Corporate Portrait Photography is quite different from corporate event Photography. It’s about photographing professionals and their personalities. Corporate portraits are used in commercial websites and magazines and affect the reputation of an organization. These pictures convey a message about the work culture and competitiveness of a company. It’s essential to capture good portrait photos to make a good impression on clients. Also, physical meetings have become less common, and people rely more on emails and websites to get information about any organization. Without appealing portrait photographs on the business website and social media platforms, the firms are not able to grab people’s attention. Hence, it becomes essential to add high-quality corporate portrait photos on websites.
Capturing corporate portrait photos is really a big responsibility because these are gonna reflect the company’s image. Even the experienced corporate photographers find it difficult to photograph high-quality portraits if professionals; most of them take cover from straight headshots. Shooting corporate portraits needs technical as well as artistic skills and a lot of experience.
If you are not confident enough to click corporate portraits, don’t be afraid. Here are 8 tips that will help you shoot great portraits of professionals and soothe your fears.
- Use Telephoto Lens
The telephoto lens is a panacea to click impressive corporate portraits. It magnifies the subject and captures its precise details, which is not possible using conventional lenses. Generally, an 85 to 100 mm lens is okay to photograph flattering portraits of professionals, but in case you are using a full-frame camera, it’s better to go with a 135 to 150 mm lens.
- Invest In Tripod
Shooting with a tripod has a plethora of advantages, particularly when you are new to the portrait photography business. It aids you to avoid blurry shots and allows you to capture crisp and clear images of the subject. Also, it’s essential to use it in tethering mode.
- Use Ladder
You will be surprised to know, but investing in a ladder can indeed improve your corporate photography, especially when you are shooting for group portraits. It enables you to have a bird’s eye look at the group so that you can include everyone in the final shot. Also, it helps you in increasing illumination at points that are out of your comfort reach. You can use it as a light stand and a reflector holder.
- Shoot In Manual Mode
The biggest advantage of clicking photos in manual mode is that it allows you to have more control over the look of images. You can set exposure, aperture value, and shutter speed manually as per your preference. It takes a bit longer than the auto mode but is best for clicking appealing corporate portraits.
- ISO Settings
For the best corporate photographers, portrait image quality is the highest priority. Therefore, it’s vital to set the low ISO value (low ISO introduces low noise in the picture). It should be somewhere between 100 to 400. But too low ISO can affect the shutter speed, which results in a blurry effect. So, it is recommended to start with ISO 400 and adjust according to the light and shades.
- Aperture Settings
Corporate portrait photography mainly focuses on the subject, so it’s important to use a wide aperture while shooting portraits. It will be best to set aperture around f/2.8-f/5.6 to capture a subject in sharp focus and to blur the background nicely.
- Shutter Speed
When shooting portraits, it is best to set the aperture speed around 1/200 of a second if you hold the camera in your hands and 1/15th if you are using a tripod.
- Don’t Hesitate To Bring In Some Light
It is not always possible that you will get a chance to shoot in an ample light environment. Not preparing yourself for shooting in dim light can be a kiss of death for a photoshoot. So, it’s vital to carry the necessary lighting equipment with you and use them whenever you feel the need.
In Final Words -:
You can consider the above-stated tips to refine your corporate portrait photography skills. Also, don’t forget to make a good connection with your subject and try to bring a smile to his/her face.