Case Study: Corporate Headshot Alternatives Los Angeles
Case Study: Environmental Portraits for DaVita Healthcare
The Assignment
My client, DaVita Kidney Care, was hosting a women-centered corporate event in Los Angeles and wanted non-traditional corporate portraits of its executives that felt more natural and editorial than conventional corporate headshots.
Creating an Alternative to Traditional Headshots
I showed them my editorial portrait and corporate photography galleries, and they liked the outdoor portrait examples lit with large silks—translucent cloth that softens harsh sunlight. The setup creates a natural, editorial look, usually framed by architecture or landscape, and allows for more authentic interactions with my subjects. The advantage of this portrait setup for business portraits is that there are no lights to constantly adjust, and it is just me and the subject for 20 minutes.
Making the Portrait Experience Comfortable
To help the executives feel comfortable, the client asked me to bring a female assistant. That made me the only man in a group of 45 women — unusual but rewarding. I tried to make the portrait session an experience, so I also provided makeup to anyone who needed it and played everyone’s favorite music the whole time. Everyone loved the setup, and the resulting portraits felt fresh and authentic.
I shot to a large iPad so people could see their images on the spot, which gave people confidence in the images. The pictures were a hit with the women, and there was a lot of buzz around the setup.
This kind of environmental portrait works well for companies that want a more relaxed, contemporary alternative to traditional corporate headshots without the production requirements of a large studio lighting setup.
Working With Changing Natural Light
I had scouted the location ahead of time and knew we’d have to move with the sun. We shifted the silk frame throughout the day as the sun moved, so each executive ended up with a slightly different background to complement the individual.
The Result
In total, we photographed 45 women executives and created a cohesive library of executive portraits and business portraits that gave DaVita a more human, contemporary visual identity.
