Monday, March 28, 2011

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

The Perfect Business Portrait

Everyone needs a business portrait, regardless of your line of work. Your business portrait puts a face to your name. In a world of competition, you need your client to remember you. The quality of your portrait says a lot about who you are.

When I say "business portrait", you probably have an image in mind. However, I would like to open your mind to the many options available to you.
Firstly, your backdrop. Each one communicates something about you. Before you come for your business portrait session, you should do some soul searching and decide what you would like to communicate about yourself.

The marbled backdrop communicates professionalism. This puts forth the message that you are serious about business and can be trusted. A dark business suit would be the best match with this backdrop.
The black backdrop is dramatic and fashionable. It puts the focus on your face. It is especially flattering in black and white, which communicates artistic creativity. It is best coupled with all black attire to bring even more focus on your face.

The white backdrop is also very fashionable, crisp and modern. It gives a feeling of fun, youth, and vibrancy. All white clothing, or bright colors, make the white background pop.
Another option for your business portrait is to be shot on location: in your office, on the beach, in your element – where you do your stuff. Depending on the location you choose, it can show different facets of your character. Do you want the client to see more about your business? Or would you prefer to show your client more about your fun side? One thing to consider with a location portrait is lighting. In the studio, I have full control over lighting; whereas on location, if we are outdoors, we will have to time it with the sun (either sunrise or sunset). If we are indoors, I will have to bring portable lighting.

The second element you should consider for your business portrait is the framing. For framing you have 3 choices: head and shoulders, three quarters, and full length. The question here is what is important for the client to see? Just your face? Or perhaps you have a special uniform or logo you need in the shot? Or with full length, perhaps you want to focus on your fashion sense.
The third element to decide on is posing. Again here, the question is what you want to communicate about yourself. A smaller, closed mouth smile can portray professionalism; whereas a larger, teeth bearing smile shows friendliness. You can also include props which might better show the client who you are and what you do.

Finally, another option to consider is doing a group shot. If you need the client to understand that a team, rather than an individual, will be taking care of their needs, perhaps you should invest in a group portrait. If you have a very large group, or afraid to go with a group shot due to turnover, we can take individual shots and stitch them together to look like one continuous portrait.


So, as you can see, there is a lot more to the business portrait than one would think. Give us a call to schedule your business portrait session at 239-784-3648 and we can discuss the details or your portrait.