Corporate Headshot

I was given a last minute assignment to produce a corporate headshot for an article in a electronics magazine. I have not done a lot of this type of work so it was not second nature. The requirements for what the image must communicate are complex and particular to the individual. You must communicate the message of the company while adhering to the formalities of what a headshot is.

  1. You have limited space- Headshots occupy only a small space on any page or website.
  2. It must be closely cropped. Headshots often appear alongside many others so the person must occupy the frame fully.
  3. You must communicate confidence, warm personality, responsible aptitude, and a general sense that the person fits the job that they are in.
  4. The lighting must be flattering but give a sense of drama and depth and suitable contrast to print well.

I researched the magazine that the photo would run. Looked at a bunch of headshots there and found the style that emerged as the gold standard. Then I looked at Strobist to get some pointers on lighting for a headshot in a corporate space. Finally I worked with my client to ask what kind of article was running (it was an announcement of the launching of their company). From that I was able to work out that a warm, confident smile was needed.

Here is the shot that my client and I chose…

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This entry was posted on Monday, May 12th, 2008 at 12:12 am. It is filed under Commercial and tagged with . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

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