About headshot photography sessions at your location
Do you need me to come to you? No problem!
It’s certainly more cost effective and time efficient for me to come to your location if you have more than just a couple of people who need headshots. But sometimes it’s absolutely necessary, such as when your board members are in Canberra for just the one day and you need them photographed between meetings; or when your new CEO only has a few minutes to spare; or when you need headshots at a specific location for stylistic or other reasons.
I specialise in location-based corporate headshot photography and I can accommodate all of those scenarios and many more besides.
All you need to do to get things started is to send me an email or give me a call to tell me what you need and when you need it. I’ll then send you a quote and we’ll go from there.
So here is what typically happens with location-based headshot sessions.
Let me know what you need and I’ll send you a quote. If you’re happy with the quote then we’ll lock in the time and place.
Sometimes, but not always, I’ll ask if I can come out to your location ahead of time so that I can see where we’ll do the photography. I do this to make sure that everything goes smoothly on the day and to avoid any unexpected surprises that might delay the session. (As an aside, I recently did this because I was booked to photograph in a building that I had never been to before and I’m so glad I did because it took far longer than I expected to actually find the right location!).
On the day, I’ll usually arrive at your location about an hour before the first photo is taken as I need that time to bring the equipment into your building and to set up the lighting and camera equipment prior to the first shot being made.
Depending on the particular job, I typically only need a few minutes with each person to photograph them. Your staff are usually under pressure to be doing other things and so location headshots tend to happen much quicker than studio sessions where we have the luxury of a more leisurely pace. But just as for studio sessions, I’ll still coach and direct everyone through their session, albeit at a slightly fast rate. I don’t let anyone get away with headshot photographs that are less than first rate.
Everyone gets to see the images on a computer screen at the time that they are photographed. If possible we’ll select the best one there and then, so there are no surprises!
After all of the photographs have been made, I’ll pack up the equipment and head back to the studio to start the process of professionally retouching all of the selected images. In some cases clients might prefer to review the shots again first, in which case I’ll package them into a “proof sheet”, which is a PDF file of unretouched images (straight from the camera) from which you can make you final selections.
When the selected photos have been processed and retouched, I’ll send you a link from which you’ll be able to download your finished headshot photos. And this is the point at which I usually send you the invoice too!
Set up, and ready to shoot at different locations.
A few examples of what typical set-ups look like in different locations.
FAQs
How can I book you to come to our location?
The first thing to do is just give me a call or send me an email to let me know what you need. If you can give me a rough estimate of the number of people that you need photographed, and an indication of when you would like that to happen, then we can go from them there. I’ll ask you a few more questions about the sorts of images that you need and then I’ll be able to send you a quote. If you’re happy with the quote then we can lock in the date and make it happen.
Can I book location sessions online?
No, I’m afraid the online booking system is only for individual sessions in the studio. Every location job is different so get in touch with me and we’ll go from there.
How much do location sessions cost?
For most location sessions in Canberra I charge the simple formula of $380 plus $35 per image. So, for example, if you need to photograph 10 people then the total fee is $730. Each image is fully retouched and delivered electronically for you to download from a link that I’ll send to you.
I run a business and I want to send new staff to get headshots when they join. Can that be arranged?
Yes, of course. Several businesses send their new staff to me for headshots, which are done with the same look and style for each person so they all look consistent on your website and your marketing material. Furthermore, I discount the fee for those businesses. If you’re interested in doing this then send me a message or give me a call and I would be more than happy to chat with you about the options.
What should I wear to my headshot session?
Well, the short answer is to choose clothes that fit well and that reinforce the impression that you’re trying to communicate (ie, formal, casual, modern, conservative …); and choose clothes that don’t distract too much attention away from your face.
Read more about selecting clothes for your photo session here.
I’m worried that I won’t know how to stand or where to look or what to do while I’m being photographed.
That’s completely normal and so don’t worry for a second about any of those things as I’ll coach and direct you through the whole process. Corporate and business headshots are not easy to do and so even if you’re used to being photographed we still need to pay very careful attention to your expression and your body language — even if it’s just your head and shoulders — so that your photograph communicates the right impression. I’m skilled at that sort of direction and that’s all part of what you pay for.
We have a lot of people to photograph, so how should we organise everyone?
I think that depends entirely on your organisation and your people. Usually organisations schedule specific times for people, in which case 10 minutes each is a good starting point. I have worked with schedules as tight as 5 minutes per person, to as loose as 30 minutes per person. But 10-15 minutes each is about the average.
At the other end of the spectrum, I have worked with organisations that arrange for me to be onsite for a fixed amount of time (say, one or two days) and then require their staff to ensure they are photographed at some point during that time. The risk is that everyone will wait for the last minute, so this is a strategy that works better with a lower number of people.
Can you match our existing corporate headshot style?
In most cases yes. In fact, this is something that I do quite a lot. The best thing to do is send me an example of the style that you would like me to emulate, or a copy of your style guide if you have one, and I’ll make sure that I can match it for you.
Do you offer hair and make-up services?
No, I don’t. But I’m happy to recommend someone to you.
I need a picture that shows me in my work environment. Can you do that?
Absolutely I can. Whether your environment is an office, an outdoor location, a workshop, or even a surgical theatre in a hospital (yes, I have done that!), I can photograph you in your space. Sometimes I’ll need a site visit beforehand so that I can plan the session properly with the equipment that I’ll need, so give me a call and tell me what you need.
What do I need to tell people to do to prepare for their session?
The only thing that people really need to do is make sure that their clothes and hair are ready. Arranging hair and collars (and ties for men) can be time consuming, so if your schedule is tight then this preparation is important.
Other than that … just turn up! I’ll do the rest.
How quickly can we get our photos?
That depends on the number of people being photographed. If there are 100 people then it might take a couple of weeks, but if it’s just a few then it can often be the following day. But this is something that I can discuss with you prior to the session and I’ll do my best to accommodate your needs.
Still have questions?
Don’t hesitate to give me a call or email any time.