In today’s lesson, I am shooting a corporate image of someone in a call center. I have done these images for years and their success hinges on getting the right person to be the talent. The image represents the face of the company, so the talent should make the image feel open and inviting.

There are a couple things to know when prepping talent for a photo shoot, whether that person is an employee from the client company or a paid model/actor:
     1. Have them bring several options for clothing
     2. Make sure clothes are clean and pressed; bring an iron or steamer with you
     3. Talent should be well groomed
     4. Make a conscious decision about facial hair with the client and the talent
     5. Have the talent bring personal grooming supplies, from tooth brushes to razors

This type of image demands a few things from the talent, and you will need to provide direction to him or her:
     1. Need to look directly into the camera
     2. Need to have a comfortable smile
     3. Help talent feel comfortable by engaging in conversation
     4. Positive encouragement

#1 There are two elements of this image: the customer service rep in the foreground and other office workers in the background. The people in the background will be lit by a large window and the overhead light. If I set my camera to expose for the background, our main talent is very underexposed.

#2 I will add a small Photoflex octodome on a Dynalite head on camera left. This light will mimic a window light and balance out the exposure throughout the image. This one light opens up his face and the wall behind him looks great. Here is our final image.

#3 Compare our final image with this one that was shot earlier in the day. The lighting is good but it falls flat because there is nothing going on in the background. We put a lot of effort into arranging the background so that it looked good but not too cluttered.

We only had an hour to get this shot but because of the prep work we did with the talent and client, we were able to set up everything needed for this shoot in 30 minutes, leaving us plenty of time to get the shot. Prep work is just as important as the time spent on set.

Thanks for watching! Keep those cameras rollin’ and keep on clickin’.

-Jay P Morgan