Staff portrait

fabphoto

fabphoto

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Fabien
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Our company wants to include staff portraits in our next brochure.
We haven't got any money in the budget to hire a professional photographer so it will have to be done in house.

Can you advise on this?
Settings? Background? Pose? Lighting? Etc

Thanks
 
And don't deliberately take a bad shot with shocking, distorting processing and a terrible shopped in background in the hope you'll never be asked again. 6 years ago I was working for a company and did just that - to this day the MD has the photo as his linkedin profile photo.
 
fabphoto said:
We haven't got any money in the budget to hire a professional photographer so it will have to be done in house... by someone who doesn't know what they're doing.
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No one ever has a ****ing budget for a phtographer. I bet they have... they just don't see the value in hiring a professional. Everyone's a photographer, right? Tell them to get the ****ing wallet out, and stop being cheap. You haven't volunteered have you.. you mug?

My advice is... don't work for free. What you gonna get out of it? They gonna pay you?
 
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That made me chuckle, David. Thanks. :)
 
Sorry... but if a company can't afford the relatively small fee a local jobbing photographer would demand, then they've got bigger problems than whether or not to have portraits in the new brochure.

I bet you £10 they're just tight as a gnats arse, and could afford it if they genuinely valued what photographers do.
 
cw318is said:
And don't deliberately take a bad shot with shocking, distorting processing and a terrible shopped in background in the hope you'll never be asked again. 6 years ago I was working for a company and did just that - to this day the MD has the photo as his linkedin profile photo.
Click to expand...

and don't photoshop a small rockhopper penguin into the background of the shots for a laugh - a mate of mine did that at the water company he worked for, and his boss missed it and it wasnt spotted until after the picture had been used in their newsletter and sent out to thousands of homes... oops
 
fabphoto said:
Our company wants to include staff portraits in our next brochure.
We haven't got any money in the budget to hire a professional photographer so it will have to be done in house.

Can you advise on this?
Settings? Background? Pose? Lighting? Etc

Thanks
Click to expand...
Since David would rather moan than help, I'll have a go.
Settings: The Boardroom and the Canteen.
Background: I came to photography seven years ago, after a variety of boring Admin/managerial positions.
Pose: Sitting or standing. facing the camera is usually considered best.
Lighting: This is a trickier one. I'd say on (quite bright)

As you can see, these type of photos almost take themselves.
 
I thought David had a point. Not sure what way it was moaning?
 
RBaker said:
Since David would rather moan than help, I'll have a go.
Settings: The Boardroom and the Canteen.
Background: I came to photography seven years ago, after a variety of boring Admin/managerial positions.
Pose: Sitting or standing. facing the camera is usually considered best.
Lighting: This is a trickier one. I'd say on (quite bright)

As you can see, these type of photos almost take themselves.
Click to expand...

Lol

I was going to suggest

settings - full auto , just pick that green square and treat the camera like a giant compact (I'd also suggest you point the big glass end that looks a bit like an eye at the subject and look through the little rectangular bit - it works less well the other way arround)
Background - get a sheet from tescos and duct tape it to the ceiling - its what all the pros are doing these days
Pose - management like to be seen as fun and accessible so i suggest you get them to do the macaraena , the hand jive, or the YMCA
Lighting - long exposures using lava lamps and burning wire wool will ensure your shots are indeiderjewel (and that you are never asked again )
 
My first thought was, is the printer for the brochure working for free? or the graphic designer? Somehow I doubt it.
 
RBaker said:
Since David would rather moan than help, I'll have a go.
Settings: The Boardroom and the Canteen.
Background: I came to photography seven years ago, after a variety of boring Admin/managerial positions.
Pose: Sitting or standing. facing the camera is usually considered best.
Lighting: This is a trickier one. I'd say on (quite bright)

As you can see, these type of photos almost take themselves.
Click to expand...

hahaha :)
 
RBaker said:
Since David would rather moan than help, I'll have a go.
Settings: The Boardroom and the Canteen.
Background: I came to photography seven years ago, after a variety of boring Admin/managerial positions.
Pose: Sitting or standing. facing the camera is usually considered best.
Lighting: This is a trickier one. I'd say on (quite bright)

As you can see, these type of photos almost take themselves.
Click to expand...

What do they need? Usually head and shoulders against a white background is easiest to use for publications etc. but get this from them before hand.
Pose, I wouldn't pose face on, it's not flattering. I'd get the person to point their feet at a 45 degree angle then turn the head towards the camera. Do everyone the same way.
Stand the person away from the white background and light it properly, then a soft box to the front to light the person. Think venture style. Get the lighting right and you'll have no post processing, get it wrong and a slight grey background and you can recover with a burn brush on highlights, but I'd suggest getting the lighting right. It's easy to do, just watch you don't have so much light on the background, it's a balance.

Difficult to get an employer to pay as they can say it's in their time, comes under anything reasonable for you to do, however something towards wear and tear is usually acceptable. Also don't be afraid to say no if you don't want to, don't feel comfortable.
 
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Byker28i said:
Difficult to get an employer to pay as they can say it's in their time, comes under anything reasonable for you to do, however something towards wear and tear is usually acceptable. Also don't be afraid to say no if you don't want to, don't feel comfortable.
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only if they are providing all the camera kit and the computers/software for PP - any other duties doesnt include providing your own equipment.
 
Which is where wear and tear comes into it. My ex employer used to pay me a modest monthly amount to use my equipment
 
JennyGW said:
My first thought was, is the printer for the brochure working for free? or the graphic designer? Somehow I doubt it.
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But if the OP works for the company, he is not working for free, he's just doing something different to his normal employment.

No different to me bringing my plumbing tools to work to re-route some pipes in the canteen (which I did a couple of years ago) despite it not being part of my job. The company could have paid for a plumber if I didn't do it but what's wrong with using the skills of the employees you already have?


Steve.
 
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In the case of my old ex company, we employed graphics designers, the printers were paid.
I did the photography as an alternative to the day job during work hours, was paid a small monthly wear and tear rate and I got to set up a studio at work, 4m high room, 11m long 3.5m wide, bowens 3 x 500W kit and paper rolls plus multi roller hanging system.

Worked great for me, I had a studio for out of hours, took product photos and staff photos in hours, got to play, learn, build up skills during work hours :D
 
Byker28i said:
Difficult to get an employer to pay as they can say it's in their time, comes under anything reasonable for you to do, however something towards wear and tear is usually acceptable. Also don't be afraid to say no if you don't want to, don't feel comfortable.
Click to expand...

Steve Smith said:
But if the OP works for the company, he is not working for free, he's just doing something different to his normal employment.
Click to expand...
Agreed with the above. Most employment contracts have the "anything reasonable" added into them for just such circumstances and nothing wrong with that. Just consider loading on the 'wear and tear' (as mentioned above) or a loan fee to the equation to make sure you get extra out of it. Also clearly define what happens if something is damaged during the shoot, who covers the bill.

@fabphoto check out youtube for some portraiture videos there is lots on content on there you'll find useful and gauge whether or not you'll be able to pull it off. If you do think you'll be able to manage it (basic headshot are painfully simple) then practice, practice, practice. If you're not comfortable tell them but dress it up e.g. i don't think i'll be able to get the standard we need and it won't be professional looking which won't project the right company image.

Good luck and ignore those with their knickers in a knot in this thread ;)
 
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okay Fabien... serious answer from me this time...

Have a watch of this video tutorial on shooting headshots to get some idea of a quick and easy, relatively foolproof setup for lighting these kind of things...

https://www.talkphotography.co.uk/threads/portrait-lighting-tutorial-video.583691/

I'm assuming that you've already got a couple of studio lighting heads, lighting modifiers, reflectors etc that you can put your hand to. Blag a reasonably large empty office for the day, set up a makeshift studio and go for it...

if however the company will need to hire in all the lighting (don't whatever you do hire it yourself, or you'll end up well and truly out of pocket) be aware that it'll cost more to hire the kit than it would to get a pro. in to do the job - especially if they figure in a lost day of productivity for you (and probably an assistant to "wrangle the people in and out of the studio on time" ) in your "day job"

Personally, I said to head for the horizon to avoid doing it because, well, frankly i've done enough of these sausage factory type shoots back in the past that the mere thought of it makes me vaguely nauseous.
 
Also, expect everyone to want the images for Linked In etc...
 
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