need help for a corporate shot

Gabrielle_JL · Feb 23, 2017

Hi, I would like to know if somebody could help me by giving me some tips on how to take a photo like this (see attached file)
I have to take few shots like that for my work and I'm used to take corporate portrait on a white backgroud. I Have a nikon D40x and I usually work with 2 flash on stands and umbrellas.

The photo below is very bright...do I need my flash? When I use them, Im not able to take multiple photos because my flash are slow and they need few seconds to be ready again.

Also, sould I take the photo in movement? my photos are always blurry when in movement..

****

I really hope someone will be able to take the time to help me

Gabrielle

PS: sorry if my english is not perfect, I speak french...

**** Image removed **** Please only link to images that are not your own. -TPF

dasmith232 · Feb 23, 2017

You could take this photo pretty easily with that camera and a flash unit.

The picture you included looks pretty "common" for a corporate stock photo. I'm a corporate photographer and it's similar to many that I've taken. The key thing is light. The entire wall behind them is glass. It's during the day so there's lots of light streaming in.

If you were to take the picture without flash you'd get silhouettes. If you put the flash in the camera's hotshoe and then twisted the flash head around to point at the wall behind you, you'd get a large source of light to fill in those shadows.

My approach would be to put the camera in Manual mode. I would NOT go for the largest aperture possible because all the people need to be in focus and you'll want enough "depth of field" to keep them in focus. The actual aperture setting would depend on the focal length you use and distances between you and them. On average, I'd probably start with the assumption of f/5.6 to f/8.

I'd probably put the ISO at around 200, but not much higher than 400. (The D40 is old enough that ISO 400 starts to show some digital noise.) You'll want some amount of ISO sensitivity to get more efficiency out of the flash, because you'll probably need a decent amount of flash power after bouncing it off the wall behind you. Therefore, going with ISO 100 might not work as easily.

The shutter speed will depend on how bright the outside light is. You'll want a shutter speed slow enough to "blow out" the background, or have it overexpose to white.

The flash power will depend on the flash unit. A more powerful flash would require maybe 1/16th power, where a smaller unit would require more (like 1/4). I can't answer that without seeing the actual conditions and knowing what the light looks like.

Also, many corporate settings have colored walls, which throws a wrench into the whole thing. But that's a different story. To fix that, you'd need to drape or hang something white on the wall, or use an off-camera flash with a modifier (softbox, umbrella, etc.)

This would get you to an approximation of the referenced shot above. For something that would go into an annual report, I typically will take more time to add an "overhead" light for hairlighting. Darker-haired subjects tend to benefit from that because it's adds "shine".

Gabrielle_JL · Feb 23, 2017

Thank you very much for your time.
I really appreciate!
here's a few shot I took today, but Im missing my models....Its better than I tought but still needs work...
Any advices on my photos will be welcome!

Thanks again!!

dasmith232 said:
You could take this photo pretty easily with that camera and a flash unit.

The picture you included looks pretty "common" for a corporate stock photo. I'm a corporate photographer and it's similar to many that I've taken. The key thing is light. The entire wall behind them is glass. It's during the day so there's lots of light streaming in.

If you were to take the picture without flash you'd get silhouettes. If you put the flash in the camera's hotshoe and then twisted the flash head around to point at the wall behind you, you'd get a large source of light to fill in those shadows.

My approach would be to put the camera in Manual mode. I would NOT go for the largest aperture possible because all the people need to be in focus and you'll want enough "depth of field" to keep them in focus. The actual aperture setting would depend on the focal length you use and distances between you and them. On average, I'd probably start with the assumption of f/5.6 to f/8.

I'd probably put the ISO at around 200, but not much higher than 400. (The D40 is old enough that ISO 400 starts to show some digital noise.) You'll want some amount of ISO sensitivity to get more efficiency out of the flash, because you'll probably need a decent amount of flash power after bouncing it off the wall behind you. Therefore, going with ISO 100 might not work as easily.

The shutter speed will depend on how bright the outside light is. You'll want a shutter speed slow enough to "blow out" the background, or have it overexpose to white.

The flash power will depend on the flash unit. A more powerful flash would require maybe 1/16th power, where a smaller unit would require more (like 1/4). I can't answer that without seeing the actual conditions and knowing what the light looks like.

Also, many corporate settings have colored walls, which throws a wrench into the whole thing. But that's a different story. To fix that, you'd need to drape or hang something white on the wall, or use an off-camera flash with a modifier (softbox, umbrella, etc.)

This would get you to an approximation of the referenced shot above. For something that would go into an annual report, I typically will take more time to add an "overhead" light for hairlighting. Darker-haired subjects tend to benefit from that because it's adds "shine".

vintagesnaps · Feb 23, 2017

I'd have the booklet/folder open so it looks like she's looking at something instead of staring at the cover. The artwork in the background cut off that way just makes it look like something hanging there at an odd angle. I might have framed that shot vertically.

Maybe try different vantage points and see how the background looks before you get people in the picture. Go early before the scheduled portrait time.

Too much space in the second one - if you got in closer and got them both looking at the camera that would be better. The overall color and quality is nice.

I'm not sure what you mean by taking photos in movement.

dasmith232 · Feb 23, 2017

Yes, to Sharon's points above.

In addition, we often hear about "lines" in photography (or any of the visual arts). We all know about: S and C curves, and leading lines, but there are also psychological lines. That's the line between a subject's eyes and what they're looking at. As a viewer, we try to associate the attitudes, feelings or beliefs of the subject to the object that they're looking at.

In the second picture, they could both look at the camera, but for "set" pieces like this I usually have them engaging with each other. In an annual report, we want to convey that the workers are happy, engaged and solving the world's problems (or at least making my stock value go up), and not stopping to look at the camera and get pictures taken. Of course, there are plenty of exceptions to that rule.

In contrast, for executive, officer or director headshots, I almost always have them look directly at the camera. Because they're not looking at me, they're looking at the investor. Direct eye contact conveys trust and integrity. Looking off to the side says that I'm looking for ways to hide something about money from you.

And that motion thing? Yeah, I didn't quite get that one either.

However, when shooting a group of workers (for example, around a table) I've intentionally had them moving a hand towards whatever they're working on to show action. Getting that blur just right requires the perfect balance of ambient vs. flash and using rear-curtain sync that's probably beyond what we can cover here.

Designer · Feb 23, 2017

Gabrielle_JL said:
Thank you very much for your time.
I really appreciate!
here's a few shot I took today, but Im missing my models....Its better than I tought but still needs work...
Any advices on my photos will be welcome!

Welcome!

The first has good light, but your model should be looking at the camera and holding her folder. You have missed the top of her head.

The second photograph is too much light. Shoot more toward the wall, not the window. Get closer to your subjects to fill the frame.