Medical Practices and Corporate Photographers

In a year that is very (extremely!!!) focused on healthcare and staying well, we thought we would look at the corporate headshot photography that supports this industry.

There are a few different kinds of photography that support this industry and while there is some crossover in use, various areas of the industry require different kinds of coverage.

Medical photography is an example of one end of medical photography. This can start at the molecular and cellular level. Need an example? How about that weird circular cell with suction cup looking arms growing out of it on all sides. Covid19 is famous, or shall we say infamous, and it will be difficult to find any digitally connected person in this world that could not make an instant identification.

This cellular photography, is fascinating. It is ultra micro and it is absolutely amazing in what it allows us to see about the world and about ourselves. It helps us explain our aches and pains, it helps us understand what makes up a leaf. We learn why water is making us sick. We learn what foods contain that make us uber healthy. Also, it looks really cool.

While we very much appreciate this medical-focused industry photography, it is a very specialized craft. It is one that requires very specific tools and a degree of knowledge about the subjet to be done right. We respect it and are awed by it, but we do not do it.

We are involved in medical and healthcare photography on a far more macro level. Our focus, if you will, is on what those many cells and molecules make up. We are professional business photographers that take photos of whole people, waiting rooms, testing equipment, etc.

Medical offices.

As a category, medical practices are very much like small businesses. To cover them, they require professional business photographers. These people must understand the flow of the business but can bring a professional eye to the project. The components are the same as a business. There are offices where the doctors and support staff do their work. They serve clients. But there are also many things that are different than non-medical businesses. Instead of products, they offer care. Instead of clients, they serve patients. And instead of a typical staff, they have doctors and other practitioners.

Here is where corporate headshot photography comes in. Physician headshots are an important part of your business marketing. It is very important for a physician to include website headshots for both familiarity and to signal professionalism. Your doctors must be shown to be clean, tidy, well-put together and approachable. A clean and tidy presentation telegraphs that it will be a well-organized and safe, clean environment in which you will be seen.

There are options in how a doctor can present him or herself. We always recommend professional dress, but know that this can mean different things to different providers. If you want a strictly professional headshots for business in the medical field, you might choose a lab coat. When our professional business photographers cover a doctor in a lab coat we know that the doctor is trying to instantly telegraph their training and capability. However, not all doctors work in this uniform. They might prefer a creative corporate headshot that is professional but that evokes more personality. If a medical provider decides against a lab coat it might be more important to use some other environmental elements that suggest a medical practice.

A headshot for business in a medical practice is an opportunity to tell your patients something about who you are and how you intend to care for them. The way you stand, what you wear, what kind of environmental background you use are all elements of the creative corporate headshot that translate how the patient will feel when they are with you. Does this physician want to signal a feeling of warmth and caring? Yes, but maybe they are more focused on signaling absolute confidence. Is the work you do more clinical or research-focused? There are so many opportunities to turn these characteristics into a visual representation offering an opportunity to connect with the patient.

The results of your business headshot photography should be to make clients or patients feel comfortable and familiar with you before they walk through the door. While we all know what it is like to visit the doctor there can be some anxiety around it for patients. Help them understand who you are and get more familiar with you by strategically using a corporate headshot photographer.

Corporate Headshot Photography for Medical Practice Staff

Which of your staff should you have your professional business photographers cover? We recommend anyone who will see or treat the patient. Obviously doctors should be covered, but we recommend any practioner, including nurses and alternative care providers that will come in close contact with the patient. It is great to have an individual corporate headshot of these individuals so you can some kind of individualized bio to match.

No think about reception, billing, procurement, etc. As for the rest of your team, they make the wheels turn and having a photo of them never hurts. It is perfectly acceptable to do a group photograph for this part of the team. Including a nice photo of these people on your website can help start the patients relationship with the non-medical team on a positive note.

Photography The Office

Your office is likely designed to feel comfortable and organized for your patients. Use yoru Business photographers to show what your patients what they will see when they walk through the door. Include photos of your examination rooms. It inspires confidence to see a clean, professional space with the right kind of equipment.

A proper edit of images provided by our professional business photographers will help you share a full picture of your medical business. Using corporate photographers to cover website headshots and the physical aspects of your practice will inspire confidence and comfort in your new and existing clients.

Update: COVID-19 Safety and Our New York Corporate Headshot Photographers

Our New York corporate headshot photographers at The Booth are ready to take some photos! We have had some clients come to us over the last few months, but, in general, our workload has been pretty light.

Of course it has. Until recently the idea of working shoulder to shoulder with colleagues you have known for, potentially, years was a non-issue. Now, it seems like every living body, including those same colleagues, could present the threat of COVID-19. You imagine everyone you know, with their kids in school 2 days/week, visiting Trader Joe's, stopping by the local deli, bringing their packages in from the outside without spray disinfecting… We are no longer people to each other. We are anthropomorphized Coronavirus walking around on 2 legs.

Around here, we err on the cautious side of things. But we are also practical and very interested in knowing more about how we can serve our clients and mitigate risk. Like everyone, we have spent the last several months paying attention to new information and thinking about how to adjust ourselves for safe and successful interactions with others. Somehow, life goes on.

And, thankfully, our photography has gone on as well. We are starting to shoot more and wanted to offer an update, full of the learnings over the last few months of how we are doing this safely.

Photography, used to be a far more social and chatty experience for us and our clients. We would talk to our subjects, ask a few questions and take some time to get them comfortable. We might make a joke, play around, have some fun. We were always mindful of time in order to keep a schedule or not to keep others in the line moving. We had plenty of structure, but it was, again to make sure the wheels were spinning properly and on time.

Now everything has shifted around a central theme: COVID-19. You are still going to feel welcome and we will continue to enjoy meeting you and putting you at ease. But now, our primary focus, first and foremost, is using what we know to stay safe: We plan, we shoot, we setup our equipment and we interact with the subject with COVID-19 in mind. We are constantly taking into account how we can best mitigate risk to our subjects and to our super conscientious and talented New York business photographers.

We published a blog post several months ago about what COVID-19 precautions we are taking. It is all still very relevant, but we wanted to share how, now that we know more about the virus, we are accommodating clients.

The most important thing we our watching out for is the significant airborne spread of the virus. Yes, we will continue to clean surfaces, but our focus will be on how to create a well-ventilated environment where air circulates and plenty of distance can be maintained among participants. We open windows, we install intake and exhaust fans and free-standing fans that will keep things moving around.

We are also well-aware that risk goes down when we spend less time together. Visits should be kept to a 2hr maximum, says one recent study published in Fast Company. Good thing for you, we need way less time than that to get a fabulous headshot. Right now, for our in-studio headshots we are keeping headshot sessions to 30min or less. The same is happening when we visit offices in the city.

As for distancing, it is still a 6' minimum between you and your executive headshot photographer. We are choosing the right lights, lenses and other equipment that can allow us to shoot a photo from that distance. If any of you have had your photo taken by Ian Londin, you will know that he can get well within the 2-3 feet distance from his subject. Not anymore.

At our studio our equipment is positioned in a way that the photographer and subject will not have to cross paths at any point. We position the background in a location where the subject can easily walk in and out without sharing space with our photographer. Here is a diagram of how the setup looks in our studio.

Planning and implementation for Covid protection is a little different when we are working in a client's office. If it is an existing client we will probably know the space fairly well. We might ask the client for a more open location or we might suggest a spot that could allow for more distance and better airflow. If it is a new client, we will ask for scouting photos of the space. This is a fancy way of asking our client to click 5-10 iphone photos of the space so we can get a sense of how big it is, where the ventilation points are and how we can set up our equipment to create the least possible interaction.

Is there still a risk to how we operate? Of course. But we are trying to be smart. We are reading everything we can about being together, about how to position air purifiers, how much time we can be together and more. We are waiting for the next bit of news to come out and tell us what we should be looking out for next. We are keeping new products in mind that can help mitigate.

Would I put our team or our clients at any major risk to take a headshot photo? No. But we are willing and able to carry on and make some great photos for our clients limiting the risk and keeping everyone as safe as possible.

Candid Photography As a Visual Tool

We talk constantly about corporate headshot photography, what our New York corporate headshot photographers can do for your firm. We talk about technical things that corporate headshot photographers use to make a better shoot, like lighting, background colors, how to dress, etc…

There are other types of photography that are relevant for businesses and could help deepen your connection with potential clients. If you are business that has public facing materials, you should think about how candid photography could add to your presentation.

So what is candid photography and what does a candid photographer do that is different from our New York corporate headshot photographers? Candid photography is when you take pictures of actual, authentic moments as they happen. It is about capturing something real through photography without setting it up or posing someone. Here are a few examples of corporate candid photography and business photography...

Can a corporate headshot photographer also do candid photography? Often, yes. Many of our New York headshot photographers have skills doing candid photography, but not all. If we were to be contacted by a client for both, we would think through what the client needs, what the environment demands and which of our shootings that have both corporate headshot photography skills and candid business photography skills would be a good fit.

Candid and staged photography happen on a continuum with one at one end and one at the other end. For example, a candid corporate portrait can happen during a headshot session. Everything is set up, we are asking the subject to pose a certain way and the subject is trying to portray a certain professionalism through his or her posture and positioning. But while all this happens, that person is still, well, a person. They might react to something and laugh, or smile or look in an unexpected direction. This would be more of a candid moment that is part of a studio shoot. Everything happens somewhere in between these two ideas of candid and staged.

What about posed photography that appears to be candid?

We have all seen those photos on a website where everyone is leaning in around someone's desk. Or there is the boardroom shot where someone is standing at the head of a long table giving a presentation. Maybe you have seen the bank teller greeting a client. Everyone is wearing well-fitted clothes, their hair is styled, but not overly so, and they have just the right expression of thoughtful or welcoming and friendly.

Are these shots actually candid photos caught at just the right time? Probably not, but they still have that feel and can be a great way to illustrate something about your business. Unless you are shooting for the NY Times or acting as a photojournalist for someone else, there is nothing wrong with trying to make a staged moment look natural and candid. It is a totally legitimate thing to plan out your photography so it tells a story. Maybe it helps share the idea that your company collaborates and uses technology. Maybe you want it to position you as the company with the highest expertise or the most welcoming. Maybe it helps illustrate an actual process, or shows a potential client how it feels to be in your space.

And inside of this staged candid moment, there is still that continuum. These photos can be completely staged, including props, sets, actors etc. Or they can happen in an actual places where people work and are interacting with each other or clients. How it is done really depends on what a company wants the end result to be. Does the business want something relaxed illustrating a day in the life of their company? Or do they want something very pulled together that is sticks closely to their important set of branding guidelines. Budget can also be a huge factor for achieving these kinds of photos.

And then there is social media.

Not all companies are on social media, but many, many, many are. Companies choose a channel (Instagram, LinkedIn, etc.) that best fits their demographic and messaging. Then they put together a strategy with a content calendar helping them plan how they can share the images with their audience. For some companies, this can be a looser, more behind-the-scenes outlet which calls for a looser, more candid group of images. Perhaps you are an architect and you are mid-project on new apartment building. You might want to include images of what has been happening on-site so that future residents can get excited about moving in. Maybe you take a photo of a fixture or a rooftop deck being installed, using the details to get people interested.

Does your staff participate in any interesting activities as a group and do they relate to your business in any way? Perhaps a shot of a group doing a charity project or attending an award ceremony for an industry association are candid images that this company would want to include on it's social media feed. You don't always need a our New York corporate headshot photographer or candid photographer in this case. A cellphone photo could work just fine. But it is important to think about how you plan to get that photo. If you know a moment is going to happen, plan for it appropriately. Does someone on your team know they should be taking the photo? Will they be in a good position to do it? Where in the room do they need to stand to get the photo? Think through what kind of planning needs to happen to make sure the photo can get made.

In Summary – We say Yes!!! to Candids!

Headshots are a really important tool in connecting with your audience and potential clients. The next step is to tell your company who you are as a group. Candid business photography can be a really good tool to help you better fill out what you want people to know about your company.

Crisis Time Corporate Video - Post 3 of 3

Video Blog 3 of 3: Fine Tune for your Clients Needs

Our goal in this series of 3 posts on video is to share how we are not just New York executive portrait photographers. We are content creators. We are New York corporate headshot photographers whose goal it is to help our clients tell their story visually through corporate photography and video even when they cannot be together.

In the last few blog posts we have addressed how video can be used in times of separation as a complement to corporate headshot photography. As we have shared, it is such a wonderful tool to personally share the full scope of your message and help them to get to know you or your organization. Corporate headshot photography has been our M.O. for personalization, but we see this as an add-on that is particularly useful right now since there is no-in person follow up.

In our first blog post on this, we talked about how the coronavirus crisis has created a crisis in fundraising. Spring is gala season and it is no surprise that fundraising that would have otherwise happened at those galas is expected to fall short. In our post, we recommended creating a remote video by capturing interviews or messages of people connected to the organization.

Our next blog post on using corporate video focused on establishing you/your company as a leader and authority. Lead your audience through this crisis with good advice and ongoing connection. Do this through crafting a video or series of videos that show what you are doing now and how you will be looking towards future ways to support your clients.

You likely have many channels and modes of communication to reach your audience. You create an impression and share information with them through multiple media. Adding well-thought out video messaging can add to your arsenal.

Video can be more work, but it is worth the effort. 54% of consumers want to see more video from their brands (HubSpot 2018). They want to get to know their brands better and video, done well, presents this opportunity. And let's not forget about the benefits to your business. According to Optinmonster, video marketers get 66% more qualified leads per year and report and increase in brand awareness of 54%. There is so much more excellent information about this topic. Follow this link to read more.

Video for New and Existing Clients

We always recommend starting with a corporate headshot or executive portrait from your New York headshot photographers at The Booth (!!!), but video can be the next phase.

It is important to maintain awareness among your clients, even when they have no pressing need for your services. Maintaining awareness among your clients can help them understand that, yes(!) you are still in business, that you have a strong foundation and that you can use your expertise to help them find a path through the pandemic and out the other side.

A simple message delivered via video, can do this with impact and help maintain continuity in your relationship with them. Tell them about the status of your work and a few ways you have been helping clients or working through the pandemic.

You can choose the kind of video to make based on your goals and who you want to reach. Here are a few ideas that will give you a framework:

Interviews – a great way for your audience to get to know you or your team. You can establish yourself as an expert in your area.

Presentations – show your audience what you do or how your product has helped other clients or something interesting you saw in your market that could help.

Tutorials – show your audience how to use a piece of technology or provide guidance on a topic

While you are deciding on the framework you would like to use, consider what the content will be. This will help guide your decision on what framework you use.

Brainstorm on content. Think like a salesperson and ask yourself what is your audience's biggest pain point? What issues are most prevalent in your industry right now. What are your areas of expertise and how can you contribute? What resources do you have internally or externally that you can tap and share with clients?

Think about what’s their specific interest, what is their pain point and how can your services and expertise help solve that. Chances are, if you have been in business for some time, you know what this is.

Make your content innovative. If your business peers are all putting content on the same topics, think about what else could be useful. For example, right now many small businesses are looking for funding. Webinars are everywhere with generalized information about the two major loans circulating – EIDL and PPP. Be available to consult on that if it is within your area of expertise, but if you want attention, think of another angle. Think about the niche you inhabit, then offer advice that applies to that.

Maybe you don't have any skills or resources that will help you get your clients through this crisis. In that case, tell the world who you are, but do so through the lens of the current crisis. If you are a party planner, let the world know the wonderful work you do, but frame it with language or content that shows you understand how you will be ready when the world is ready to start gathering at events again.

Stay Current and Highlight Timely Innovation at Your Company

Every day we are blown away by how companies are pivoting to accommodate what the world needs. If you are doing this, tell the world. When the virus came around, Joanne Fabrics shared that they would start offering supplies and instruction on how to create masks plus a collection point for dropoff.

Allbirds, the innovative shoe company is donating $500,000 of their supremely comfortable shoes to healthcare workers.

Videos and SEO

Everything starts and ends with SEO. Your clients need to find you, so you should consider how your video will perform to meet your end goal.

Since we are talking about maintaining and growing awareness, your best and most highly trafficked platforms are YouTube and Vimeo. If you want an audience that is directed back to your website, Wistia is a great option. Other ways to boost online video SEO are to include a video transcript. This bolsters the video content for search engines. Just like you would with any other content, and make sure your accompanying title and description are well crafted using the same rules you would with any other content. (Wordstream)

New York corporate headshot photographer

7 Famous Photographers That Revolutionized Photography

Who are the world's most famous photographers? 

Alfred Ansel once said, “You don’t take a photograph, you make it.” A photograph can be much more than just an image, it can tell a story deeper about whatever message the photographer wishes to convey. 

While most days, we focus on being New York Corporate Headshot Photographers, we also like to look at the very creative side to photography. There are different reasons why some images have been able to make an impact on the world. The images invoke emotion and tell an important story about a place in time.

We’ve created a list of some of the world’s most renowned photographers. There are so many inspiring messages that can be translated through their creative visual images, and many lessons to be perceived from their work.

Let’s take a look at 7 influential artists who have greatly impacted the photography world through their contemporary perception and prodigious artistic talent. 

Shells 1927, printed later © reserved

7. Edward Henry Weston (March 24, 1886- January 1, 1958) 

He was a famous American still life photographer of the 20th-century. Throughout his 40-year photography career, Weston photographed an ever-expanding collection of subjects. Amongst these were still lifes, portraits, nudes, and landscapes.

Weston began focusing his talent on portraits after working on nature photography (trees and rocks) in California during 1937. He was innovative in his approach and style, making a huge impact on modern photography. 

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John Lennon and Yoko Ono, The Dakota, New York, December 8, 1980

6. Annie Leibovitz (October 2, 1949 - Present)

She is a famous American portrait photographer as well, known for her style that set her apart. One of her most famous images was of John Lennon and Yoko, on the day of his assassination. On January 22, 1981, Rolling Stone published Leibovitz’s photograph leaving a huge impact on the world.

Her photography has been recognized in several media outlets, as well as in an exhibition in Washington’s National Gallery during 1991. She was a famous photographer because of her unique ability to capture images of people that told a more personal story about them.

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Serra Pelada Gold Mine, Brazil, 1986

5. Sebastião Salgado (February 8, 1944 - Present)

Far from the world of corporate headshot photography is Sebastiao Selgado. He is journalist, famous for his ability to depict tragedy through his photographs. Salgado traveled the world taking photos, visiting over 120 different countries. 

During the 1990’s, Salgado had a new project in Rwanda, Africa. His new photography project turned out to be very impactful, as there were horrible acts being committed in these countries that were unknown to much of the world outside that country. In Rwanda, there was genocide and devastation caused by the killing and pillaging of these innocent people. 

This dark period inspired Salgado and his wife Lelia to focus on rebuilding the forests in Brazil. Currently, nearly two decades later, the forest has two million planted trees and an increase in nearly extinct populations of native animals. Photographers can get inspired from their own work to do something greater, in this case making a difference on the planet too. 

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Albert Camus, 1947

4. Henri Cartier Bresson (August 22, 1908 – August 3, 2004)

He was a French photographer, famous for his candid photography. In 1932 he started to use the Leica camera, and it was history from there on out.  While he was no headshot photographer, he was very interested in capturing people living their lives and doing their work.

Renowned as one of the first photographers using mostly 35mm film, he founded a new genre within his field - street photography.

He published his first book, The Decisive Moment and in it, he states, “For me the camera is a sketch book, an instrument of intuition and spontaneity, the master of the instant which, in visual terms, questions and decides simultaneously. In order to give a “meaning” to the world, one has to feel involved in what one frame through the viewfinder.”

He had a different perspective about photography for which he received a large number of awards and prizes. 

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Baigneurs sur la Marne 1944

3. Robert Doisneau (1912-1994)

He was a French photographer and photojournalist, whose photos have become beloved and idolized by many aspiring photographers today. He captured images of a variety of subjects, mostly French people caught in a surreal moment of everyday acts.

He was a photographer for an advertising agency called Renault until 1939 and didn’t return to photojournalism until 1951. In between this time, he worked during the war with the resistance in France and for French Vogue for a few years. 

Doisneau has been a featured photographer around the world from the Bibliotheque National in Paris, to the Art Institute of Chicago and the George Eastman House (NY). He has become widely recognized and highly esteemed within the photography community. 

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The Robert Capa and Cornell Capa Archive, Gift of Cornell and Edith Capa, 2010

2. Robert Capa (Oct 22, 1913 - May 25, 1954)

Robert Capa was known as ‘The Greatest War Photographer in the World’. He was born in Budapest, Hungary in 1913 and was originally named Andre Friedmann by his Jewish parents. Capa attended the Deutsche Hochschule  für Politik in Berlin and studied political science. In 1933 he settled in Paris after he was threatened by Nazis and driven to flee the country. It was there that he met photographer and journalist Gerda Taro, and he was represented by Alliance Photo. Together they created the influential American photographer, Robert Capa. He began to sell his printed photography under that name. 

Capa met Earnest Hemingway, and befriended famous photographers Henri Cartier-Bresson, and David ‘Chim’ Seymour. From 1936 forward, Capa’s photography of the Spanish Civil War began to frequently appear. His international reputation as ‘The Greatest War Photographer in the World’ was earned by his photograph of a fatally wounded Loyalist soldier. This photograph became a powerful and influential symbol of war.

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Mount Williamson- Clearing Storm - Adam Ansel, 1944

1. Ansel Easton Adams (February 20, 1902 – April 22, 1984) 

He was an American photographer well known for his black-and-white landscape photographs. Ansel Easton Adams was a passionate environmentalist and enjoyed photographing Western America, most famous for those of Yosemite National Park. 

Adams generally shot with a large-format camera to optimize the sharpness of his photographs with their high resolution. The zone system was developed by Ansel and his colleague Fred Archer to determine the proper exposure and to adjust the contrast of the final printed image. This resulted in-depth and clarification which represented his photographs and influenced the work of those he taught the system to. Ansel Easton Adams’s photographs can be enjoyed by its viewers in a variety of formats, as they are reproduced in books, on posters, and calendars.

View our blog including content about Ansel’s Zone system here: 

These Photographers Are Unique, Yet They Have Each Contributed to Modern Photography

Photography is not a new concept in the 21st Century, the thing that changes are styles and technology. Sometimes a certain style becomes trendy as certain images become influential. The bottom line is, famous photographers have changed the future of imagery and made an impact larger than words can describe - so the pictures will do just fine.

Which Famous Photographers Did We Miss?

A whole bunch! It's impossible to pick just one photographer as the greatest in the world, there are hundreds of other incredible photographers not included in this list. Everyone has different opinions, we just wanted to share a few of the top photographers in history that made an impact on the world. 

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Citations:

Intro Quote: https://spark.adobe.com/page/g9tj6VHGPjdqT/

https://shotkit.com/famous-photographers/

https://www.all-about-photo.com/photographers/famous-photographers.php

https://expertphotography.com/create-stunning-black-and-white-landscape-photography/

Leibovitz:https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-annie-leibovitz-perfectly-captured-yoko-johns-relationship

Salgado: http://www.artnet.com/artists/sebasti%C3%A3o-salgado/serra-pelada-gold-mine-brazil-1986-a-8_gisXP8lyRgdU6ukhmLgA2

Doiseneau: https://www.icp.org/browse/archive/objects/outside-rene-garraud

Bresson quote: https://www.henricartierbresson.org/en/hcb/

http://www.artnet.com/artists/henri-cartier-bresson/albert-camus-a-Yzncz3rwe4lalxOGCoaSNg2

Capa: https://www.all-about-photo.com/photographers/photographer/72/robert-capa

https://www.icp.org/browse/archive/objects/children-of-an-orphanage-sitting-in-circle-and-dancing-in-a-garden-in-2

Ansel: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ansel-Adams-American-photographer

Ansel Zone system: http://blog.reallyrightstuff.com/the-zone-system-and-the-digital-photographer/

How to Best Use Corporate Headshots on Your Website

Why Should You Use Corporate Headshots on Your Website?

It’s no secret that corporate headshot photography elevates how you present your company in so many ways. Corporate headshots on your website are a great visual representation of your company for your clients.  We will look, more specifically, at why it’s important to have website headshots, why it is important to hire a New York Corporate Headshot photographer and how to choose a look. We’ll also look at the practical and technical elements, like the headshot size for your website, you should consider before you actually get to your shoot date.

So, why do you need professional headshots on your website? Easy – connection. Your clients want to know about your company and the people that make it run. If they see something in your team that is relatable or trustworthy in some way, they will be more inclined to take further steps in engaging with your company. Just like a logo represents your brand, a New York Corporate Headshot photographer can help you show clients who you are, and how you position yourself in the market.  It sends many visual cues.  

If you work with clients remotely, having business photographers come to cover your staff is even more imperative. Since your client might never actually meet your team, you can use professional headshots on your website as an opportunity to personalize the experience. They want to know that a person is behind the Google search and other digital connections that bring them to you. They like to know that there is a real team of people behind the brand.

Professional service businesses are a no-brainer for corporate headshot photography. Attorney headshots have been an industry staple forever. Why? Because they create a connection while conveying the professionalism and integrity that they want their clients to understand about them. While all industries strive for this, other industries, such as accounting, financial services, medical and real estate follow closely to that idea.

Other industries might hang their website headshot decisions on other values. For example, advertising, design and marketing firms might want to communicate a style. Universities and educational institutions might want to communicate scholarship, diversity and honesty.

The quality and style of your headshots convey a lot about your business and signals how you conduct business.  Forbes conveys this well in the article linked here. A New York Corporate headshot photographer can you create photos for your website that illustrate a more full and clear idea of who you are.

Make Sure Your Executive Headshots Match Your Brand

Your website headshots should closely follow your branding. Whether it is mood, color scheme or level of formality, make sure the images are visually consistent with other design elements on your website.

For those companies that have not thought through this branding idea, now is the time. We dive deep into rebranding in our last blog post, should you like more information on how to do this. To summarize, though, the first thing you need to do is decide how to evoke the type of business you are, visually.

We mentioned some of the types of businesses that would benefit from website headshots in the last section. There is plenty of room for creative decisions and the choices made will communicate who you are inside of your industry. 

What is your industry? What type of work do you do in your industry? Where are you located? What kind of clients do you see? The answers to these will help drive your decisions for the professional headshots on your website.

One of the key things to think about is what kind of business you have. What kinds of clients do you serve?  If you are in the legal profession, are you a large or mid-size firm? Do you focus on business-to-business or corporate clients where you need to evoke a buttoned down corporate feel? Or are you a lawyer that focuses on family law?

In the first example, you would have your staff dress professionally - a suit and tie, for example. You might shoot in an office or against a solid white or grey backdrop. For the latter, you could go a little more casual and approachable and choose a softer, more environmental look. A tidy sweater with a collared shirt evokes trust and confidence and the slightly dressed-down look creates a sense of comfort. 

Research your peers and your clients. What kinds of trends are you seeing in their headshot photography? Does any of it ring true for your company? How does their body language read in their images? Copying is a creative no-no, but there is nothing wrong with taking inspiration from others as a way of finding the right style for headshots on your own website. These examples will also help give you a way to start a more concrete conversation about creative direction with your photographer.

For those of you who have worked through these questions for your company, things will be easier! Your challenge is to make the headshots on your website match your existing brand identity. If you need ideas or inspiration, take a look at some examples in our headshot galleries.

If you have already done that and have a headshot plan in place, you are further ahead of the game. For example, at The Booth for Business, we always make notes on how our New York professional headshot photographer shot the client’s photos, including background color, lighting plan, studio setup, etc. This way, we can easily match the corporate headshots that were done on previous shoots. In our opinion, this is a must for any company that has more than 20 people and/or frequent new hires.

Sometimes companies build a website, but hiring their website photographer is an afterthought. They have individual photos, but they are clearly not done by a professional. You know those photos that double as their new hire security photos? Or the ones where they say, ‘stand up against the wall’, and they take a quick photo with their phone?

It is very jarring to the visitor to see a great piece of web design with bad photography. The discrepancy is obvious and it could make the viewer wonder if the company is cutting corners in any other ways.

Whether the photos are not professional or simply no longer align with your branding, book a few days where a New York corporate headshot photographer comes to your office. This way you can cover everyone, aligning your professional corporate headshots with the overall professionalism of your website.

What to Consider When Uploading a Headshot to your Website:

Size & Meta Data

Now that you have a plan for your business headshots as they relate to brand identity, you should start thinking about the nuts and bolts of creating and using images.

Think about where these photos will go on the website. Will there be a single page of photos where a rollover reveals title, name and small detail about the person? Will there be a full directory?  You click on a name and it brings you to an individual's page with a full bio, including experience, education and expertise? 

More technical questions to consider:

How large do you want your corporate headshots to appear on the website?  

Do you want the executive headshots to be landscape or portrait orientation?

A photographer will make choices on lighting, background, camera placement, how close/far he/she is from the subject based upon these decisions. 

Finally, there's the nitty gritty of where these photos are going and what kind of specifications you will need to accommodate those placements. When we photograph headshots, we always like to know ultimately what the headshot size for your website will be. Make sure you also share details like image size, file type (jpg, png, pdf) format and, sometimes, colorspace (RGB, CMYK).

Planning for your business headshots is integral to any business website. Working through these considerations we’ve laid out in the blog will lay the groundwork for a successful and mistake-free shoot. 

Still confused? Please give us a call or fill out the ‘contact us’ form, and we’ll be in touch!

On-Site Image Selection

With on-site image selection, subjects can work with their New York corporate headshot Photographer to email their image to themselves directly from the session.  It is a rewarding experience for the subject and a huge time-saver for the planner.

The on-site image selection process is tremendously useful for staff and conference photography.  It works the same in both scenarios:

Guest takes a photo

Guests steps over to the  iPad kiosk to review their photos.

Guests select the image(s) that they like and enter their email. (screenshots of sm tool)

Photos are immediately sent to the subject.

On-Site Image Selection – Conferences

If you have been to a conference anytime in the last decade you know the biggest challenges are to stand out and to create good connections.

Place us near your booth, or assign us a few brand ambassadors and you can make focus on raising brand awareness with those waiting in line.

Add signage and use our many branding opportunities (on iPad kiosk screens, in custom text, etc.) to keep your brand on their mind.

Extend your brand awareness after the event – this new photo will be a valuable and widely used tool in each of those contact's professional profile.  You are extending your brand's touch as long as that contact uses their new photo!

On-site Image Selection – Editing Made Easy.

Here's another speed bump when updating your staff's headshot photography.  Getting everyone to select an image.

Our on-site selection tool is perfect for those companies that need a quick turnaround.

After each team member takes a photo, they step over to our iPad kiosk.  Right there and then they select the image they want. We send you a spreadsheet and a gallery with those selections.

Done and done.