Back in July I had the pleasure of photographing the founders of Flat Earth Pizzas in East London. Sarah and Rich came to me to get some high quality professional portraits of the two of them to use for the increasing number of media opportunities coming their way, and for their website. Just a couple of weeks after the shoot the pair were featured in The Guardian, in an article about the 'eat out to help out' scheme and already got to make use of one of the photos.
Business photography, particularly for London start-ups and founders, is a growing area of my work. More than ever before, people are keen to know the faces behind the brand. It's more important for people to spend their money with people they trust, and also to get that feel-good factor of knowing who's making your product (or cooking your pizza in this case!)
For photos that are bound for online magazines and newspapers, the classic head and shoulders portrait shot (that you might find on a company website) is less relevant. A landscape shot with some character to it (be that the expressions of the people in it, or an interesting backdrop) is more likely to ping off the page in a pleasing way, and look up to date.
We found a quiet backstreet in the middle of Hackney to capture Sarah and Rich. Like always, the best photos really started coming through when we'd been together a little while. I can't emphasise enough how few people are confident in front of the camera, and yet it's possible to get natural and flattering shots of anyone.
The feedback I get is that my down to earth and relaxed approach, with a bit of humour thrown in, puts people at ease and takes the nerve-wracking factor out of the process.
If you live in East London head on down to the Plough, where Flat Earth are hanging out at the moment, to try out the unique flavour combinations and top notch ingredients of their pizza, or get it delivered to your door...yum.
And, if you are looking for professional photographs of your team, here's some more inspiration over on my Pinterest page for you to check out.