Executive Headshots for Pittsburgh Bio-Tec Company
This was a quick Executive Headshot I did for a Pittsburgh Bio-Tec Firm just last week. They wanted something a little different than the normal business headshot, so I ended up shooting them like I would a model. Both of these executives are attractive enough that I could probably get them some work at the Talent Group, but they’re most likely busy enough running businesses… :o)
Using Window Light For Executive Headshots vs Strobe Light
Normally when I shoot executive headshots, I use electronic flash as my light source, but when I shoot with this set, I use natural window light. The window is large and placed at just the right height to make the perfect main light source. The only downside to using a window as a main light, is that if I want to create a different lighting effect, I need to move the entire set and not just the light, which is what aI would do if I was using an artificial light. That’s a price I’m willing to pay in order to get these beautiful headshots.
Retouching Executives
I’m not sure if I mentioned this in in any past posts, but I offer retouching along with my headshots. My Photoshop skills have gotten very good and I have another program that is amazing when it comes to tweaking my executive headshots. The software that I use for retouching is called Portrait Professional and it’s amazing. It can actually change the shape of a subject’s face or the color of their hair of even their eyes. I use the program for other, more subtle effects, but the program do astonishing things. It’s really easy to overdo it, but I try my best to “keep it real”, as they say…
Some people want a lot of retouching and many don’t really care all that much. The key is to retouch as little as possible and still have the client happy with the results. If you were a knuckle-dragging sexist, like I’ve been accused of being, you would assume that women are the ones that care most what they look like, but that’s not always the case. I have photographed all kinds of executives and often times men are the ones most interested in how my retouching program can make them look better. If fact, very often I retouch more hair on my own head, even for social media posts.
Trends in Executive Headshot Photography
Without a doubt, the current trend in Executive Headshots, is toward being on location and looking casual. Depending on the business of the executive, I’m finding that more and more people are wanting something a little more informal photos of themselves. The culture is dictating that people be more accessible and their photos should illustrate this.
It used to be that most executive headshots were taken on a grey studio background, and I still do tons of these type of photos, but more and more people are asking for me to go on location to shoot. The headshots on this page are sort of a compromise between shooting with the typical studio background and going on location. By using a non-studio looking background, we were able to give the feel of a location and not leave the studio.
Additional Uses for Executive Headshots
In the “old days”, executive portraits were used mostly in Annual Reports and internal company newsletters, but today headshots are needed for the company web page, social media profile pics, along with the traditional business uses. Maybe this is the reason for the trend. A LinkedIn or Facebook profile headshot tends to be less formal and is very important to the success of any business person.
Other Types of Executive Headshots
The web page you’re viewing here is my primary “headshot” web page, but I also shoot more involved Commercial Portraits and you can view them on my other page. Executive Portraits like you see on MichaelRay.com tend to be more involved and therefore more expensive to produce. These types of photos are more like editorial portraits and for headshots. Headshots and portraits can be similar, but depending on their end use, need to be treated differently.
