Corporate Photography
I recently did a portrait project for a client. We photographed a bunch of employees for posters to be displayed on workplace walls along with inspirational quotes. The plan was to create dramatically lit portraits to print in duotone. Here are a couple of the images. One was taken in the warehouse, the other in the offices. Let me know what you think.
This portrait was shot at the client's office, but the background is from an office at the Domino’s Farms Office Park. It's a low, sprawling Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired complex. I'm not sure how Mr. Wright would feel about it, but I liked it. There are cows in the fields adjacent to the building. A pleasant environment. Let me know what you think.
I like shooting portraits on location. Getting people in their own environment. In some ways, it's easier to see someone's soul when they are on their home turf. This day I was photographing some exceptional women who were being recognized for there work. I enjoy the excitement of pulling together the location/background, the lighting, and posing until everything works. Or at least I think it does. What do you think? 
I did this portrait several years ago, but I think it illustrates the value of design. The C suite employees were represented on the website with these photos. My partner Dave did a few, and I think there were some done in Germany too. Everyone was wearing white shirts on a white gradient background, looking pretty serious. The style integrated with the website well. The total effect was striking. Let me know what you think!
Tabletop photography has been around since cameras were invented. The tools and techniques have changed over the years, but the vision has remained constant. It is possible to for anyone to put a product into a light tent and probably get an acceptable image. The value that a professional brings to the table (pun intended) is a better image every time that communicates the vision of the maker. A thousand words…
Just because your customers are businesses doesn’t mean you should tolerate crappy looking ads and sales materials. I worked on this project with a talented art director and the result speaks for itself. As always let me know what you think.
No, not really, just industrial hazardous environment protection. Still, it’s kinda cool looking. I enjoy trying to make ordinary things interesting. Photographing pea pods or industrial products, it’s a blast. Please let me know what you think!
I’ve never been a fan of large group product shots. Often, product managers are in the decision tree and want their products to look particularly good. The truth is, all a group shots with ten or more products can say is, we have a bunch of products. Or we can make a bunch of different products. Optimal view and lighting of individual parts is almost always sacrificed for overall composition and lighting needsIn this case, it was limited to 11 parts. All drive train parts, in the early stages of production. This is part of a series of photographs that also includes wheel ends, engine, and transmission parts. We shot from a very high angle with a wide angle lens to provide a more interesting and unusual perspective. As always, I’m interested in your thoughts.
As I said before, I mostly shoot products and things. When I had the opportunity to shoot the Renaissance Center security officers, I jumped it. Location Photography requires thinking on your feet, and going with the flow. Working around the things that you cannot change, and working with the things that you can. I had phenomenal cooperation from everyone on the shoot day. As always, I’m interested in your thoughts.
I like nothing more than the challenge of making an automotive part look like an art object. To reveal the intrinsic beauty in the little connector that connects three tubes. It’s not important what it does - well, it is to my clients. I think the beauty is too. Happy New Year!
There are details of every day life that must escape our attention. Who wants their head to explode? Plumbing is one of those things, it just works, hopefully. Let alone plumbing parts photography. I had the opportunity to work with a talented designer on a recent shoot. Shaping hoses to make pleasing contours. Controlling reflections to illustrate the part. Loads of fun. Really! Let me know what you think.
I recently had the opportunity to work with Designers & Partners again. This time shooting industrial parts for large prints to be displayed on office walls. As ever, it was a pleasure to work with such a talented designer. Enjoy!
At the end of a shoot, after cleaning up the studio, the post production begins. This can vary between simply adjusting exposure, color, and contrast, all the way to extensive retouching, compositing and digital imaging. I have had clients ask for raw files, (sometimes called digital negatives) and that always makes me uneasy. It’s not that I think no one can process them as well as I can. I am certain many people can do better; I am afraid that they will not. I am judged by the outcome, and I have come to enjoy the control that being involved in the post production affords me.
Rare is the photograph that cannot be improved in post production. Even while shooting in the controlled environment of a studio there are usually things that can be done to improve it. I should say that if I come across an image that is six months old I can usually find things that I would like to change! After carefully capturing the best image possible, the next step is to process the raw files. I use Capture One for both capture and processing. I recently upgraded to version 6. I am now able to do many more of the things that were once done in Photoshop, while processing. The advantage is that these edits are non-destructive. That means the clients (or me) can change their mind and I can go back and make changes. In addition when these edits are done while converting from the high bit format of raw files to the standard 8 bit format, a higher quality is maintained. I generally start with the exposure, because the color and contrast are dependent on the exposure. Color balance comes next, most often starting by sampling a gray card included in one of the captures. Then I further adjust the color to suit the shot. Finally I adjust the contrast. I am not fond of the contrast slider in Capture One. I prefer the more granular control in levels or curves to get the look I am after. Finally, I make sure that the pre-sharpening is correct. Ever since I read an amazing book by Bruce Fraser called, Real World Image Sharpening, I use a two-step process for sharpening. The first step is the pre-sharpening. I used to do this in Photoshop, I am now able to do this during processing in Capture One. The second step is output sharpening. For this I use NIK Sharpener. It sharpens an image differently depending on output device and size. Output sharpening is always the final step, performed after all the retouching or imaging.
Done well, post production can make a great image greater, or an average image acceptable. Done badly, well, it’s just sad. All of the pieces need to be in place, pre-production, planning and preparing for the shoot, production, the shoot, and the post production. Surrounding all of this of course is the concept, and execution of the piece the photograph is in. Without an idea to communicate, and excellent design...
What ever your reason for needing an executive portrait or business Portrait, finding a professional photographer is not difficult. If you search Google or Bing using the phrase “executive portrait” and include a city or state name, the search should bring up plenty of photographers to choose from. Next look at their work to see if it is similar to what you want. Talk with the ones you like. Find out what they charge. Ask if they have a studio, how long have they been in business. Find out who are their other clients. You’ll want to select a studio that has a solid history and will be around for a while.Establishing an ongoing relationship with a photography studio has benefits. You don’t have to search for and price several photographers every time you have a need another executive portrait, You will have confidence that the photographers you have already chosen can produce a quality product. By choosing one studio for your ongoing executive portrait needs, you’ll also get a consistent “look” for all the portraits.
Executive portraits come in many flavors, from a simple head and shoulders shot on a plain or mottled background to high production value environmental portraits. Portraits can be shot at your facility or at a photo studio. Expect to spend more for more complicated shots or backgrounds. At our studio, we charge a little more to shoot on location, because it’s more work.Carefully choosing when to schedule a shoot can save you money. A sales or board meeting is a good time to schedule a shoot because many portraits can be done with one set up. We offer discounts when shooting more portraits per session. Environmental portraits (portraits taken on location) can range from modest to high budget affairs. Executives are often pressed for time, and we can set up lighting and composition in advance so they need only step into the set and spend a few minutes. Make-up stylists can also be an important aspect of a portrait session, offsetting the extra expense. Environmental portraits shot with available light or with minimal supplementary lighting offer a budget conscious alternative. Work closely with your chosen photographer to identify cost conscious ways to get the executive portraits that your company needs.
Well maybe not a silk purse, or come to think of it, a pig’s ear. Still, professional photographers are often asked to make great photographs from a plain or unfinished parts. Things most people would consider ugly or at least unattractive. Industrial or corporate photography is frequently doing this. Personally, I love the challenge.
Design is at the heart of interesting images. Many industrial parts have interesting design elements. I think it is necessary to see the parts as design elements, and not what they actually are. Circles, lines, shapes, repetition, texture and color are all very helpful. The saw blade has a lot going for it from the beginning. It’s red, and round, and has a brushed finish, as well as a bunch of little holes that add interest. Add a contrasting color, an interesting viewpoint, lighting that accentuates these qualities and some post-production magic, now you’ve got an interesting photo.
The rolls of report binding tape, (would you have guessed that?) are similarly blessed with color, circles, texture and repetition.
The large network server Room UPS’s were in some ways, a greater challenge. Large black boxes with little decoration, functional, but not much to look at. I repeated the design of the grill as a surface for them to sit on, and they became moody monuments.