Corporate Portrait Picture Tips

[ricardobarandiaran]

<p>Hello, I have photo-shoot this Thursday with a very important attorney. I usually do weddings so I don't have much experience with corporate portraits. <br>

I would really appreciate any tip or advice (lighting, posing, set up, lenses, etc) <br>

*We are going to use a dark grey background.<br>

Thanks!</p>

[Matt Laur]

<p>I would start by linking to photos that have the look and atmosphere you're trying to create. Otherwise, since you haven't said if the portrait is supposed to look similar to other portraits the law firm already had made, haven't said how it will be used, etc., you're asking people here to guess about the results you're after - and any advice you receive will be far too general, or too specific but about the wrong things.</p>

[Hector Javkin]

<p>You might want to look one of Kirk Tuck's books, <em>Minimalist Lighting</em> or <em>Commercial Photography Handbook</em>. Even if you don't ascribe to the dogma of using speed lights instead of strobes for on-location shoots that is described in <em>Minimalist . . .</em>, that book has useful information and very explicit case studies. They take the form of, "this is the way the lighting was set up and this is the way the photo looked."</p>

[ObiWon]

<p>I am not quite sure what you or your client expect from this or what the purpose of the portrait is. Formal portraits I tend to do at their desk, or maybe a head and shoulders shot against a background for use on a website. For something different I shoot outside the offices, especially if the location is good for this, I tend to use techniques like Ryan Brenizer's Panoramic Portraiture, you can find him on the net. I use an adapted version of this technique inside offices if there is enough space. For lighting I try to use available light with a single flash bounced or softened to give me a bit of punch if needed. You are a wedding photographer so treat the subject like a bridal portrait and you won't go too far wrong. Key thing, talk to the subject and ask him what he wants or expects; there is no formulaic answer IMHO.</p>

<p>Regards<br>

Jim</p>

[zelph_young]

<p>http://visualsciencelab.blogspot.com/<br>

Too late to help now but this site will get you some insight from a commercial shooter who does this a lot.</p>