Don’t Look Back in Anger – Changes in Corporate Photography

Don’t Look Back in Anger – Changes in Corporate Photography

The new Prime Minister, speaking outside the doors of 10 Downing Street shortly after his formal meeting with the King, said that with the UK having seven prime in the last 10 years it was an appropriate moment for reflection.

Reflecting every now and then on life is never a bad thing. Now that I’m comfortably into my third decade providing corporate photography services, I’ve been thinking about just how much my profession has changed since I first started Piranha Photography.

Here are some of the main changes:

The Phone Never Rings

I started out in professional photography when the internet was in its infancy and social media had yet to be invented, so the principal form of contact was still the phone.

These days, virtually 100% of new business contact comes via an email. Even for established clients very little business is discussed over the phone and calls tend to be only in the immediate run up to a shoot to reassure them we will be turning up and perhaps to fine tune the brief or discuss any late changes to it.

Since Covid

Covid brought in a lot of changes that have since remained in place. Things that might have been organised via emails and phone calls have switched to meetings on Teams instead.

Again, post Covid, we arrange fewer corporate shoots on Mondays and Fridays. This reflects the rise in working from home patterns which are still prevalent five years since the start of the pandemic.

However, the standard office working day of 9am to 5pm still applies, despite the other changes to business routines.

Whole Company Shoots

It’s been a gradual trend over the years for Piranha to photograph not just company board members and senior management but staff from every part of a client’s business.

This trend reflects the general flattening (at least in terms of corporate presentation) of company hierarchies, and also the rise of social media.

In line with the rise of the more relaxed presentation of staff and businesses, we now attend far more outdoor shoots and capture more images of people in different work settings rather than the traditional head and shoulder ‘studio’ style portraits, even though these are still popular.

Office Clothing Choices

Ties are now definitely a thing of the past, at least for now. Most of our clients don’t ask men to wear one to a photoshoot.  On the other hand, we’ve seen a big increase in men wearing quarter zip tops, which they prefer to couple with expensive shirts. Men are also happy to come to photoshoots wearing trainers.

Social Media

LinkedIn has become more important as a business tool over years in terms of recruitment, new business acquisition and corporate communication. In the past five years, there’s been a huge increase in the people who want tailored headshots to reflect their personal style and in keeping with the social media channels like Instagram.

In the case of LinkedIn, they want to show a softer, more human side to the one presented on their company’s website. Accordingly, we now offer clients separate times slots after a company headshot session that enable subjects to change clothes and locations so they present themselves differently on LinkedIn and other social media outlets.

Much Faster Turnaround of Images

Expectations have certainly changed around the delivery schedule of images. Twenty years ago, clients expected images delivered within a week or so after a headshot photoshoot. These days, they expect next day turnaround.

For corporate events, it’s the same story. People want to post professional images on social media the morning after an event while it’s fresh in their thoughts. A week later would be far too late! Like everything else in the world of corporate communications, everything has speeded up in my world in the last five years.

Photoshopping Images

While some clients still ask for images to be touched up, including the removal of small imperfections or perhaps the cropping of parts of a shot, advances in-camera software and lighting set ups mean we actually spend less time in post-production these days. In around 90% of the time, we are able to send over images that need little to no fettling.

Men are More Image Conscious

The rise of the metropolitan male has been on a steadily rising curve for at least the last 15 years or even more. These days, men are happily to discuss hair and other styling issues before a shoot. Moreover, men are much interested in the results and want the images to look good and to present them at their best.

It’s true that men still don’t want to wear make-up, but almost every man is happy to deshine their faces with a wipe or a have a little powder applied before being captured on camera.

Everyone ‘Knows’ Their Best Side

These days, almost everyone we photograph knows their best side. In fact, best sides can be determined by how they are lit during a shoot, but it doesn’t seem to stop both sexes now having an opinion on the matter.

More Scope for Creativity

Despite reduced direct personal contact with clients, there’s actually more scope these days for creative thinking around photo shoots. Clients are very happy to freestyle with us some ideas once the main brief of the day has been met. If there’s time on the clock, they ask if we can take shots to add to their image libraries. These are usually of colleagues working, architectural shots of their building or interesting buildings in their neighbourhood, or some abstract style images that can be used on their website and website and social media channels.

So, what are main difference after three decades in corporate photography? While it was and remains a people business, the main ones are a shift toward faster turnarounds, the reduced amount of client phone contact, more casual work attire and a focus on social media-ready yet authentic imagery. Despite these changes, the demand for high-quality, creative and engaging professional portraits remains as strong as ever.

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Piranha Photography( Photographer )

Professional corporate photographer, providing company headshot photography and video for businesses in London, the rest of the UK and Europe. Piranha are commissioned by FTSE100 companies and start-ups alike, for numerous projects, covering a wide range of work and styles. Portraits and office photography for use on websites, events coverage and PR shots for press and publications, as well as Board and location photography for annual reports.   Using top of the range Leica cameras and lenses. We process the images promptly and to an extremely high standard.

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