My ambition when taking pictures is usually just one: To document what I am seeing at that moment. The reasons for wanting to document something are twofold. Sometimes I just want to hold on to the precious memory of a place visited, a person met, a meal consumed, a dress worn (along with the occasion it was worn for), etc. At other times, I want to document something specifically with my blog in mind, because I want to show you and share with you where I've been, what I've seen or bought.
It has never been my ambition to become an expert photographer - I rather leave that to, well, the experts. For official or business photos, that is the best choice anyway.
Take our company. When I say "our", I mean the small consultancy firm RJ founded 5 years ago. In December 2012, I joined him. In February 2014, another friend came on board, so that there are now three of us helping our customers to get things right in the areas of data protection and IT security.
This summer, we finally did what I had wanted to do for a long time: We had proper, professional business photos taken.
The photographer was one I knew through XING (a Germany-based social media platform mainly for business) but had not yet met personally. He turned out to be not only a very good photographer as such, but also a truly pleasant person.
I can't show you our group picture properly, because RJ and our colleague would not be happy about having their pictures published here. But I have cropped it for you, so that you can get an idea of what we look like as a group. (It will also give you an idea of how tall they are - and I'm not exactly tiny at 5'8", either.)
I don't know how he did it, but our photographer did not only bring out the best of each of us in our individual pictures. He also managed to pick up our "group dynamics", so to speak, and now our group picture shows without words who we are and what our constellation as a company is and how relations between the three of us are. In other words, it shows us the way we are when it comes to work - old school and traditional (which makes us reliable and efficient), but also with a twist, because we think out of the box and often come up with surprisingly simple solutions that may not always mean the most profit for us but certainly the most benefit for our customers.
When it came to choosing our individual portraits, I was facing a small problem: Smile or no smile? Open smile or with my mouth shut?
In the end, we went for the last of these three pictures. Personally, I like the open smile best, but it's not the best for my line of business. Women are still rare in my field of work, and some men easily overlook how competent a woman can be in that work when they see a nice smile. They don't take such a woman seriously, but tend to see her as some kind of office bunny. Therefore, the open smile picture is just for you to look at, not for my customers.
I do this a few times a year. These are all acceptable as images but did the photographer talk? I find that if I am not the centre of attention people look posed. Itell them what a pain the job is and to please get their arses in gear. Then I get a nice snap.
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These
It's really hard to do people justice.
PS, not sure. I would have asked you a question and got a snap as you answered. You don't look very relaxed or hence competent in any. The light could be better. You have to remember that an office photo shoot is a minimum of a thousand pounds a day plus travelling for three, a load of gear or hire in Germany and a quick bite if we have time. A hair light would have made you a film star. You get what you pay for.
DeleteYou are right, Adrian, it IS really hard to do people justice. Our photographer was indeed talking to us all the time. We went to his studio for the pictures, and as far as pricing goes, I guess he was in the middle range; something we could afford but wasn't over the top considering our small company, but not the cheapest either.
DeleteA hair light would have only shown that my roots were in urgent need of a fresh lick of paint!
I think the last photo is the right choice for your biz photo; you look attractive and serious.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Terra!
DeleteThat's a really interesting set of portraits and I've spent quite a lot of time thinking about them. Curiosity: are you holding a pen in the top picture? It doesn't look like one close up and I don't recognise the name (Birbino?). I like the pendant in the pictures with a blouse. I think a blouse does have a professional look but the white/cream top also looks very 'serious'. All in all I think the photographer has done a good job for the purpose. However somehow it doesn't portray you as I 'know' you. The best people photographs I have taken over the decades have always been the un-posed ones usually shot on the hoof when the subject wasn't really aware of what I was doing.
ReplyDeleteIt actually was a pen, Graham. I can't remember what was written on it, it was just one that was there on a desk at the photographer's studio. We also tried me holding a folder, but the pen somehow worked better.
DeleteThe necklace I am wearing with the blouse was a present from my sister. I always wear it when I wear light blue.
As these are business photos, they are not supposed to show us as our friends and family know us, but the way we want our customers to perceive us. In a different context, I agree with you that often the best photos are the un-posed ones.
Well I like the open smile picture best. It is relaxed and yet business-like and confident. RJ and OC (other colleague) shouldn't be so bashful. After all, with a link, your blog could engender some extra business. Have they both got terrible acne?
ReplyDeleteActually, no - they are both very good-looking, and one of my favourite moments of a work day is when the three of us come walking into the canteen, me in the middle and flanked by my two handsome bodygards. In my head, I hear triumphant music accompanying our entree...
DeleteAh. Daydreams. Life is so much richer when we can dream.
DeleteI appreciate you not wanting to mention me as a great photographer. It keeps me humble.
ReplyDeleteHa, ha!
I like the photo of you smiling. You should have the on the side of your blog, I think!
Also, RJ and the other gentleman are so very tall! Good thing, I am not beside them...I am only 5' 4" but thank goodness for heels!
Thank you, Kay! I do like my blog avatar, too. It took me a while to make it, and I am still happy with how much it resembles me (when I wear my hair shorter). But the smiley photo is my personal favourite of the entire set of that day.
DeleteOne of my friends is really tiny, she reaches only about my chest height. This year at my birthday party, for the first time she and RJ met... it was funny to see them standing next to each other! Even funnier if you consider that she is an expert in Martial Arts and has I don't know how many "dans" (belts) in Kung Fu and Taek Won Do and would probably be able to win a fight against RJ :-) (Not that I ever want to have my friends fighting each other!)
I prefer unposed photos, too. But your look pretty good to me!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Frances. In business, unposed photos don't look professional. In private, I prefer the unposed ones, too.
DeleteAll the photos are good, but I like the smile photo best too. It shows how friendly and approachable you are -- something that those of us who follow your posts know well. xoxox
ReplyDeleteThank you, Carol! And believe me, I have my unfriendly, unapproachable moments like everyone else - they just don't make it to my blog :-)
DeleteI like all these portraits, but am amazed at how large your colleagues are! And I do like your smile!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Kristi! Yes, they are both very tall, although not the tallest of my friends - I have one friend who is exactly 2 m tall! (RJ and our colleage are not far off, though.)
DeleteI agree the last of the three portraits is probably the best for the buisiness purpose - but the middle one for more personal context :) The group photo, even though you have cut your male colleagues out of the picture, inevitably leads my thoughts to "Mission: Impossible" - the original TV series from the 1960s/70s (I don't think I've seen the more recent film versions). The pen thing you're holding might have something to do with it. It could be a self-destructing recorder that dissolves just after you've memorized your mission... If you never saw the series, that might not make sense. But you can probably google it! :) The IMDb page introduction says summarizes it thus: "An elite covert operations unit carries out highly sensitive missions subject to official denial in the event of failure, death or capture." You look serious enough for the job (and kind of filmstar-like!)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Monica! Actually, my first thought when we were looking at the group pictures to choose one was: We look like the anchor woman and her side-kicks for a TV show about politics or something like that :-)
DeleteMaybe my dress - which is not old but has definitely a 60s-style cut - has something to do with your "Mission Impossible" association, too. He he we could start using the memory delete thingy on our customers, so that they can't remember they have already paid us, and pay again!
How interesting! You look great in all of them - competent and confident yet also friendly and approachable. I like the open smile in the middle one best. But they're all very good. A photograph that we feel sums us up is such a hard thing to capture. x
ReplyDeleteThank you, Gillian! Yes, it is diffiicult to really "get" a person with the camera. That makes us appreciate our new business photos all the more.
DeleteWell I love the smile one - totally relaxed and gorgeous and so "you" or how I imagine you. And I love the white top - but i guess the last one is probably the best choice for what you are advertising...
ReplyDeleteThank you, Fiona! I felt exactly the way I look like on that "smiley" picture :-)
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