Proud Photography Blog

Once you have found your first corporate clients, you will want to think about dealing with the photo shoot itself.  Is it any different from most other shoots?  Well in a sense it’s similar to portrait shoots except you are working in an unfamiliar environment and to a tight deadline.

Therefore you must plan ahead and know what you are doing before hand.  Your equipment must be in working order, powered up and ready to go.

Equipment…

At its most basic, here are some pieces of equipment you will need.

1.    Studio lights – at least two heads but four will give you more flexibility to light up the back ground and the subject
2.    Background – black and white is fine but the company may have a particular request if the background fits into the company color scheme.  Therefore always check and if the clients want a special background. You can order it but charge them for the extra equipment.
3.    A Camera – of course.  A digital is best so you can see what’s going on and if you have got the shot without the model closing his/her eyes.
4.    A tripod – a must because you want each shot to be uniform
5.    Tape – to mark where you put your tripod and camera
6.    Spare memory and batteries – as always you never know what can go wrong!

Before you arrive…

If you can, visit the place. This shouldn’t be too difficult and just ask if you can look round the building and offices so you can locate the best spot for the images.

Is there a nice reception area (they tend to be the best looked after areas of an office?).  If so can you shoot there?  Is there a room with lots of nice natural light that could work? (Still take you lights as you can’t rely on natural light).

Then meet the client and make sure you know exact what they want.

Are senior members of staff treated differently to less senior staff? Are woman and men photographed differently?  Is there a basic dress code and a certain style which people need to follow?

Budget

You will also need to think about the price and what to charge.  Ask around and see what other corporate photographers are charging – generally speaking, many businesses have decent budgets but if you take advantage, they may look else where for a photographer to do the job.

Remember to factor in everything – your time, but also equipment, any extra pieces you need to buy, travel costs and so on.  Some companies will expect that you will add on such things so don’t sell yourself short for the sake of getting a gig.

It’s better to start with a good price, but increase this should they require your services again.  You need to get your foot in the door to begin with otherwise they may never see your work at all.