Portraits Created for Longevity

Temperance Marketing Partners (screen grab from their website)

Recently I had an opportunity to photograph the three core partners of Toronto's Temperance Marketing for their new website. Originally they considered having Megean, the agency's Manager of Digital Marketing, shoot them, since part of her job is photography. But they understood that there is a difference between the often somewhat temporary nature of social marketing photos and the longevity required of 'foundational' photos that will reside on the company's website, and possibly appear in print, for some time to come. These images need to be of high quality, clearly convey the company's brand, and of course, look really good, even when viewed repeatedly.

When they sent me a mock up of the site by their designer Jennifer Weaymouth of Weaymouth Creative, to show me the kinds of portraits they wanted, the first thing I noted was the style; they were bright, fresh, environmental portraits, ie. shots that had been taken (or looked as if they'd been taken) in an office, or outdoors, or in some other appropriate place, that drops beautifully out of focus behind the subjects. This is a trend in corporate portraiture that I really like. 

Unfortunately not everyone has access to a suitable office or corporate-appropriate environment. Yes, you can rent spaces by the hour for photo shoots in Toronto, but doing so can be cost-prohibitive, and there are the logistical considerations -- sourcing, scouting, coordinating availability of the space with clients' schedules, etc. It has also been possible for a long time to digitally cut out a subject and place them in some alternative background, but to do this really well (ie. well enough for high resolution reproduction) took more time and care than would typically fall within the budget for many corporate portraits.

However, I really wanted to be able to offer all my clients the option of an environmental (looking) portrait. So, after much testing, and starting a background archive, we now have an efficient and economical solution, allowing us to shoot in studio and composite in an environmental background.

The background in this shot was never intended to be in the final image - it just provided the colour and tone to facilitate replacement with the selected environmental background

When I visualized the background I thought would work for these images I actually thought I'd need to shoot new images, so I reached out to one of my clients about taking some pictures out of their office windows. They were happy to accommodate,  but I needed a sunny day, and as luck would have it we had just started into a two week run of cloud. (When did Toronto's winter weather start behaving like Vancouver's?!) The opportunity to shoot there clearly wasn't going to happen in a timely manner, so I revisited my archives and after some experimentation discovered that I actually had what I needed. I just needed to do some creative skewing, cropping, resizing, colouring, exposure adjusting and blurring. 

An outtake from another client's location shoot 
(used with permission -- thanks Cornerstone Physiotherapy!)

A tiny portion of the previous picture, adjusted to work as a portrait background

The final touch as far as the background compositing went was to make sure I used a slightly different part of the background image for each portrait, so it wasn't obvious that the background was added in. (If we'd really been shooting on location the view would change slightly depending on the subject's position.) In fact, I went the extra step of subtly changing small elements within the background for each portrait, for aesthetic reasons, specific to each portrait.  

Beyond the style of background there were other details about the designer's sample photos that were important to note, as I knew these particular samples were chosen for good reason: the lighting was very open and flattering, the angle of the camera was straight on (not looking down), making the women look strong and confident, and the look was somewhat casual but clearly business oriented. These are the kinds of details that it's our job as professional portrait photographers to care about. And they're the kinds of details that can make a huge difference to the overall impact and success of a portrait.    

This attention to detail continues into post-production (the processing/optimizing/retouching after the shoot). Here's a tiny picky detail my clients probably didn't even notice, but that I felt compelled to fix:

An example of a picky detail that I don't like to leave uncorrected

Ultimately the feedback from Anita, Megean and Shazya was that it was "so much less painful" than they thought it would be. I never get tired of hearing this. 

And the final bonus: The younger partners did not have a lot of experience with full fledged photo shoots, thus had not been sure exactly what a "real photographer" did. This isn't uncommon these days, as the barriers to entry into this industry (professional photography) are increasingly low, much can be done with little equipment, budgets are tight, and it can be challenging to communicate the value of hiring a pro. And, realistically, in the case of social marketing posts which have to be executed quickly, economically, repeatedly and ongoingly, it would be logistically and economically impossible to have a pro quote and produce a shoot every time a client had to post a pic. Now, however, these marketing specialists 'get it'. And this will serve them and their clients well going forward.

If you need a pro to bring skill and experience to your next portrait shoot, give me a call. Thanks for reading! 

kathryn@hollinrake.com
www.hollinrake.com

Corporate Team Portraits - "You guys really care!"

Some of the 150 Portraits

Recently we shot a job for a big corporation who wanted staff portraits of up to two hundred of their employees over two days -- one day each at two separate office locations. They had a very specific style and layout they required, so we didn't do anything particularly creative or unusual, except apparently we did. What, apparently, was unusual, according to our subjects, was that we appeared to "care."

The schedule dictated that we allot approximately three minutes per person (which we time to keep us on track) during which we would elicit a solid professional portrait, depicting a happy, calm, comfortable and confident representative of the company. Three minutes is not a lot of time, and if we had fewer people, more time and a commensurately higher budget, I would never recommend such short sessions. However, in this kind of circumstance, we have to work within some immutable parameters. And that's where we as photographers have a choice to make. We either kind of throw in the towel and don't even try to make great portraits, or we step it up and do our level best to pull a rabbit out of a hat and make our three minute clients as close to as happy as our 'full length' session clients as we can. (Sorry, very awkward sentence!) And this is what we do.

In a nutshell, we had all the usual challenges plus some more: a number of the subjects were not at all excited about being photographed, we had no budget for hair and make-up, the staff were in the middle of their shifts so could not leave their desks for long, and there was no budget for retouching. My team included just me and my assistant. Our deliverable was to include one medium resolution portrait file for each subject, and a full set of logo embedded Jpegs for corporate use.

So, every three minutes, we posed the subject, styled their hair, powdered their face if they needed it (almost everyone did), lint-rolled and straightened out their wardrobe, and worked with them to elicit their authentic self. And it was during this sustained flurry of focus and activity that we were told, a number of times, that we were different because we appeared to actually care. The feedback after the shoot underscored this sentiment.

Back in the studio, during processing and preparation of the final files, I took care to select the frames I truly felt were the best, and then I took one extra step to ensure a happy clientele. There were, unavoidably, a handful of portraits that were seriously compromised by skin issues. These I had my retoucher do a quick 'once over' on, as a courtesy, just so that I wasn't sending out anything I really felt was sub-standard.

Bottom line, if you are getting a professional portrait, it should look professional, period. So, as much as I'd like to always have the time, the budget and the opportunity to bring some artful interpretation into the equation (and please call me if you fit this bill), if you need a photographer to make a large number of people look good, quickly, I'd be happy to help. 

kathryn@hollinrake.com

In-Studio Executive Portraits - Take the Time

Three Final Retouched Portraits

 The point of this short post is, primarily, the value of committing an appropriate amount of time to the process of getting the portraits that will really serve you best. My lovely client, Amanda wanted to come away with three final, different shots to give her some flexibility. Uses might include her online profile (company website, LinkedIn, etc.) and various digital and print documents: proposals, marketing materials, publicity, speaker profiles etc. I had asked her to expect to be at the studio for about an hour and a half, two hours max., with the goal of producing a headshot against an environmental backdrop, another against a more plain backdrop and a torso shot.

Amanda brought a small selection of very appropriate wardrobe options -- professional looking, neutral, solid colours, mid-tones, and perfectly fitted -- as per the wardrobe blurb I share with all portrait clients prior to shooting. In her garment bag she had a solid dark blue dress, a gray skirt suit with some stylish black leather detailing, and a round necked, short sleeved gray dress, all neatly pressed. The few wrinkles that had manged to sneak onto one of the dresses were quickly steamed out.

We started with the environmental head shot which I had worked on ahead of time because it's the most time-consuming to set up and I like to be as close to ready to shoot as possible when a client arrives. As always I was very glad to have different wardrobe options we could work with because the one I initially thought would work in this setting just didn't...the dark dress just looked too heavy below Amanda's fair skin and the light-ish backdrop. 

Dress too dark

I find a V neckline often works very well in headshots and suit jackets provide this. So once Amanda had changed into the suit option, it didn't take long to get a great selection of expressions -- comfortable, confident, happy and approachable -- in spite of the fact that Amanda, not atypically, had apparently not exactly been looking forward to our shoot. (Picture top left)

Next in the schedule was the torso shot for which we had planned to use a plain gray background, but the thing about plain gray backgrounds, or any plain background is that they tend to look not just boring, but they can make the subject look as if they are not in the real world. They're great if you need somewhere to put type, like the title of your book, or if flexibility and consistency between multiple portraits is key, but those were not considerations in this case. 

Frames from the ultimately unsuccessful process of determining the best combination of lighting, and wardrobe to go with a plain gray background

So, as we worked to choose a combination of background tone, subject lighting, and wardrobe that worked well together, ultimately we decided to start again with a different set-up entirely: a couch and an upholstery fabric backdrop which would give Amanda more of a chance to settle into the space and exude her real personality, in a somewhat more real looking place. It added a bit to the duration of the shoot, but it was worth it to have the time to explore what would really work best for this particular individual, and get to the point where she was able to utter the magic words "That's me!" (Picture top middle)

We had just enough time to do one final set-up (to finish at the two hour max. beyond which we could not continue due to her tight schedule) and again, rather than use a plain background I quickly fashioned the upholstery fabric from the couch set-up into a corner (I'd planned ahead of time to possibly do this) and had Amanda lean against it, which was again, totally conducive to the more informal, personality-specific look Amanda wanted and could really roll with comfortably. (Picture top right) 

Did this shoot really need to take two hours? There are times when that kind of time is simply not available. But because we blocked a full two hours, just in case, it gave us both, the photographer and the subject, the room to really work through what was working and what wasn't, which will be different for every client. Had Amanda not been willing or able to commit the time, we may not have achieved what we did. In the end, each of the three final portraits succeeds, and each has a distinct feel to it, so Amanda will be covered regardless of who requests her picture or what requirements come up, at least for a while.

One final note: I have a personal preference for a 5x7 format for portraits (as per the three finals), as opposed to 8x10 which is sort of a shorter and fatter shape. Clients will often stipulate 8x10 (which is a well known standard), maybe because they have previously committed to this format and need new portraits to match. But, generally, I don't love the composition; there's too much space beside the head unless you crop quite tightly, which then removes too much of the shoulders and clothing really limiting the flexibility in terms of using the image in different layouts. I always hope that if clients decide to use their 8x10's on LinkedIn they'll crop them tighter, but they often don't and their heads look small. So to all my clients, if you'd like me to do an additional crop of a portrait file for LI please feel free to ask and I'll throw it in, no charge. 

Looking forward to our next shoot!

kathryn@hollinrake.com
www.hollinrake.com

New Environmental Background for In-Studio Corporate Portraits

Dave arrives with shirts cleaned and pressed, on hangers. Yes!

These days there is a growing trend towards environmental business portraits (in which the background is the space where you're shooting, as opposed to a photographer's fabric or paper background). Environmental portraits tend to be a bit more interesting and a bit more 'real' looking. I love this trend. However, not all business people have access to an aesthetically appealing boardroom or office or professional looking space in which a photographer can set-up and shoot. Typically, if the shoot is an in-studio one and there's no budget for creating an interesting custom set, we would be limited to using plain seamless paper or painted muslin. So I decided to create a simple to set-up option for affordable in-studio corporate portraits, that kind of hints at an office (or a somewhat appropriate interior) environment. 

I also wanted a fresher, brighter look this time. I've shot Dave before and one of the tests we did at the beginning of the session looked similar to a past portrait in which the shadow areas were larger and deeper, and the background darker, making for a moodier image...

Wrong shirt for a bright background,
but I didn't want this dark, moody look

not what I wanted at all, but we tried it because the first shirt Dave put on was so pale it didn't separate enough from the lighter background. In this test, the shirt stands out well from the background, but to the detriment of the shot overall. 

Dave is a really happy, positive, friendly guy which serves him extremely well is his capacity as a real estate agent for Re/Max Hallmark Realty Ltd., so we knew we wanted him in a bright environment, smiling. In fact in Dave's case the challenge was to rein in his infectious smile enough that he didn't look too happy (not that anyone can ever really be "too happy").

Dave - Final Portrait
How could you not trust this man?

Is there anything I don't love about the picture? Dave could have worn a plain shirt so I could have retouched out the wrinkles, but this shirt is a favourite of his, it's a great colour on him, and the wrinkles aren't really too distracting. Other than that I think the shot captures Dave's personality perfectly, and I like the feel of the "place" where this photo was taken.

kathryn@hollinrake.com
www.hollinrake.com

How often should I get a new portrait?

A rare non-smiling self-portrait taken in studio

Is it really time for me to publish yet another self-portrait? Well yes, I guess it is, for two reasons: I needed a picture for this post, and I just got new glasses. But seriously, how often should a person update their profile portrait? 

Obviously it's easy for me to say you should do a new profile portrait every time something changes because I can shoot them myself for free. And given that I'm constantly advocating for professional quality profile portraiture, I am aware that hiring a photographer every however often may not be practical or, frankly, affordable.

However, in these days of social media and the (seeming) need (for increasing numbers of people) for constant self-promotion, I would suggest that the need for more frequent updates has arrived. I used to suggest a portrait could be expected to last maybe three years. But in today's faster-than-ever-paced world, in terms of the personal and professional evolution possible in that interval, it seems like a very long time to present one version of oneself. If people are seeing your face all the time in their online networks, a picture is going to "wear out" much more quickly than it did in the past. Furthermore, when you update your profile, you get the added benefit of your network being notified (subject to everyone's settings), and your showing up again on people's radar.

What are the kinds of things that could prompt a new portrait? You might have a new look -- new haircut, new glasses, weight loss, weight gain, Botox, or new overall style perhaps because of a new role, or new company culture you want to reflect. Or you may want a different kind of portrait for your website, for example, from the one you submit to a professional organization, board etc. Not only do fashions change constantly, but photographic styles evolve, too, and what once looked great can come to look dated. That's actually one of the reasons I end up with so many self-portraits -- I am constantly testing new ways, between jobs, to light and shoot (even after all this time as a professional) to keep my corporate portraits fresh, relevant and interesting.

In the shot above, for example, I used a simple, new in-studio set-up designed to create a sense of place where it doesn't actually exist. (My studio has no inherently background-appropriate walls.) Also, sick of producing almost the exact same smile every time I shoot myself (believe me, I can relate to all my clients who think they have one best look), I decided this time I was going to change it up. Usually, if I don't smile I look like I am either about to cry or kill someone (another thing I can relate to, my lovely similarly challenged clients!), but I think I got it this time! I also changed my technique by adding some motion to the mix, moving during the exposure so my skin looked smoother (from the blur) and my hair blurred a bit at the edges in a subtle but interesting way. There was a fan, too.

How long am I going to stick with this shot? Probably not long at all since I just made an appointment to get my hair cut. And, as I always tell my clients, studies suggest that people look friendlier, more approachable and more trustworthy when they smile.

In closing, a question: what do you think of the idea of buying a package of portraits to be taken within a certain interval of time, for example a three portrait package good for one shot every four months? Or maybe a frequent buyer/loyalty card for portraits? Please drop me a line and let me know. 

Thanks for reading! And if you need a new portrait...

kathryn@hollinrake.com
www.hollinrake.com

Executive Portrait Day

Two of the day's environmental head and shoulders portraits

There are many ways to approach corporate portraiture. Here's one way -- this post recounts a recent one day shoot downtown with nine executives.

In this case our client/organizer was able to facilitate scheduling a number of individual executives from different business groups within the organization. A lot of work for her as these are busy people, and available boardrooms can be hard to come by, but it's much more economical to book multiple portraits within a day, and much easier to book one room for one day.

In this case we were also offering executives the choice, ahead of time, between a standard head and shoulders portrait on a gray fabric background (which we bring), or an environmental portrait which shows as little as just head and shoulders to full torso (or full body if so desired) against the backdrop of the boardroom environment. It helps a lot if the boardroom (or other location) is visually interesting and attractive and has some texture and colour, as opposed to four white walls, although I do bring a background banner stand designed specifically to either break up blank, boring walls, or cover distracting elements such as black columns between bright windows. 

More casual environmental portrait - torso

We always recommend doing portraits as early in the day as possible because people tend to look their freshest nearer the beginning of the day than the end. What we don't care about is the time of day, at least in terms of the issue of daylight, because we bring lights, so we're fully prepared to shoot regardless of what is going on outside, and whether there are windows or not. That's not to say we don't love a splash of sunlight on occasion to add some extra light and life to an indoor portrait. We just don't rely on it.

On this day, pretty much as always, we didn't know ahead of time exactly what each executive would look like (even if we looked them up online) or what they'd be wearing (although we provide guidelines) or exactly what kind of pose would suit them best, so we set up what we thought might work and hoped. When each person arrived we showed them a test shot (of my assistant) to see if they liked it, and if so, shot a test of him/her roughly in place and checked it with them.  If they or we didn't love it we either made a quick decision and adjusted the set, or showed them examples of previous portraits shot for other executives at their organization to determine what alternative they might prefer, and quickly adjusted the set.

As we were doing both headshots on a backdrop and environmental portraits we had hoped not to have to switch back and forth between sets as, for this job, we had only one set of gear, meaning we couldn't leave one complete set-up standing while moving to another. However, as it happened, it wasn't possible to book the executives in the order that would have facilitated that. So we just had to move fast. Between the head and shoulders on gray, and the environmentals, we ended up using five distinct set-ups, some of which we reused with minor variations.

Formal head and shoulders on fabric backdrop

Once we agreed on the set-up we got down to personal details. Importantly,  particularly on occasions during which we do not have a make-up artist, we carry a small kit with touch-up essentials such as a mirror, powder, chapstick and Q-tips, toothpicks, hairspray, combs, eyeglass wipes and lint roller so we can make sure the skin is shine-free, lips are freshly lipsticked or moistened, hair is styled, suit is lint free, glasses are clean, and wrinkles are smoothed out as much as possible, which we achieve in part by adjusting the pose (particularly in the case of the headshots). Again, more so with the formal headshots, we carefully pose each person to emphasize their positive attributes, and de-emphasize any less optimal attributes, so their jawlines are defined and they appear confident and engaged. Then we work with them to elicit their ideal expression and essence. As unnatural as sitting on our posing stool (which we bring for the headshots) can seem, subjects ultimately always agree that the end result justifies the means. The benefits of this attention to detail are why we generally opt for a quality over quantity model.

On this day we worked in 45 minute blocks: half an hour to shoot and review, and then fifteen minutes in between to backup the files and set-up the next shot. On this particular shoot each session had to include time to sit down with the executive to review the images, make sure there was one killer shot that they loved and confirm the select to be retouched. My assistant and I bring our experience to bear and actively advise the executives on which portraits we feel are the most successful while making sure to be sensitive to their personal opinions, as they are the ones who have to love their pictures in the end. The most fun moment of the whole shoot is often right at the end when the subject, my assistant and I reveal our favourite frame at once, the most gratifying outcome being a three-way agreement.

Another casual environmental portrait

At the time of selection we also offered each executive the option of basic retouching or a full hour retouch. If a portrait is destined exclusively for a small window online in a personal profile, little or no retouching may be appropriate. But for ultimate flexibility including print and presentation purposes, it's safer to choose the more comprehensive retouching option, since at high resolution everything down to individual pores can be clearly visible and distracting details beyond under eye areas, discoloured teeth and blemishes (covered in a basic retouch) can really detract from a portrait's success.

We had included in our quote one final retouched file for each executive, but clients always have the option of choosing additional frames, at the time, or in the future (as we archive all the shots). We don't charge any extra for e-mail delivery of unretouched low res files. Our goal this day, though, was to achieve one truly excellent 'signature' shot per person and in that vein, as planned, that's what we delivered.

A brief final note: As I'll mention in an upcoming post, I generally refrain from posting images (at least large size images) of business portrait subjects, as a courtesy, unless I have their express permission. I would like to thank the lovely clients pictured here and on my website for allowing me to share their portraits.

If you or your organization would like to take your profile pics to the next level,  please give me a call, or e-mail me.  I look forward to discussing your particular needs. 

E-mail Kathryn
www.hollinrake.com

Fun With Profile Portraits

Self-portrait ranging from kind of 'normal' to way more fun

Even though I have been a professional photographer for over twenty years, and profile portraits are are not exactly rocket science, there is an art to portraiture, and many possible subtle and not-so-subtle variations on the theme of profile portraiture. As such, I never stop thinking about ways to refresh and renew the way I light and shoot them.

Another thing I'm always doing is weighing my clients' need and desire for professional (read conservative) vs. fun and artistic pictures. I have spent my whole career as a commercial, editorial, corporate and fine art photographer endeavouring to strike just the right balance. I must admit, though, that every time I see a slightly funky profile portrait online that's been enhanced by some filter or other treatment, or even just features an unusual composition or pose I am surprised, often delighted and often inspired. And also reminded how much fun it is to play with images, and how I would love to have been a painter, but I digress. Based on the popularity and ubiquity of Instagram-type filters, I'm obviously not the only one who likes to play with pictures, but usually I reserve that stuff for personal 'play' (note that I'm not even calling it personal "work").

Furthermore, I can't help hearing in the back of my mind the voice of a long ago mentor who thought of anything like textures and filters as gimmicks used mostly by unskilled, untalented photographer imposters. I did not agree, and I used to figure out all kinds of ways to manipulate photos by adding textures, etc. before the digital age. Today it's easier than ever to do.

I work with so many high level professionals I am used to, and respect and understand the tendency toward a certain conservativeness, but here, today, I'm going to throw out the challenge to portrait clients everywhere to consider having a bit more fun. Who do you notice stands out most in the "People you might know" in your LinkedIn feed? For me it's the people with the great portraits.

If we are putting our portraits out there to show the world who we are, is it unprofessional to appear to have a bit of a sense of fun and creativity? You don't have to go crazy, and yes, it's appropriate and a good idea, more often than not, to look more or less like you actually look. But a little creative license can go a long way to making your picture stand out and say a little something more about your personality.

So, in the name of creativity, I decided to make myself a new profile portrait and do a few things I wouldn't typically do with a business portrait. Just BTW, I shoot myself a lot when trying out new ideas, and I can tell you the more I do this the more sensitive I am to what it's like for my subjects/clients. 

Anyway, what did I do differently?

Well, first I indulged a recent personal obsession with recreating a particular, beautiful natural light that occurs in my studio only in certain kinds of weather at certain times of year. That light is no good to me professionally as I need it when I need it, and it's never really bright enough anyway. Of course, I have tried and true methods for great portrait lighting and lots of professional, manufactured lights and modifiers, but there is an elusive quality to natural light that many photographers have spent a lot of time throughout photographic history trying to simulate. Part of what's so great about this type of light is that it's directional but still incredibly flattering and forgiving, negating much of the need for retouching of, at least, lower resolution files -- my self-portrait samples here are not retouched at all (although, as always, if you needed these files at full resolution, they would definitely need retouching).  After some intensive previsualization, it actually took me very little time to perfect the set-up. And this is something I can do now for any in-studio client.

What else? 

- I used a new hand painted (by me) canvas backdrop with a subtle texture. Plain gray can be a bit boring. Unfortunately, this one's a bit unwieldy to take to on-site portrait shoots.

- I wore a sleeveless summer dress. Usually I recommend covered arms (the reasons for 
 which would be obvious to many of my clients) and non-seasonal wardrobe. 
  
- I love a sense of motion in a photograph, so I used a fan to blow a little 'wind' into my hair. 

- I posed a little less statically and a little more theatrically.

- And, I wore an absolute ton of black eyeliner and sparkly lip gloss which may have looked excessive and inappropriate in real life, but served the portrait perfectly -- something to note in terms of make-up for photography -- trust me, and your make-up artist.

And that's about it. There are so many possibilities! These are just a few, that worked for me. Call me if you're ready to do something a little different for your next profile pic! 

Coming up next: How often should you get a new headshot?

kathryn@hollinrake.com
www.hollinrake.com