3 Ways To Take A Better Business Portrait

Remember back in grade school where you would wait patiently in line to have your class picture taken? You would hop up onto a bench in front of a backdrop, smile at the camera, and be presented with one of the worst pictures possible a few weeks later?

That’s the business of taking quick, class photographs. But it’s not the business of taking a business portrait.

By the time we grow up and become a professional, we want more than just a quick “say cheese” portrait to put on our websites, business cards, brochures and social networking sites. We want something that’s a little classier. Something that showcases us in our best light. Here are a few ways you can bump up the quality of your professional business portraits – and charge more for them in the process:

1. Step away from the backdrop. Don’t do the standard images. Head out to the great outdoors and find variety in your portraits. From a city street, to an overgrown walkway, an environmental portrait will give your client more variety, and make him or her less stressed with the entire process.

better business portrait

2. Use high key lighting. With today’s technology, sometimes a backdrop isn’t the first choice. People today like to use cutaways for their websites and brochures, and have the ability to make their brochures and other marketing materials pop. Start by asking what they hope to accomplish with their business portraits. Then give them a wide array of options.

business portrait

3. Build up their business. What does your client do for a living? Why not incorporate that into their business portraits? Be creative with all of your executive images, and give them a selection to use for different reasons. While the average client may be looking for one good image to use on a business card, once you present more options, they may end up buying more to have more uses. An image of a baker surrounded by her high-end wedding cakes may be just what she needs for an article in a trade magazine. Or a framed wall print in her bakery.

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clientexperience@todaysgrowthconsultant.com' About Virtual Photography

We're the co-founders of VirtualPhotographyStudio.com and have been writing on this blog since 2004. We started Virtual as a way to help photographers stretch beyond a part time income, and develop strategies to become a Five Figure Photographer or a Six Figure Photographer. Ultimately its all about lifestyle, and if your goal is to live as a photographer 24/7, we think you should have the knowledge and the tools to do so. Welcome!