4 Tips to Hiring a Professional Photographer

If you are redesigning your website, implementing a new visual marketing campaign, or rebranding your corporate image, it’s important to hire a photographer who understands your vision and provides insights how to visually communicate your brand.

At Michael Carr Photography  at 713-461-2862, we begin our commercial projects with a consultation meeting with the creative stakeholders to discuss the overall vision of your company’s imagery.  This process allows us to determine your business objectives, brand requirements, and logistics to achieve a successful project. That’s why knowing what to look for in a professional photographer will help you hire the best photographer for the job.

 

Business Photographer
What to Look for in a Professional Photographer

  1. Does the photographer have any relevant examples related to your industry?

– Hire a professional photographer with training and experience in lighting, posing, and branding.

– Ask to see a portfolio of work that are similar to your industry such as authors, law firms, energy executives, and doctors.

– Make sure your photographer has excellent interpersonal and customer service skills. This will help you feel relaxed during your photography session. Your business portraits will look natural and capture your personality.

– Select a photographer with quality references and photography certifications.

 

  1. Does the photographer work in studio or on location?   Do they have the business systems to handle your scope of work?

  Consult with your photographer to discuss the overall vision of your company’s imagery:

– What is the corporate image you want to portray?

Where will the  images be used within the marketing collateral (web, print, both)?

– What format and sizes are required for final images?

– Where will the photo sessions take place: corporate headquarters, on-location, in-studio, off-site?

– What type of background is required: basic white, graphite, gray or environmental?

Make sure the photographer you’re hiring has a  studio, equipment, and lighting setup to execute your digital imagery. Also, ask if proper backup systems are in place to archive and retrieve your images efficiently. Or, they will specify their policy on how long they store your files.  

How to Hire a Professional Photographer

  1. Does the photographer have an eye for detail and provides insights how to visually communicate your brand?

– Hire a photographer with an attention to detail ranges from proper clothing selection, body language, and posing techniques.

– Search the photographer’s website for articles on what to wear to a portrait session, posing tips, and frequently asked questions.

– Look for a photographer that offers on-set viewing of your session images as they are being captured. This will enhance your portrait session by viewing captured images in real time while on set.  

– Ask for natural, subtle retouching on business images. You want your clients to see a positive representation of you.

For clothing tips for your business portrait session, visit www.michaelcarr.photography/clothing-tips/.

 

  1. Is the photographer within your budget?

A photographer’s job is more than just pressing the shutter button. A professional photographer uses a combination of lighting, posing and post-processing to make your vision a reality. They learn these techniques after years of experience, training  and certifications. When you hire a professional photographer, you’re paying them for their expertise, their quality of work, and your desired results.

Finally, evaluate a photographer on their entire offering and value. Don’t focus only on price. The wrong photographer might make things worse so do your due diligence and be thorough in your research.

Corporate headshots

Call Michael Carr Photography today at 713-461-2862 and experience the difference of a professional photographer in Houston, TX.  Visit www.michaelcarr.photography to discover the benefits of choosing Michael Carr Photography for your commercial photography needs.

About Michael Carr Photography

Michael Carr is a full-time Professional Photographer located in a commercial office building within the Memorial area (77057). Mr. Carr holds a B. S. in Photography and is a Certified Professional Photographer (CPP) with Professional Photographers of America (PPA). For a review of our portfolio, visit our website at www.Michaelcarr.photography or call 713-461-2862 to book your session.

Leadership Portraits on Location

Leadership Portraits on Location

group leadership portrait

On Site Leadership Portraits

Houston business portrait photographer, Michael Carr, recently went to a company’s offices to photograph their key executive’s leadership portraits on location. Michael photographed the executive portraits using the office environment as the background as well as bringing a studio background for the portraits. The images were to be used in the company’s new branding initiative for marketing collateral and online image branding.

Before arriving for the sessions Michael consulted with the marketing manager to brainstorm ideas and concepts for the sessions; plenty of pre-planning in advance of the actual photography date. On the day of the session, they met face to face and Michael showed her the areas and office backgrounds for the sessions.

environmental business portraits

During the individual business portrait sessions the clients were able to view their images real time and select their favorites. This is our process which we have found to be streamlined and efficient for the business and key executives. The leadership team is only needed for a short time window during the sessions so they can get back to their business quickly.

Professional Business Headshots

In today’s market, corporate leaders and business professionals are looking for ways to brand themselves and market their services in a different manner than their competition. Executive portraits can help you place a cutting edge on your services vs your competitor and ultimately determine who ends up getting the phone call. Your corporate image speaks volumes about you and your business.

In a digital age where searching for services is occurring during all hours of the day, it is key to have your best image forward at all times. This theory applies to not only websites, but also social media apps such as LinkedIn, professional trade sites, and your marketing kit collateral.

Professional Business Headshots

A headshot
is not just a headshot.

It is your personal branding.

Michael Carr Photography is a commercial portrait studio offering professional corporate portraiture for business leaders.

Our studio is located near The Galleria area, in Tanglewood, 77057. Business leaders from Bellaire, TX, West U, River Oaks, Tanglewood, Memorial, Katy and surrounding Houston areas, come to our studio for their business portrait. Michael Carr is one of the few Certified Professional Photographers (CPP) in Houston, TX, that specializes in Business Portraits.

Call us today at 713-461-2862 to discuss your business portrait options.

The Importance of a Great Headshot

Regardless of the line of work you are in, if you are promoting yourself, a great headshot is a necessity. A professional headshot is a powerful tool for making people remember you. It is very much to your advantage to provide a headshot that people can identify with and remember you by. A professional business headshot is more than just a great photo taken by a friend with an I-Phone or a hobbyist type camera. If you are using your headshot for business applications, then hire a professional photographer to capture and create a professional business headshot for you.

There are many careers that can benefit from a polished, professional headshot. Doctors, lawyers, corporate executives, realtors, oil and gas professionals, financial investors and news anchors almost always require a professional headshot.

If your clients or customers see you, then a professional headshot will help plant your face more firmly in their mind. Of course, it is important that the headshot is of the highest quality. Anyone can post a picture of themselves on an online bio page, but if it does not convey the proper image, then it will not be a benefit in the long run. Creating a great headshot may seem simple, but like so many things, the little details matter.

Here’s the burning question: how do I find a great headshot photographer?
Thanks to the internet, finding a great headshot photographer is much easier than it used to be. You should be able to find a wide assortment of professional headshot photographers just by searching for “headshots” in your favorite search engine.

Be aware that due to the recent improvements and availability of inexpensive digital photography equipment, there are a lot more people offering photography services that are not really up to professional standards. Take your time and do your research!

There are many sites you can find that will list headshot photographers in your area, but the most important thing is to find someone whose work you like. Look at a variety of headshot portfolios until you’re satisfied. Also, ask other business associates or professionals for a referral and then look at that photographer’s online portfolio. After you have narrowed down to a few photographers to consider, the next step would be to contact the studio either by phone or email and see who is a good match for you.

To discuss your business headshots and options for your business portraits, call the studio at 713-461-2862. We can help you formulate your plan for your headshot images to stand out from the masses. You can view our portfolio here. Our studio is conveniently located near the Galleria area, and close to 610, I-10 and 59, so there is easy access from those freeways.

Corporate Portraits in Houston

Corporate Portraits in Houston

Executive Headshots in Housto

Michael Carr Photography offers corporate portraits in Houston to today’s executives and business leaders. As a professional photographer in the Houston Metropolitan area for over 20 years, his work is widely used in oil and gas industry, financial annual reports and commercial real estate marketing press packets. All corporate executives and business leaders should have a strong headshot or business portrait. Your business headshot and corporate portrait should be recent and reflect your personality. Houston corporate portraits can be used for online profiles, company websites and marketing materials as well as LinkedIn profiles.

Our studio is located in a commercial office building off 610/Woodway. The studio is equipped with commercial grade camera and lighting equipment; a variety of professional photography backgrounds, dressing rooms and digital workstations customized for most digital pre-press requirements. Clothing consultations are complimentary and hair and makeup salon services are available upon request. Experience the difference for yourself, we offer a unique product where image is everything.

Michael Carr is a portrait artist who specializes in business executive portraiture. To view more of our portfolio gallery, visit our site here  or call now to schedule your professional business portrait session appointment at 713-461-2862.

Houston Business Headshots

Corporate Portraits

Houston On-site Corporate Headshots

Houston business headshots by Michael Carr Photography, can be photographed in studio and on location within the Houston Metro surrounding areas. All professionals today need a professional profile image for their print marketing collateral and web usage.

Executives typically use their business headshot portraits for their company website, marketing brochures, business directories, web directories and social media profiles such as LinkedIn, Twitter and business social platforms. People like to be able to see who they will be conducting business with and often times feel like they can connect with that person.

A professional business headshot on your website can help build a level of trust and confidence with a potential client.

Your business portrait can be captured in our commercial studio or at a location of your choice. We offer a selection of backgrounds for your business portraits and headshots. The background you select should coordinate with your company theme , logo and company website. We will also work with you to determine the message you want to communicate to your target audience.

If you prefer a more casual look to your portrait, this should be reflected in your pose as well as your attire.

Michael Carr Photography is a full service commercial portrait studio equipped to photograph individuals in studio or for large scale assignments on location. To view more of our portfolio, visit www.michaelcarr.photography or call 713.461.2862 to speak with our staff and to schedule your session.