For a minute there, it seemed like we might be getting back into our New York business photography. We were optimistic, albeit cautiously so. Now, though, with the resurgence of cases we can see that it will still be some time before we are back to business.

That said, we are getting the well-spaced, tentative calls from new and current clients. Most are for one-off headshots and the occasional small group. These kinds of projects can be done safely and seem manageable. We went into this at length in a previous blog post. And it is comforting in that it tells us people are still needing New York business photographers. Our service is still valued.

We would love to see things pick up, but know that it's still early. Coronavirus is still, sadly, going strong and it's not a time to bring people together.

Now that we have had a few calls, though, we are thinking a lot about what the shorter terms will look like. We are thinking about who, as soon as the virus subsides, will want to have new and updated photos for their businesses. We are thinking about why corporate headshot photographers will be a priority.

Seeing The Importance of Headshot Photography – Through the Lens of Coronavirus

Most of our businesses are prioritizing headshots for many of the same reasons. But the logic behind pushing forward is a little different. For example, business still feel that business headshots need to be current. Only now, the interest in having a current headshot not only signals that you are a forward thinking professional. It signals that you are STILL IN BUSINESS! It is a big unknown as to who will survive this and seeing current content and new headshot photos is a promising sign that your favorite vendors are still plugging along.

As we are looking through and staying connected with our clients, we are also wondering who is still in the same positions, who has been laid off and who has moved onto a new opportunity. While this is always a question among professional relations, never have we been faced with so many major and quick changes in our professional communities.

This is happening all the time in our own business. We are looking at our vendors and wondering, what changes will we see when business ramps up. Will our printers still be in business? Will we be able to rely on the retouchers, the assistants, the photo equipment rental houses? Seeing updated photography and communications from the vendors we love has been a comfort.

Another reason that people will be quick to get the corporate headshot when they can, is simple: It is good to put a face with a name. And once again, COVID amplifies this need. We cannot be together for the normal meetings. While a Zoom call can help us solve some in-person meeting challenges, a nice, professional headshot is part of your toolbox in getting to that meeting. Further, if you have not met pre-zoom, having a familiarity, recognizing a face, can make that Zoom meeting slightly less awkward. Post your business headshot on your website and LinkedIn and your client will actually recognize you on that call.

Our next prediction is that when businesses start to open in a meaningful way, many will want to re-launch with a bang. During the COVID pandemic, heavily impacted businesses whose work has dropped off have been repurposing their time. We see a lot of focus on outreach, social media planning and, of course, constant pivoting their products and services. The question businesses are addressing is, what can we do while we are shut? So now, we have seen an interest in updating websites, getting marketing collateral in order and being ready to shine when doors open. We know our companies see us as a resource for this kind of stepped up brand imagery. We hope to be a partner in getting everyone back to where they want to be, pre-Coronavirus.

How Can We Tackle This?

We have talked about how our New York corporate headshot photographers can perform safely for groups. See our last blog post regarding how to handle a photo shoot in your office safely. You will see that we have safety guidelines in place. We can keep distance between all parties and do the shoot in a no-touch manner.

But what if your staff is in multiple locations? There was once a time when clients would bring us in to cover business headshots at giant sales meeting in Las Vegas or Orlando or right at home in New York City. Companies would bring their sales teams in from all over the country (sometimes, the world) to collaborate, do training and get a headshot by The Booth! Having everyone together solved the problem of creating consistent, company-wide headshots.

Well, let's just say my calendar is no longer full of large sales meetings packed with networking and togetherness. It will come back, but for now, virtual meetings are the name of the game. We are yet to figure out how to take a good headshot through video conferencing.

When the time is right, companies will start to make concrete plans on how business photographers can operate safely. For those with only one centrally located office, this should be pretty easy. For those times and, we predict, several months thereafter, we will be focusing on regional projects and will be thinking about how we can serve our clients who have multiple offices in cities across the country.

We have ideas and options on how to keep the corporate headshot photography consistent while keeping all of the photography on a regional, limited travel, plan. Here are a few ideas so you can start planning for your multi-city corporate headshot project without getting everyone together.

1. Have your photographer create a look and lighting plan for solid backgrounds. Consistency of light will do more to tie your photos together visually than any other element of your photo plan. Have your key photographer create a plan for how he or she set up the studio and lights. Photographers in other cities and regions can use this plan to set up lights that match the original shot. Boom. Photos will be consistent and no one will know that they where shot by a New York City headshot photographer or a Denver headshot photographer.

2. See #1, but create a corporate headshot lighting plan that would work for different environmental views. Have your key photographer create a lighting plan for 2+ background options in your space. Again, that photographer can share his/her plan with other offices where they can pick 1 or 2 background/environmental options. The backgrounds will vary, but the overall look will be consistent.

3. Greenscreen! Choose a background that you like at your New York office. Our headshot photographer in New York will take a photo without anyone on that background. Next shoot your subjects against a green screen or neutral background in every location. In post-production a retoucher will clip the subject off that background and place the subject onto the original, universal background being used by the rest of the firm.

Other Types of Business Photography

Because of the togetherness factor, the headshot photography piece is the most difficult one to tackle. We can't get large groups together when we are trying to stay apart.

The other part of a visual launch is general business photography that might include office shots, product photography and other imagery related to a company's product. These kinds of shoots can be easier to plan for since it will not require being together in the same way as large numbers of corporate headshots. Product photography is easy. It requires a very small team to make it happen. Office photography or photography of your business in action can be staged in a way that keeps people at a distance. Thoughtful planning around what shots you need and how to get to the right look will be key.

In Conclusion

As we see trends around re-opening businesses, we will continue to think through how we can be a resource on the business photography piece. We are looking forward to serving our clients as soon as it is safely possible!

New York corporate headshot photographers