When you’re working with a client like this the key is typically consistency. We have  to provide amazing consistency between each of their locations both now and going forward. Attorneys that are photographed 6/12/40 months from now need to look the same (lighting, background, etc.) as the attorneys that we photograph today. This also requires a “bullet-proof” lighting set-up that is versatile and can be set-up in both large conference rooms as well as small shooting areas.

We’re supplied a schedule at the beginning of each day, with 6 appointments per hour (10 minutes per session). We typically shoot 10-15 frames per person in a variety of positions (poses). We worked closely with the firms marketing department to determine the 3-4 poses that they wanted to use. Again, all of this leads to increased consistency among the images. Once we shoot the images we import (ingest) them into our 17″ MacBook Pro, where we sit with the subject and review each image using PhotoMechanic. PhotoMechanic is our image browser of choice because it allows us to quickly compare multiple images and select the best ones from a group.

Once the images are selected we do a series of retouching techniques, save the files to our local hard-drive, back-up the files then FTP the final retouched images to the client. We’ll do this for each of their 20+ office locations and 1000+ attorneys, generating 100′s of gigabytes of data over the next 6 weeks of shooting.

1. Hire a FULL-TIME PROFESSIONAL Photographer with Corporate Experience. While this may sound obvious, it’s not as simple as it seems. Some photographers boast about being a “one person operation” with a “studio in my home, and brag about how they “don’t pay any lease or equipment rental fees”. You should strike that type of listing immediately. Is that the type of person you would trust to create your image for business? Not so much. If the person makes his/her “REAL” living doing something else… you should NOT hire them to create your business image. Their priority should obviously lie with their “day job”. How can you be sure they will meet your needs when they have a boss that needs a report done and turned in yesterday?
2. Read REAL reviews and testimonials from current and previous clients. This is just like reading a review for a restaurant or doctor or your local dry-cleaner. There are various sites such as Yelp.com, Google.com, and Amazon.com that provide a plethora of information regarding most potential Corporate Headshots Photographers in Washington DC. Several local listings have gone so far as to pay writers to create fake reviews, so unfortunately it can be difficult for you to determine what’s real and what’s not. Our clients are small and mid-sized businesses that are eager to serve as a true life reference via phone or email.
3. Ask about the AGE and quality of their equipment. Most Washington DC professional photographers replace their equipment every 12-18 months. They don’t do this because it’s fun (or cheap) they do it because technology continues to increase at a rapid pace. The sensors in the professional cameras from Nikon and Canon get better and better every time the manufacturers release an update.  Unlike the days of film when the camera was just a box that held a roll of film, today’s digital SLR cameras are high-powered machines that need to be kept updated with the latest firmware, software, and ultimately the professional photographer should have the latest hardware (camera bodies).
4. Request to see a variety in his/her portfolio. If you see many pictures with the exact same background, in most cases that means that the photographer does NOT have a lot of experience. Anyone can shoot a bunch of pictures of her immediate family, co-workers and friends then post them on a web site and claim to be a professional. If the vast majority of the backgrounds are the same (all white, all black, all something), you should immediately eliminate that person from consideration.
5. Hire someone that is specialist in business and corporate headshots. When you read that a photographer specializes in “Portraits, Food, Architecture, Fashion, Products, & Weddings”…just laugh and keep searching for “Washington DC Corporate Headshots”, “business headshots in dc”, “lawyer headshots”, or “lobbying firm portrait”…don’t be fooled by the JACK OF ALL TRADES….MASTER OF NONE.

This all leads to our recent session with Jacqueline Lainez, an LL. M. student at George Washington. Jacqueline was looking to update her business headshot. After a brief email exchange Jacqueline decided on conservative business attire. I’m a big fan of this “grey on grey” look that allows the emphasis to be on her great smile and connection with the viewer through her strong and direct eye contact. With most business portrait we try to communicate a high level confidence and honesty to the viewer of the image. Jacqueline definitely exceeded those goals.

As a proactive step, we always offer a significant discount on the cost of a session to all students. It doesn’t matter what school, program, location, etc. you’re a part of…as long as you are enrolled full-time in a legitimate school of higher education, you’ll receive our discounted price. Just our way of paying it forward and supporting something that we truly believe in (Education).

“You never get a second chance to make a first impression.”  Your business headshot is often your first introduction to potential customers and clients.  Don’t settle for an outdated photo, a snapshot or a glamour shot when DC Corporate Headshots can build your personal and professional brand using authentic, engaging, and dynamic images.

We used our favorite main light, the 74″ Elinchrom Octabank, powered by our trusty S200 heads and the Rapid 101 power-pack. The hair light was another S2000 head with an Elinchrom 20-degree grid and the background light is our Nikon SB-900 speedlight on a small stand fitted with a Honl 1/4 grid and 1/4 CTO filter. Our camera for this session was our 12+ MP Nikon D700 with the AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor 104mm/2,8 G IF-ED (that’s a mouthful). We used a large white reflector to camera right, just out of the frame, to provide a little bit of fill. While the Octa has a beautiful wrapping quality to the light we’ve found that most subjects are still concerned when they see a “shadow”, so we have a tendency to fill in the shadow side a little bit. Maybe next time I’ll measure the exact lighting ratios and post those.

We created about 40-42 images and after a quick ingest process with PhotoMechanic we review the images with the client and narrowed the selection down to 17 images. After another round of review the client decided that she loved 3 of the images so much that she couldn’t leave them behind on our hard drives so she selected all 3 of the final candidates. This isn’t new and it’s actually a good “problem” to have…we want the final selection process to be difficult since that means that we’ve produced several nice images that are all worthy of picking.

We rushed the images to our retouching department for some basic touch-up work and electronically delivered all three final retouched images to the client in approximately 26 hours.

Call us Toll Free 888-984-4777 to get a custom quote for your office and start scheduling today.

We review the images on-site and the client makes the selections with our assistance

Brand

If you have a lot of attorneys in your firm, it is important to make clear that they are all part of the same brand. By commissioning a series of portraits in which every attorney is portrayed in a similar way, you are emphasizing that all the attorneys are part of the same firm and share the same values and high standards.

Portraits for a Baltimore Law firm

Creativity

If the attorney portraits on your firm’s website are creative and inspiring, potential clients are more likely to believe that your firm uses a creative, innovative approach to practising law and managing its caseload.

Professionalism

People want a professional attorney to represent them. By displaying professional portraits of your attorneys, you are saying to potential clients that you are a professional firm with professional lawyers who can help them in a fair, honest and progressive way.

Accessibility

As attorneys work closely with their clients, it is important that they come across as accessible and approachable. The easiest and quickest way to convey that your firm’s attorneys are of this nature is to display photographs in which they look comfortable, friendly and open.

Atmosphere

The ambience of a law firm is very important. It is crucial to communicate your firm’s particular ambience to clients and potential clients alike. Attorney portraits are a good way of getting across the atmosphere of the firm as a whole. Corporate Headshots can say a lot of positive things about a firm through the subject’s pose, their expression, the background and the subject’s styling and outfit.

Your corporate headshot is important, so it is vital that they are done properly and are of a high quality. Therefore it is very important that you choose the right photographer to take the photographs. A good attorney photographer will:

• Work quickly but not be rushed, while still producing exceptional quality portraits. Attorneys are busy people and therefore they do not have time to sit around, having their photograph taken all day. However, they have to look good in the finished photograph if it is to carry any gravitas. A reputable, experienced photographer will realize this and will therefore work efficiently and smartly in order to produce high quality, professional portraits in the shortest amount of time.
• Allow attorneys to preview the images. An attorney will care about how they come across to potential clients. Therefore it is important that they are happy with how they look in their portrait. An understanding photographer will allow an attorney to preview their photograph immediately and will also listen to any feedback the attorney has.
• Re-touch photographs upon request. If a photograph can be improved in any way, a good photographer will pick up on this and offer to make the necessary alterations.

You law firm has the potential to have a much bigger clientele. Start unleashing this potential by making attorney portraits a standard operating procedure within your organization.

Your Corporate Headshots is the premier provider of outstanding corporate headshots and business portraits. We serve all of the largest business markets in the United States. If you have any questions about setting up a business headshot program for your company give us a call at  888.984.4777.

Mark Powell Executive Headshot

Jason Klein Executive Headshot, Photographed on-location in Washington DC

Anthony Noble/Louis Dreyfus Property Group

Virginai Shaffer