Corporate photography: adding some zap to your business snaps

By Ellie Wright

Renowned corporate photographers Chris and Suzanne Salvo came to Soho, London to teach us a thing or two about visual communications - from current photography trends to expert tips on how to improve your shooting skills. 

12 would-be corporate photographers joined the workshop and photo walk around Soho in the summer sunshine where they were able to put their new-found skills into practice. Check out the video at the bottom of this article to see where they went and what they shot.

Delegates remarked:
‘Unlike some courses I've been on, this was pitched at exactly the right level and matched to the delegates’
‘A very useful day and varied too’.

It’s no secret that a picture speaks a thousand words, but if you ask Suzanne she’d tell you that this is a massive understatement. That might sound crazy, but it’s a theory gleaned from a career that’s witnessed huge changes in the field of visual communications.

Photo trends for 2010

The Salvos offered communicators valuable tips on how to keep images up to date and employee publications looking fresh.

“Curves and organic shapes are all the rage right now. Companies want to move away from harsh and angular images, which leave viewers cold and detached. Curves are friendly and inviting and if used correctly will bring a welcoming vibe to your corporate snaps," they explained.

Colour-wise, orange is particularly popular this year, especially when it’s married with a hint of blue.

“If you find yourself using the same photos over and over again, consider using a colour treatment. For example, make an image black and white and then use your corporate colour to highlight just one object or area. Beware though - this technique has been hot for a while, and there’s no knowing how long it’ll be popular for.”

Other important takeaways from the session:

•    Movement and blurring adds a dynamic element to still images.

•    Raw and ‘in the moment’ photography – something  the audience will perceive as being honest and genuine – much like the photography on Facebook and Twitter.

•    High Dynamic Range

“This photographic technique involves several exposures combined to form one image, and can be achieved with most photo-editing software. The result is an image with detail in the brightest highlights and the deepest shadows. Using high dynamic range will bring a great art-based feel to your snaps, and works really well for architecture shots and dynamic landscapes,” Suzanne pointed out.

Visual Evolution

We’re in the midst of a digital revolution thanks to advances in digital imagery, so odds are people will be carrying a camera of one sort or another at all times. With this in mind, it’s only natural that we use more images in our communication.

In many cases, the first images of any emergency disasters are taken by people on the ground - from the video taken on the tubes at the 7/7 bombings to the documentation of the BP oil spill in the US. Anyone who’s able to send their images to major news outlets, blogs or YouTube can get instant recognition.   

Thinking in pictures

Suzanne reckons the limits of our technology have traditionally made us word-centric, but happily those limits are disappearing. In a very meaningful sense we’re all becoming part of a world of photographers.

Learning new techniques and gaining an appreciation of new styles is one thing, but if your basic photography chops aren’t up to scratch, that knowledge won’t be much use in the field. But fear not – here is a list of tips and tricks to get your photos up to publishing standard. We think you’ll find it lens itself to improving your corporate photography! 

1. Move in closer when taking portrait shots. In most cases the expression on the employee or CEO’s face is more important that what their shoes look like -- unless of course you’re talking to Jimmy Choo.

2. Use light and colour wisely. The eye is drawn to lighter areas -- in particular areas coloured red or yellow. If your main subject is not the lightest or brightest part of the image, then your message might get lost.

3. Make yourself laugh! Get creative and you might just capture that perfect image for the annual report. Even if you don’t it will keep you engaged and interested in what you are doing, and at the end of the day, enjoying your work is the most important thing.

4. If you only have space for one image to tell an entire story, then use a wide shot with a large foreground element.

5. Know your camera and always have it with you - a true photographer loves their camera more than they could ever love a family member.

6. If you’re shooting the top boses in your office, try and get a morning appointment. Everyone looks better in the morning and there’s less chance you’ll get bumped when schedules get squeezed.

7. Whatever it is you’re shooting, try to include a human element. This could be someone’s hand gripping the product you need to show, or if a building is your subject, make sure your shot includes some people walking past - viewers will be drawn to the human element, and will spend a few more seconds looking at your image on a web page or publication than they otherwise would have.

Less is not more

Finally, never forget that when it comes to digital photography, pixels are cheap. Don’t take a picture, look at in on your camera’s display and move on; instead take plenty of shots so you have loads to choose from once you’re back in the office.

There’s nothing wrong with taking hundreds of digital shots, but you do have to edit ruthlessly. Editing your own images is one of the toughest skills to master, and becoming proficient requires a degree of honesty and lack of ego that doesn’t come naturally to many photographers. 

As Suzanne says, “If you have to explain away a defect, don’t show the shot. Editing is a learning exercise. An uber-critical appraisal of your images will make for better shooting next time.”