Location Corporate Portraits

One of my favorite genres to photograph is the corporate portrait. Like weddings and other types of photography genres, no two corporate portraits sessions are alike. People are different, settings different, and themes are different.

For this particular assignment, I was commissioned by a graphic designer out of Denver to photograph an executive at ESRI in Redlands, California. Now, if you haven't worked with professionals on corporate photo sessions, then let me tell you something, as a photographer, you typically have a very narrow window of time to work with. My allotted time was about an hour, if that. Keep in mind, sometimes you are walking in to an environment where you have never photographed before and don't have a clue about lighting. This is why I pack a lot of Speedlights and stands with me when I do a session like this one.

My assistant and I arrived about half hour prior to the session and scouted the interior of the building. It was a photographers dream, a nice modern building and lots of North facing windows. About the only thing I needed was one Speedlight for fill, and I could have gotten away with just a reflective bounce. After setting up my single flash, I was ready to bring the busy executive out for the quick corporate portrait.

At first, I didn't think he wanted to spend too much time shooting. I mean, he wanted to get in and out of the session rather quickly. However, after working with me through a few test frames, it was obvious, the executive began to like being photographed. There's something about being in front of the camera that transforms most people into pseudo models. But hey, that's what makes for good photos and I'm always happy to pump their egos.

Needles to say, once we where done in the main area, the executive had suggested taking more shots in his office, a clear indication that he enjoyed the photo shoot. I have to say, I did too. I always enjoy working with people who like to be photographed. And if they don't like it, by the time I get them warmed up, they don't want to stop.