What It Really Takes to Plan a Corporate Headshot Day

Does the idea of booking corporate headshots seem hard? Not sure what you will need or how it's done? Wondering what you don't know?

Whether a client needs to cover 20 or 200 employees in a single day, they need more than just creative talent—they need a professional photographer who is reliable and uncomplicated. They already have a full inbox, last-minute fires to put out, and a long list of stakeholders with competing demands. The headshot experience needs to be the easiest part of their day.

Here’s how we make that happen.

Reliability Above Everything

To be reliable, your corporate headshot photography crew must be prepared. It requires an experienced team that:

...has someone on staff dedicated to client logistics. It's that person's job to set up a smooth, professional photoshoot by locking in key details efficiently.

...is early for setup and ready 15 minutes before the first .

...has mandatory insurance that is submitted and building-approved, well in advance of the shoot.

...can navigate NYC buildings and a complicated loading dock process.

Reliability isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s the foundation of the entire experience and will give you confidence for a good shoot.

A Shot That Matches Your Brand Identity — Every Time

A corporate team expects corporate photography that match their brand: clean, polished, and consistent.

Creating consistency at scale means:

• Awareness of brand guidelines, current or new.

• Location and lighting plan and workflow where the photographer can make sure every subject gets the same shot.

• A plan for how to consistently cover those who are not present on headshot day.

• Backup equipment.

The end result? Every department—from interns to executives—gets a flattering, unified look that aligns with brand identity and elevates the company image.

Make It Easy

The photography should be 'high-end professional'. The process should feel 'turn key'.

Our process includes:

• Scheduling software that allows employees to select convenient time slots for their headshots.

• Instant image sharing, so team members receive their professional photos immediately

• Easy retouching options, keeping quality high and turnaround quick

• Real-time monitoring, making sure everything is backed up and secure

With the right tools, 200 people could move through the headshot station(s) efficiently at a scheduled time, receive their images instantly and make a selection without limited client involvement. You will hear team members say, “Wow, that was easy.”

A Friendly, Confident Photographer Makes All the Difference

Even a prepared executive might wonder how to pose for a photoshoot. A photographer who can connect quickly, give clear direction, and adjust to different personalities ensures everyone feels comfortable—and looks their best.

Efficiency doesn’t mean rushed. It means professional, confident, and skilled.

An experienced photographer can get a client 20+ good frames in under 5 minutes. He or she should be a master at optimizing each shoot, adjusting for skin tone, body type, height or even confidence level.

The Packages Should Be Clear and Easy To Book

Most clients only need to:

• Take the time to share their needs

• Pick a package

• Lock in logistics

Done right, a client can plan on spending an hour or less on the entire process with us.

We handle everything else: insurance, building access, equipment, scheduling tools, setup, breakdown, and delivery.

In Summary...

Your photography has to be good. Of course. But we know that high-volume headshots are about more than a good shot. They’re about creating a system that is reliable, efficient and, of course, enjoyable.

If your company is planning a large hiring push, a sales meeting or other need a good headshot day, let’s talk. We make good headshots easy.

How To Photograph Large Attendee Conferences — Without Rushing the Experience →

If you know us, you know we care a lot about the photos we take.

The conference planners that come for us want:

A high-quality, human-centered experience where each attendee gets attentive posing guidance, a quick confidence boost, and professional headshots that feels genuinely personalized — even within a 5-minute session.

We are efficient, yes. But we are far from a “next-in-line” model.

WHY would a client want this? More people = more contacts, right?

Sure, but a conference is a place to impress. It's quality of leads, not quantity. A quality experience reflects better than a “next-in-line” model. It generates buzz (“I got the best headshot of my life at Brand X's booth!”) and creates positive associations.

If that’s the experience you want for your attendees, here’s what it actually takes to deliver professional headshots in New York—or anywhere else—without cutting corners.

1. Efficiency Built Around Quality, Not Speed

Efficiency doesn’t always mean fast. For premium activations, efficiency means structured, predictable timing that gives each attendee enough attention to feel comfortable and be photographed at their best.

That requires:

• A refined, repeatable micro-session flow

• Adjustable lighting to flatter a wide range of faces and skin tones

• Quick rapport-building techniques

• Natural, confidence-building posing guidance

• A balanced pace that prioritizes quality

The goal isn’t to move people through quickly — it’s to ensure every attendee walks away feeling seen and supported and happy to use their new business headshots.

2. Queue Management That Supports a Calm, Confidence-Building Experience

When each subject receives dedicated attention, queue flow must be intentional. As an experienced headshot photographer who know's NY Client, the line can’t feel rushed — and the experience can’t feel chaotic.

We use:

• Pre-event scheduling tools. Guests show up for an appointment.

• Friendly guidance and clear signage so they know where to go.

• A drop in line that is heavily managed and kept short.

• A warm greeter to set expectations

A calm flow supports a calm experience.

3. Registration Integration That Personalizes the Process

High-touch experiences benefit greatly from smart pre-planning. Integrating headshots in New York and the area with your event registration allows you to:

• Offer time slots or priority windows

• Allows follow-up communication with information about the session

• Pre-schedule VIPs and speakers as needed

• Create a seamless path from check-in to photography

This sets the tone for a thoughtful, premium experience. Attendees know they are in good hands before they arrive.

4. Equipment Redundancy to Maintain Quality All Day

It's a very 'behind-the-scenes' topic, but back up equipment is key. Computers crash, cameras malfunction, and lights blow out. We maintain the high standard of professional photography by having backup equipment on hand—meaning the show goes on, even if a camera decides not to.

We bring:

• Backup cameras and lenses

• Extra lighting.

• Extra tethering gear

• Additional computers for tethering.

5. On-Site Team Coordination That Creates a VIP Feel

A premium experience requires a smooth, coordinated team. Our staffing model supports a calming, confidence-building environment.

We typically include:

• A lead photographer focused entirely on the subject

• Additional photographers if the job is too big for just one.

• A guest experience coordinator

The result is a booth that feels warm, organized, and fully covered.

6. Sponsorship Value: The Difference Between a Freebie and an Experience.

A premium headshot experience is one of the most reliably successful sponsorship opportunities at conferences — and planners love that. Make your goal elevated, high production value headshots to connect every branding opportunity to that experience.

Attendees value their headshots (often more than swag or giveaways), sponsors get unusually strong, long-lasting visibility. Making that a premium headshot experience will elevate your sponsorship ROI at every level:

• High-traffic branding opportunities before and after the event.

• Direct, in-person engagement.

• Data + Follow Up Opportunities

When planners want headshots to feel like an upscale experience — not a high-speed utility — they choose partners who can balance scale with quality.

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Get Ready For Your Headshot!

Dressing For Your Corporate Portrait

We get this question all the time: How does one dress for a corporate headshot?

Our answer: Dress like you are going to meet your best client.

What does this mean? It can mean many things.

A lawyer or financial services professional might wear a suit or blazer to signal a coherence with industry norms.

A therapist might choose a well-styled blouse or sweater for their business headshots to signal competence, warmth, and comfort.

A graphic designer might lean into a sharp pair of glasses and a shirt with a creative flair to signal a link between their personal/professional style.

General rules:

1. Start with something that is clean and free of wrinkles. You want your best client to think you are professional in every way. Looking well-kept is a baseline signal.

2. Avoid branding and logos. Logos limit you. You might not always want your company name (or someone else's) in your headshot.

3. Solid colors work well, but stay away from all black and/or all white. Patterns are okay, but remember, a pattern that looks great full length can be distracting, or it might not read well when it's cropped down to a headshot view.

4. Avoid sleeveless looks. Short or long sleeves are more neutral for all seasons.

5. A well-fitted boatneck or button-up always looks great, but you know your body. Wear what looks good on your shape.

6. Consider structured clothes (suits, blazers, clothes with clean lines). They hang straight and look polished.

7. Avoid drapy clothes that need to be styled in a specific way. They might look great in a room, but our professional photographer will be moving you around to capture your best on-camera angles. This could create awkward fabric bunching. Bulked up and awkward creases are never the best look.

8. Jewelry and Accessories. As Coco Chanel said, “Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and take one thing off.” Less is more.

Most importantly, if you feel good in it, wear it. You will come feeling confident, which always looks great in a photo!

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Booth Letter 7: Summer Trends - Corporate Headshot Photography

Summer Business Trends: Embracing the Seasonal Shift

As we enter the middle/late end of summer, we are still noticing some unique, summery things about the business photography landscape. From innovative marketing strategies to shifts in consumer behavior, here are some key trends shaping how we think about business and headshot photography.

Trend 1: Digital Engagement is Soaring.

With more people taking vacations and spending time outdoors, digital engagement becomes paramount. People are away from their desks but not from their phones. Businesses are leveraging social media, interactive content, and mobile-friendly campaigns to stay connected with their audience.

Ease of digital engagement via mobile device is paramount, especially if you have kids you are trying to keep busy before school starts. Chances are, you are running around, dropping off, pickup up, taking the dog to the vet, etc. During those five minutes of waiting in the car or hanging at the dog park, you can squeeze in time to answer an email, look up a vendor, review a resume (do they have a professional corporate headshot???). It's not ideal, but it is nice that phones help you check these things off the list, especially when looking for where to get professional headshots or LinkedIn profile photos.

And this is on top of the fact that a large part of the workforce is still working from home. Whether we can swing it during the cooler months, a more lax summer schedule that allows us to stay at home drives more digital engagement. Work from home means work outside, maybe, means knock off a bit early and take the kids to the pool, maybe? Hey, as long as you are getting that day-to-day work done, maybe you can hit that Barre class late morning.

When we are not together, digital engagement soars. Your business is probably leveraging social media and remote connections. As we always say, the first thing someone sees is your headshots, so make sure they are professional photos that look appropriate and high-quality.

Trend 2: E-commerce Innovation

Online shopping for that new pair of Birkenstocks or that new office hire, doesn’t slow down in the summer months. Businesses are enhancing their e-commerce platforms and summer outreach with personalized experiences, quick delivery options, and summer-themed digital marketing and outreach campaigns that feel a little lighter in style.

Think about how you can produce images and leverage them to communicate a current feeling. You want the images you put out into the world to feel consistent and responsive to what people see outside their window.

Trend 3: Product Photography in Seasonal Context

With summer comes a shift in consumer preferences towards seasonal products like outdoor gear, beachwear, and refreshing beverages. Businesses invest in product photography that not only showcases the features and benefits but also evokes the feeling of summer. Whether it's a vibrant beach scene or a refreshing drink under the sun, photographers adeptly frame products within their seasonal context.

In the context of corporate headshot photography, this might mean adding a shot that has a fresh, bright feel to it. More and more, we are asked to provide options for a shoot—maybe one executive headshot against a solid background and one that is more environmental. Sometimes this is in the office, but it can also have a natural background. Something with natural light that evokes a beautiful day.

And here's the thing about summer shoots. We all look a little better in the summer. Whether it is some kind of outdoorsy glow or a bit of the tan that makes it through your sunscreen, it's a great time to jump in front of the camera for a professional headshots session.

Trend 4: Event Coverage and Documentation

Summer is synonymous with outdoor events, festivals, weddings, and corporate retreats, making event photography—and the work of a skilled corporate candid photographer—skilled in event coverage, capturing candid moments, emotions, and the essence of gatherings, more important than ever.

This kind of coverage is very important for businesses. Clients want to see their vendors as a collection of people. They want to get to know the vendors with whom they are spending time and money.

Social media platforms thrive on visual content, making them essential for businesses during the summer. Photographers play a pivotal role in creating Instagram-worthy images and stories that engage followers, enhance brand visibility, and drive traffic to businesses' online platforms.

Businesses can leverage these images in so many ways. Use them in social media feeds, in commercials, in emailers, and as press releases. Covering a corporate event with candid photography is a no-brainer. It's a low-cost way to generate a ton of content that could last several months of the year.

In Summary

In essence, the convergence of summer business trends and photography creates a dynamic landscape where visual storytelling flourishes. Businesses harness the power of photography to use across digital media. They tell a story that feels timely with the summer light and feeling. Using high-quality corporate headshots and candid event photography is a great way to reach people who are digitally connected while enjoying their summers.

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Booth Letter 6 - Making the Parmesan Vs Making the Photos

We just got back from Italy, and it was a joy – art, food, culture. We hit it all.

One day, we took a tour of a Parmesan factory, and I hope it doesn't sound cheesy (sorry), but I found some everyday business parallels to our professional photography business.

We visited a smaller farm, but it was no small operation. They had modern and age-old equipment. Their cheese was certified by the region and is a resource for both the region and as exporters.

Every day, they took the milk of over 200 cows who had been feasting on only grass from the region and turned it into 8 (or so) wheels of parmesan cheese.

I gleaned some important takeaways and similarities to how we run and are tied to our portrait photography business.

Takeaway 1 – 365 days a year.

They have over 200 cows on the farm, and those cows produce milk every day. The cows don't know that it is Christmas or the weekend. They make the milk, so the milk has to be made into cheese.

We don't work 365 days per year, but you better believe that we are open for business, no matter when the client needs us. If a client needs professional headshots on a Saturday or requires event photography during a birthday or holiday, we do it or find a way to support it with our team. There is no way around the fact that we are on someone else’s schedule almost entirely when it comes to taking business headshots.

Takeaway #2 – It can take as few as 2 people to make the cheese.

For those who know us, our headshot photography business is a partnership. It's the Laura and Ian show. Now we are supremely lucky to have a team of portrait photographers and assistants and designers and bookkeepers and accountants and everything else you need to run a business. They are all integral to making the dream of shooting headshot photography for thousands of people per year a reality. But Ian and I are the center of this operation, and it is up to us to make the cheese.

Takeaway #3 – This cheese has provenance.

Parmesan cheese is not just parmesan cheese. It is certified DOP from a specific factory with markings made from a mold licensed specifically to that factory. Each wheel of parmesan is marked as such with dates and authorities, and can be traced back to where and when it was made.

This one really resonates. We are very much tied to quality and style in our business portraits and all aspects of our photography. The quality has to be consistent. We curate our team, making sure they come to us with a base level of skill/talent, and we train them all the same way. While each shooter brings a perspective, there is a quality we aim for with our product that meets high production values. We care very much that people get an excellent headshot photo, and we stake our name, our provenance, on that.

Takeaway #4 – There is value to this cheese.

A wheel of Parmesan aged for 40 months can fetch anywhere from $400 - $1000. Some producers will store a few wheels at a bank as collateral for business financing. The bank has that much trust in the quality and certification that they can take make an actual loan based on the value of the cheese.

This shows that there are some intangible qualities that can support that this cheese is a good bet. It is worth the money.

For us, in photography, these intangible qualities are what help us form a strong bond wth our clients. Yes, you can say that we are using high-quality equipment. But anyone can buy a good camera. We know how to use it, we know how to make people look good in a photo. We work with staff that have skills and then continually train them to improve. We are reliable and make clients feel comfortable that we will do the job consistently and with great client service. These are the intangibles that get us our 'certification'. That make people trust The Booth for their corporate headshots, like they trust the word 'Parmesan'.

Bon apetite and, of course, say 'Cheese!'

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Booth Letter 5: Black or White?

A Client’s Choice - Black and White or Color Corporate Headshots

We recently did a LinkedIn headshot day for a client that was on the fence, creatively. They knew it would be a more serious, corporate headshot look, but were stuck on one issue – black and white or color.

They were thinking maybe they would do both, but were unsure of how these images would look together. A color image on a clean white background has a very different look than what that professional headshot converted to black and white. It's an altogether different look for a corporate headshot, and the two looks will certainly send a different kind of signal to a client.

Pre-shoot, we established trust with this new client. As a New York headshot photographer, we had clear packages to show him and examples from our galleries that were relevant to the looks he was considering. This was enough for the client to feel assured that we could do the work.

Still, we wanted the client to truly understand the choice and outcome they could expect from their new professional headshot – black and white or color. It was decided that we would build in an extra bit and do a short test shoot before the staff showed up for their professional photos.

Starting with one subject, we shot the corporate headshot photo a few different ways and then converted it to black and white. The client was able to do a real side-by-side comparison and think about how their staff photography would look like together on a page. From here, they felt far more assured of their decision.

This ended up being a really good solution for this client. This was a small-ish firm (20 attorneys) without a marketing person. One of the partners was tasked with making this creative decision. This attorney had an awful lot on his plate, as attorneys often do. While he couldn't have a better client to work with – friendly, gracious, and professional – he just didn't have time to ruminate on these creative ideas.

We knew that we could make his life easier. We reduced the pre-planning portion. We came to the job with options that could easily be executed and decided on in person.

From there, we were able commit to a look and cover the staff headshots consistently for a client confident and assured client.

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Booth Letter 5 - Digital First With Headshots

Utilizing Headshots for Digital Marketing

In today's digital-first corporate strategy, headshots are an invaluable tool for digital marketing efforts. They can be used in various ways to enhance online presence and engage with the target audience.

First and foremost, professional headshots can be utilized on company websites and social media profiles. Placing business headshots of key team members on these platforms humanizes the company and allows clients to put a face to the names they interact with. It makes the company more approachable and relatable, which is why portrait photography is so essential for your branding.

Additionally, corporate headshots can be used in email marketing campaigns, newsletters, and blog posts. Including corporate headshots in these communications adds a personal touch and helps establish a connection with the recipients. It also increases the chances of the content being read and remembered.

Really want to get the most bang for your buck – leverage your business headshots for online advertising and promotional materials. A well-craft set of staff headshot taken by a professional photographer can grab attention and make potential clients curious about the company's offerings. It serves as a visual representation of the company's values and professionalism.

And a lovely review from a lovely corporate headshot client:

Have you ever dreamed of the perfect photographer that would be able to pull the real you from their camera? The you that encapsulates the energy you want to project? Well, Laura and The Booth do exactly that. They just get me. They capture the energy I want in vivid, and sometimes fun imagery. A headshot is more than a photograph, it's the projection of you as a brand. And the Booth nails it every time. I can not recommend them highly enough.

-Rekha Gibbons, Client, friend and peer.

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Booth Letter 4

Background Switch

We have a new service! It's called Background Switch and we do just that – take a photo off of its existing background and apply it to yours.

This is the fastest way to get your new hire's professional headshots to match the rest of your staff. You might be planning a headshot day in a few months, but the photos need to match. Now.

This has worked well for clients with the following:
-New staff that needs to be online asap.
-Remote staff submitting professionally taken images.
-A roster webpage with unmatching photos.

This can be a very good, low-cost upgrade that will hold you over until your next full headshot day.

Here's a link: https://www.theboothforbusiness.com/theboothretouching.

Case Study 1: The New Hire

Our client went through a website rebranding, taking gorgeous corporate headshot photos (if we do say so ourselves) of their entire staff.

One month later, someone new joined the team.

The press release announcing this new hire was eminent. They needed a quick turnaround to get an image consistent with their new branding for the release and, in general, for the staff profile page.

We had the background plate from a previous shoot, so we clipped out the image and placed it onto it, thereby making a beautiful, consistent corporate headshot out of the two parts. Now they had something they could work with.

This is a temporary solution for this client. The photo looks good and lets them move ahead with consistency in their professional headshots. Eventually, we will be back their office to do a photo with the right light in the right background. But it's a great tool to have for when you need to move quickly.

More case studies to come!

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The Booth Letter 003

Spring is springing, and we are busy. It’s headshot photography at conferences and businesses looking to catch up on their new hires for us.

In the last Booth Letter, we started introducing some of our service features that you will LOVE. More specifically, we introduced you to the scheduling tool. This makes it so easy - everyone books their own corporate headshot session, you aren’t tasked with creating an impossible schedule, and on shoot days, long lines evaporate.

Here’s another tool that you and your team will wonder how you ever lived without.

Popular Tool # 2 - On-site Image Selection Tool

Our on-site image selection station is BY FAR our clients favorite feature. It's not just fun to see your new professional headshots right away. It's a huge time saver. Subjects get their new headshot photos immediately. You, the client, no longer have to spend days emailing individual galleries out to the subjects. With our iPad sharing station, subjects send themselves their new corporate headshot before they leave the studio area!

Here's how it works:

Subject pose for their corporate headshots.

Photos transfer immediately to the nearby iPad.

Subject selects all images and enters his/her/their email address.

Subject presses send :)

That's it. Really!

*Added bonus, the email content can be branded and customized! You tell us what text, information, links, etc., you want included. For businesses, maybe you will tell staff how to upload their professional portraits to the portal. For conferences, include logos and contacts to extend the reach of, say, a sponsorship opportunity.

Review Time - Corporate Headshots for Conferences!

We have great clients. Here’s what one of our favorite conference headshot booth had to say about her experience with us:

I was first introduced to Laura Londin and The Booth for Business Corporate Headshots while attending a marketing conference several years ago. I loved the efficient process (and the pictures) and wondered if they could do the same for our customer events. Since then they have attended our last two national conferences (2020 and 2023) and have received rave reviews on their service. They are an absolute pleasure to work with and really have a knack for interacting with a variety of personalities to get the best photos possible in a short amount of time. Our CTO called me after our latest event and said he was very pleased with them, and that they were a must-have at future events.

Christine Ray, CMO,

Safe Systems

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The Booth Letter 002: Most Popular Headshots Services

Values and The Headshot Tools You Will Love

We built our company from two key values:

1. Take excellent corporate headshot photos.

2. Make it really easy.

Let’s break this down.

Take Excellent Hedashots. The photos have to be good. Obviously. What goes into making a good business portrait? You need an experienced corporate headshot photographer. That professional photographer needs to make his business headshot subject look comfortable and highlight their best selves. You need good equipment that the headshot photography expert can use expertly to sculpt the light and capture high production value image.

Make It Easy. That’s the hard part.

How do we develop services that support our clients and meet their pain points around booking, producing and using executive headshots?

Taking good corporate headshots is at the core of our business. Around that, we have built a business that you will want to work with. How? We identify pain points for our clients and come up with solutions that will save them time and effort.

Here’s how we get there:

We think about who is hiring us inside an organization. We think about the fact that this person probably has a million things to do other than planning a photography shoot. We ask the client about their staff and their work environment. Then we draw from the tools we have and sometimes find new solutions to make this as easy as ordering your morning latte.

Popular Tool #1 For Headshot Photography

Our scheduling tool is seriously one of the tools our clients get most excited about. I cannot tell you how many hours it saves our clients. It is pure relief when they find out we will handle scheduling their team’s sessions for their professional headshots.

Here is what it looks like.

We set up a calendar with details of the day (hours of operation, session times, etc.) and then send the client a link to that calendar. The client then sends that link to eligible subjects so they can schedule their own session. Everyone picks the time that works for them without our contact having to be involved.

This saves so much time for EVERYONE! Here’s how:

1. Our client avoids the misery of juggling 20 (30? 40?) schedules to fit everyone into a headshot day.

2. The subjects can pick a time that works in their day.

3. It eliminate a ‘rush’ time. No one sits around waiting in the photo line while they have important work to do at their desk.

4. Your coverage is more thorough. If there’s a long line, people may skip getting their headshot.

And you know what else is great? We can send our clients a list of who has signed up and when. They can make sure everyone who is supposed to have a headshot has registered.

There’s more! An automated reminder will go out, the appointment can be added to the subject’s calendar, and they can cancel/reschedule on their own.

So, yeah, maybe not the flashy stuff, but this scheduling tool for your headshots sessions will be a real hero for your project.

Highlight - Shooting Corporate Headshots In A Boardroom

When we do headshots in a corporate office, we are often sent to the boardroom. Sometimes it’s a lobby area, sometimes it's one of the larger or empty offices. This is New York headshot photography. Space is a PREMIUM.

So, while we ask for 12x12 feet of space, we know that it’s unlikely that we will have that, free and clear. More often, we will have an office space that has a desk or boardroom table or something in it.

Here’s a situation where we came in to do attorney headshots. There was a lovely, bright, corner boardroom. As an experienced photographer that works in NYC offices, we were able to move a few chairs around and shoot down the long side of the table to get enough distance from the subject.

Of course, we did some planning ahead of time, asking for cell phone photos of the space. This helped us understand what gear to bring and stay on the same page as the client, as far as knowing what deliverables were reasonable for the space.

We did two looks for this client and they were very happy. Black and white and color with a grey background—an elevated look for NYC legal headshots.

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