Communicating your brand through corporate portrait photography is a viable option when you hire a professional to capture images that connect with your customers. A headshot photographer with marketing acumen knows the most effective means to captivate your target audience. It is challenging to balance features that define your message, such as creating headshot images that blend confidence with an air of approachability.
The COLDEA Productions team has experience creating effective profile photos, corporate headshots, and business portraits that coordinate with your branding and reach your potential customers.
Why is corporate photography important?
From the moment we are born, we are in front of a lens. It starts with our parents, who are mindful of the need to store up memories for their golden years. Then there are stages of youth when achieving a certain social standard requires taking hundreds of pictures a day – of BFFs, selfies, family pets, and everything else – to post and repost to every platform available. As adults, we have pictures on our passports, driver’s licenses, school IDs, etc. And it goes on from there. Your images become even more important when it comes to your livelihood.
All of this may have you wondering, “So, since there are literally thousands of photos of me and my employees out there, why would my company need a commercial photographer?” That question does seem to make a lot of sense. However, the presence of all those baby pictures and selfies and graduation photos actually create an even bigger need to bring in a hired gun in order to craft the corporate image you desire, not the one that may already be in front of the public.
Career placement can depend on what potential employers find when they Google your name. Placement executives are known to routinely check job candidates’ Facebook pages, LinkedIn profiles, Google for Jobs, Nexxt, and anywhere else they can research your qualifications. CareerBuilder reported in 2014 that 43% of employers use social networking sites to research job candidates.
Those are good reasons to maintain control over your personal image, but the reverse is true as well. As a business owner, your brand can have a direct impact on your company’s success.
What do career seekers see when they search for your corporation? It’s part of the groundwork when forming a new business or doing an overhaul of your corporate branding.
Should I hire a commercial photographer at company events?
Yes – it is a small price to pay for the benefits. First of all, use the pictures in your marketing. Of course, the nature of your business will color your use for them, but think about it – even law firms like shots of their parties getting posted in the social section of the paper or (online or print – it doesn’t matter which) and news media outlets. Did anybody famous show up at your event? That’s even more good news in the PR department.
And you don’t have to be a passive player in this game. Professional photos of your employees in your hands can serve your company’s best interest. If your business has been suffering from a stuffy image, it’s an easy way to offset that challenge and reposition yourself. If your industry involves fashion, food, beauty, entertainment, or any other creative focus, it’s great PR. If it happens to be a killer party, all the better – you’ll get lots of exposure from social media sharing.
The presence of an event photographer at your function can also mitigate legal issues. This may sound far-fetched, but stranger things have happened than a conflict occurring at a company party, even becoming a lawsuit at some point. And pictures can sometimes end the legal hassles.
An iPhone selfie doesn’t send the right message. Professionals with high-quality equipment who know framing, shutter speed, and have a breadth of experience will provide you with the kind of corporate photography you can find useful.
Party pix that make your company look good can work as a recruiting tool. Have you ever been around people who work together, who talk incessantly about their jobs at the company (in a good way) and their relationships with coworkers?
That’s what an enviable workplace sounds like, and if you’re ever playing tug-of-war with a competitor for a prime employee candidate, your ability to make your workplace look desirable is likely to make or break the outcome.
And then there’s good, old-fashioned company morale. Not only will your “party guests” gladly take the obligatory photo in front of the corporate portrait photographer’s camera, but they’ll also feel like they won something if they get to take one home.
Why should I have professional headshots taken?
Blogging. LinkedIn. Facebook. Company newsletter. Email signature. These are all appropriate places for your business portrait – and in some cases, a requirement. There is almost no entity anymore where your labor or services are engaged that your image is not involved. Being savvy about today’s media is an intricate part of the marketing process.
Whether you’re in New York or Los Angeles, there’s a universal need for a business portrait for a wide range of uses. Whether your company is worth $50,000 or $50,000,000, you don’t want to scrimp on something like your image. It’s not the venue for a selfie or handing someone your iPhone while you stand in front of a tree. Call in a professional.
At COLDEA Productions, our business is camera work. We have a team of photographers who have spent years behind lenses of all kinds, from still cameras with professional-grade optics to shooting cinematography with motion picture equipment. We have experience doing corporate portraits in Los Angeles and practice commercial photography in other parts of the country and abroad.
The first thing we do is consult with you to capture the look and tell the story your industry responds to. It’s not just a point-and-shoot technique utilizing a certain angle and shutter speed. We create business headshots that communicate your corporate image.
When we know your end game – the purpose of the headshots – we can advise you about every factor of the process. Your appearance is affected by lighting and lens size, of course, but also background and pose. Your posture communicates mood and reflects personal issues which have an impact on how you’re viewed by the public. Pulling your shoulders back and standing tall can exude confidence, while soft shoulders tell a different story.
As professional, experienced corporate photographers, we make technical decisions that are consistent with your company’s goals. We may decide on a lens with a focal length to minimize distortion or neutral backgrounds for less distraction behind the subject, for instance.
Some of the options we have in illuminating your portraits appropriately are:
- Gradient light
- Parabolic reflectors
- Aggressive lighting
- Natural light
- Wrap around lighting
- Flattering light placement
- Focused light stream
At COLDEA Productions, we make daily decisions about camera format, flash sync, and shutter speed. But more importantly, we get the big picture – your larger goals for the company, the ones that increase profits.
How can a professional portrait enhance my marketing plan?
To connect with your clientele, you have to help them grasp the nature of your business and communicate to them the benefits of your service or program. What gets in front of their eyes through today’s media is extremely influential. The majority of Americans are visual learners, says the Social Science Research Network. (Why do you think infographics are so popular?)
Research conducted by Twitter found that Tweets with a photo attached were retweeted 35% more often than those without a picture. Good photography is more than just an added bonus for your marketing plan. It’s a necessity. And when it comes to corporate image, you want professional photos attached to your brand, nothing less.
Do you need photography for your website? Are you a blogger? In today’s marketing world you need visual products for all forms of promotions and advertising. You can’t afford to have outdated or amateurish photos on your social media pages.
The team at COLDEA Productions knows that making an impact in the marketplace involves so much more than lenses and shutter speeds. Even when we advise you about setting the stage with a white background versus an outdoor scene, we bring our years of experience in messaging.
What types of corporate portrait photographs should I consider?
Business portraits today have some of the same elements you found in the corporate images over the last few decades, but now they are more apt to have a strong narrative. That storyline will be unique to the needs of your personal brand. If your industry appeals to artists, for instance, you may want more flair and less adherence to convention. If your business is something more traditional such as energy or finance, your wardrobe, background, and lighting will typically come from the other end of the spectrum. At COLDEA Productions we know the distinction between them and we provide that for you.
Group portraits – Building and rebuilding your website involves a host of decisions, not the least of which is lighting. We know how to coordinate the master flash and infrared lights and choose the angles that conform to your brand. We’re flexible and fast so you and your staff can get back to work.
Outdoor – Outdoor business portraits require a specialized competency in maximizing natural light. We’re skilled in building a set that controls the exposure, often producing a more artistic shot than you get indoors. We make professional decisions about aperture, lenses, and the use of space. We can also employ shading and shadows to tell your story with targeted artistry.
PR portraits – If you’re the subject of a feature story, regardless of the publication or news media outlet, you need exceptional artwork. You have a better chance of controlling how you are characterized when you submit photography that’s professional. Editors favor high-quality images and you may even form a relationship that gets you more coverage because you save them the cost of sending a photographer to you.
Some companies face challenges when attempting to make headshots available because they need help finding the right atmosphere to promote their brand. We’re adept at all sides of the process, not just when to use a Nikon or a Nikkor. We can solve those kinds of problems and work with you to arrange an effective look that resonates with your client base.
You’re a knowledgeable business executive who is already juggling daily decisions about personnel, management styles, your sales force, and much more. You do your company a favor when you hand off the portrait photography to us.
We’ve seen true gains for our clients at Coldea Productions. Our goal is to increase your bottom line by contributing to the quality of your branding. If it’s product photography you need, or if you require photos of a service or an installation to share with potential clients, we will surprise you with the quality of our corporate portrait photography.
