Creating Solutions for Great Corporate Photoshoots
Several years back, UPS started a new marketing campaign, where they adamantly stated how “We Love Logistics”. They have since changed to a new campaign, but I really enjoyed that. It appealed to me a corporate portrait photographer. I know you don’t see the connection just yet, but here we go. I am a photographer and shoot Dallas headshots. I am all about using the artistic vision I’ve been blessed with to achieve the visual needs for my wonderful clients. I love talking out creative ideas to make great photographs for everything from websites to magazine ads. But there is a layer that sits directly underneath that creative vein of mine. That would be logistics. UPS, I too love logistics, and am glad that I get to have that in common with the global carrier.
It is incredibly exciting to me to be handed the needs for a shoot, then go out and create a plan for how everything is to be accomplished. So many factors go in to every shoot, and this is true of really every shoot that I do. Some photo shoots are fairly straightforward, and I create a mental plan and checklist to follow so that all of my bases are covered. For example, this morning I had a outdoor corporate portrait that was very simple in nature. I made sure before I left that I had visualized everything I could need, and then have it all ready to go at the shoot. Though the shoot was simple, the sun started moving very quickly from behind a building and directly into my sightline. Since I was prepared, all it took was putting up a few pieces of gear that I had with me onsite and onward we went. I always like to plan for the things that you cannot plan for.
Others may be far more detail intensive, and I write up a physical plan to go over how the shoot goals are to be achieved. I have spent days for certain shoots writing out how everything will be handled, and basically orchestrating all of the moving parts. No matter what the project is, I can’t wait to plan it.
You know what it is interesting? I had mentioned that UPS has since started a new campaign, and do you know what they say about themselves now? That they are “United Problem Solvers.” They took it beyond saying that they were passionate about the work that they do, and expressed not only how much they like to get things from Point A to Point B, but to help a company however they can to solve any logistics or supply chain issues they may have. I couldn’t agree more with the Dallas photographer mindset that I have. Do I love what I do? Heck yes, I love being a Dallas headshot photographer. I love creating great work for my clients, all while planning out all of the pertinent details and logistics necessary to create a smooth experience for them. But just like Brown, I want to take it farther than that. Something may come up where I only have a few minutes to execute a large or complicated portrait. Or schedules may change and we have to figure out how to put all of the pieces together and still come out with great imagery. We might even have to shoot different elements or individuals because they can’t physically all be there at the same time, and then combine them for the final product. Or remove a car that decided to park itself right in the middle of a group shot location. In the real world, there are always challenges arising. I’d like to think that when it comes to my work as a corporate portrait photographer, I’m going to be the one that can offer up a solution.