose. It is also a chance to add “model” to their duties for the afternoon, without having to change careers. 😄
Arranged does not have to mean stiff. A believable action, a sensible camera angle and a little attention to people's expressions can make the difference between a convincing workplace photograph and a meeting that appears to have been called solely to point at a blank screen.
Helping people relax. I hear “I'm not photogenic” and “Please don't take my picture” regularly. Those comments are a starting point, rather than a reason to give up on someone's portrait. I give people something practical to do, explain how to stand or turn, and keep the conversation going. A little humour helps too. People tend to look more at ease when they are involved in the session instead of waiting for someone to order them to smile.
Finishing the photographs properly. The work continues after the cameras are packed away. Selecting the strongest frames and adjusting colour, brightness and contrast helps create a consistent set. Careful retouching can deal with distractions while keeping people recognisable. This is part of delivering photographs that work together, rather than a folder of images that each look as though they belong to a different shoot.
Experience with business photography. Different subjects call for different skills. Someone who makes beautiful landscape photographs may not spend much time directing nervous colleagues or planning images for a company website. A photographer who regularly works with businesses understands those practical requirements and can help you make useful choices throughout the session.
The gallery below includes examples of my corporate photography, from office portraits and meetings to industrial workplaces. It gives you an idea of the kinds of images we can plan for your own business:
Want photographs that introduce your business and the people behind it? Get in touch and tell me what you would like to show.
