'Corporate photography' includes headshots, team photos, images for website, social media and PR photogrpahy.
Most businesses require all of this, so with a vision of where the business is going, together with a marketing plan, things can really come together. And sometimes it is best undertaken in bite sized chunks, as UP3 did. Initially they commisioned photograpahy for PR and headshots of their senior management team.
They were nervous of having photos done as past photo shoots hadn’t yielded the results they wanted. I worked with them as I always do, in consultation, advising on clothes and what to expect in advance. I ensured we had an efficient timetable to minimise disruption to their day, and arrived early to check out the most suitable location for the photos. As well as putting everyone at ease with conversation, and a little bit of humour (!), I directed them on how to hold themselves and gave them confidence in what we were doing.
When they saw what was possible with photography,
we had a discussion around what they needed for their business at that point in time (which was headshots of all employees) and we planned a wider shoot to capture a breadth of images that they could use as marketing collateral going forward.
It was a collaborative effort, with me liaising with their marketing team, understanding how they worked and identifying what photography it would be useful to have for the various strands of their marketing plan. We used their offices, where there was interesting space. Everyone was primed with what to wear and any props to bring that represented their branding.
We also looked at client outreach and how they do this. The conclusion was that visually illustrating how they work (workshops and tutorials for clients) could be beneficial as clients could relate to how the team would help them. We booked meeting rooms, enlisted the appropriate staff members and created a set of images that do just this. Some creative to attract attention, some informative.
Another area we looked at promoting was recruitment
They have a great office environment, with diverse people and interesting spaces. Their people are fun and engaged with their work and with each other so this was something we wanted to capture. Communication is also a key element for them so we ensured that we captured the informal meetings that occurred naturally in break out areas and the comradery of working lunches.
The great thing about working multiple times with a client is that they all get to know you, you get to know them and a little bit of magic occurs.
