A potential corporate client reached out, requesting a photographer who could replicate the look of their previous business portraits. Their new employees needed headshots that matched the style of the existing ones.
Matching previous portraits is a common request, and it reflects a company’s understanding of the importance of consistency in business messaging. Consistency fosters a sense of stability, which in turn builds trust.
Trust is built with consistency. – Lincoln Chafee, US state governor
It’s typically easy to match the style of existing business portraits but I asked the company to provide samples of the previous images, just to be sure.
Oiy!
The earlier portraits featured a canvas background with green and blue diagonal streaks. Recreating that background was out of the question.
The lighting included a small front flash that created harsh shadows on the subject’s face and background. A strong sidelight glared on the side of the subject’s head. This was far from flattering, and there was no way I would ever reproduce that.
I emailed the company and, as tactfully as possible, suggested that the lighting and background in their previous portraits weren’t ideal. I offered to create new, modern-looking business portraits for all their employees. However, if they insisted on replicating the old style, I was not the right photographer for the job. The company never responded
Produce to Reproduce
I received a similar email last week from another business and they included copies of their previous portraits that had to be matched. These headshots were done outdoors in front of some bushes outside their office in Seattle.
However, their Toronto office, where the new headshots would be shot, is surrounded by concrete and glass—no trees, no foliage at all. I emailed the company and pointed out that their Toronto location had no greenery and suggested indoor studio portraits. But I never heard back.
When a photographer goes a bit rogue gets creative with odd backgrounds or unusual lighting for business portraits, it limits the company’s future options. Oddly styled portraits can be impossible to replicate.
Most professional photographers intentionally produce business portraits with a recognizable setup with regard to background and lighting. This ensures that the look can be reproduced by other professional photographers in the future, maintaining the company’s brand consistency.
