Chantal: 082 871 9274 / Catherine: 082 735 6278

How to Prepare for a Portrait shoot

The goal of this blog is to help you best prepare for a ZooM Portrait shoot, and know what to expect during a session with one of our professional photographers.

A great portrait is a collaboration between photographer and subject. When both are working together the result is far more than what comes from direction alone.

We know that your CEO’s and Managers are far too busy working hard to really be focusing on their modelling careers and that is why we have put together some tricks to get you to model status for your upcoming shoot. That way we can get to that magical state of collaboration.

LOCATION

This is the first step to getting the shot that truly represents your company and ethos the best.  Think about what it is you’re going to use the photos for. Are you going to use it on the web, a publication of sorts or all out Billboard style? We need to know where the photo will end up in order to advise you on the kind of shot that will work best. Our team have a great variety of studio and situational ideas. But if you already know what you want that’s great too just let us know what you’re thinking.

Studio – At ZooM anything is really possible with our green screen options. If you are thinking of going that route be sure that you know exactly what you want inserted into the background. That way our photographer can pose you just right for the scene. Perhaps you require each staff member on a white background next to your company logo, a popular choice for website portfolios. Or you would like to get more creative and have a studio type coloured or mottled background. Let us know what you’re thinking a week before the shoot so we can bring all the right stuff to your shoot. Just remember shooting studio portraits involves a lot of equipment, make sure you have a big enough space for all to strut their stuff in the lime light.

Situational: Office or Outdoor Environments – Perhaps you have revamped the office and its looking top notch. Why not use your office spaces as the backdrop of your portraits? It’s a great way to show off your fresh new wall papers and is a truest representation of your company’s character. Often your staff members are most relaxed and looking their best in a familiar environment. Advise your photographer on your favourite spaces that they may not know about. A good natural light source like windows are always a plus for these kind of shots.  These shots do however take time and planning so its best to stick to 2 or 3 different areas of shooting.

Time is money…. Or so our CEOs and Important corporates always tell us. To get the best out of each person it is recommended to slot in times for each person to have their portraits taken. 5 to 10 minutes should be plenty for our photographers to get the best shots out of each person.  This also means that you don’t have your whole team waiting around getting agitated for their turn to take their photos.

Hair, make up and clothing

The biggest challenge in getting ready for a portrait photo shoot has to be choosing what to wear and making sure that everyone is looking like rock stars on the day of the shoot. Let all the staff know well in advance which day our photographer will be there to shoot so that they can have time to strut around in front of their mirror at home. If you look good you feel good, you want your staff feeling relaxed and confident when the lens is focused on them. Perhaps have a mirror and brush at hand for any last minuet adjustments.