Office portraits - in Colour and Black (no white)

March 2022

The side effect of the end of working from home, is that there has been a rush to get new portraits done of the staff that are now back in the office - all be it for only a couple of days a week. This, combined with many companies taking on new recrutes after the pandemic, has means that I have been visiting a lot of workplaces.

Here are two completely different takes on the staff photo.

The first is for a brand agency. We collaborated to create a relaxed, casual and colourful look that echoed their website. I used available block colour in the office and the block colours of outside buildings - the St Giles circus Google buildings - to create a consistent yet varying pallet. I also decided to use a framework that included vertical lines throughout, creating a repeating style consistency.

The second set of headshots are for a global asset management bank. The style was pre determined and had to be the same as other portraits taken around the world, so the choices were less mine. But the ultra formality and the choice of black as a background was a nice challenge, and despite the ridged frame, it still allowed for individuality to shine through.

Ultimately the work required to make someone relaxed and comfortable and willing to trust you within 10 mins is the same in both shoots.