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headshot

On-Location Corporate Headshots @ Stanly Ranch in Napa, California

On-Location Corporate Headshots @ Stanly Ranch in Napa, California

During the recent annual corporate retreat held at the luxurious Stanly Ranch in the verdant landscapes of Napa, California, I had the privilege of capturing on-location headshots that encapsulated both the professional aura and the refreshing ambiance of the locale. Nestled amidst rows of lush vineyards and resplendent gardens, the retreat offered a vibrant yet serene backdrop for each portrait, where the natural light kissed each face with a warm, golden hue. This experience was not only an opportunity to encapsulate the individual personalities of each corporate member but also to infuse the spirit of unity and rejuvenation that the retreat embodied. Clients have often remarked on the tangible sense of comfort and authenticity that these natural, on-location shoots bring to the corporate image, standing as a testament to the unique blend of professionalism and personal touch that my photography services bring to the table.

Soquel Headshot Photography @ Private Residence

Soquel Headshot Photography @ Private Residence

My client needed some updated headshots for LinkedIn, so I met her at her home in Soquel. After scoping our options both indoor and out, I grabbed my lighting equipment and set up. We took a couple minutes in one spot I’d identified in the house, making sure the background was blurred enough to not be distracting. Then, we headed outside to a spot where the sun would provide nice rim lighting on her red hair. That’s my preferred option of the two final picks.

Indoor and Outdoor LinkedIn Headshot in Aptos, CA

Indoor and Outdoor LinkedIn Headshot in Aptos, CA

One advantage of coming to my clients’ homes for their headshot sessions is there’s usually an opportunity to shoot both indoors and out, and with multiple convenient outfit changes as well. It’s pretty rare that I can’t find a wall for that classic LinkedIn clean headshot (ok, sometimes we need to remove a picture or move some furniture around). Outdoors, it’s similarly pretty easy to find a spot that gives a nice out of focus natural background while allowing me full control of lighting my subject. All this happens in under an hour. Fun!

Staff Portraits, Action Shots, Details and Interiors/Exteriors @ Santa Cruz Business (Current eBikes)

Staff Portraits, Action Shots, Details and Interiors/Exteriors @ Santa Cruz Business (Current eBikes)

Santa Cruz local business Current eBikes needed a refresh on their image library for their new website and marketing efforts. I’m an expert in creating diverse, high quality media libraries for my clients – typically in one or two sessions. This typically includes interior and exterior “architecture” style photography, to show the space/location of the business. Next are owner headshots / environmental portraits to highlight them in their natural habitat in a pleasing way. Staff headshots are an easy add-on while we’re at it. Also, if the business has services involved (like working on bikes), it’s great to include candid (or directed) photos showing that service. Lastly are detail / product photos – in this case all inventory comes with great product photography from the manufacturers, so I captured detail shots that could be used in any number of ways for design, advertising or marketing purposes.

Santa Cruz Corporate Lifestyle Headshots

Santa Cruz Corporate Lifestyle Headshots

Something medium to large corporate organizations struggle with in regards to executive portraits is inconsistency. If you try to exactly match certain background with different photographers in different locations over different time periods, even if the photographers do a good job there’s going to be variation in that media collection that will be obvious to everyone. One of the things I like to do is give each person a variety of settings to shoot in so that we’re baking variety into the photographic cake, and those subtle variations in lighting, etc will be much less of a factor. This shoot had 5 or 6 spots I’d picked out for each person with wildly different lighting requirements – ranging from 1/125 to 1/2000 shutter speed to keep a consistent 1.8 to 2.2 aperture setting for a shallow depth-of-field look for all the waist-up shots. All these were shot on a Nikon Z7 with the native 85mm 1.8 S lens with one Profoto B1 flash off-camera shooting through a 30” Profoto Octa. I love keeping my lighting setup simple and mobile, which cuts down on how much time I need with each executive while also delivering a diverse library of images for each person to choose from.

Santa Cruz Lawyer Headshots

Santa Cruz Lawyer Headshots

All my headshots are on-location, meaning I come to my clients’ homes, offices, or we meet outside. I bring lighting equipment to get that professional studio look, pretty much wherever we are. In the case of these two Santa Cruz lawyers, we went across the street from their downtown office and I picked a spot that would have the sun to their backs and have a nice, natural, out-of-focus background. It’s important that the headshot background not distract from your subject, and if possible – enhance it! Here’s the money shots…

Burlingame Corporate Headshots

Burlingame Corporate Headshots

Look, I know you don’t like having your picture taken. Literally everyone says this, so you’re in good company. I promise to make it quick, painless, and with the full intention of maximizing your inner-awesomeness with some ninja-level retouching skills. Each portrait guaranteed to work for 10 years before expiring. Yay!

Santa Cruz Headshot

This was a quick headshot for one person in Santa Cruz, California. We met up near Crow’s Nest at Twin Lakes beach on a weekday morning, and our goal was to get a few different backdrops that felt natural without distracting from the subject. The first shot is with the ocean in the background, the wood shot is the side of the restaurant in a breezeway, and the last shot I positioned my subject in the shade, with some nice, sunlit green foliage in the background. All in about 15 minutes, easy!

Professional Headshots in Redwood City

Professional Headshots in Redwood City

Rebecca needed a new business portrait for her LinkedIn profile, so I went to her home, helped her pick out some wardrobe options and provided a little skincare product to reduce shine. I then found an outdoor location near her home that I thought would provide a nice, natural backdrop for her portraits. I used the sun as backlight and my Profoto B1 with 30" softbox as the key light. Rebecca's son held a reflector camera-right to help reduce the overall contrast. 

Hayward Corporate Executive Headshots

Hayward Corporate Executive Headshots

Eight executives who are rarely in the same city at the same time for this tech startup came together to get their professional business portraits taken at their Hayward property. We shot in 3 or 4 locations for each individual over the course of a few hours – shooting both indoors and outdoors.

Lifestyle Business Portraits at Wilder Ranch in Santa Cruz

Lifestyle Business Portraits at Wilder Ranch in Santa Cruz

Brenda needed some portraits for her new real estate venture, but she wanted more of a natural lifestyle feel to the photos than your typical executive headshot. She sent me a few sample images for the look and feel she was going for, so I suggested a natural light shoot at Wilder Ranch in Santa Cruz. It's very rustic, with lots of old buildings, barns, distressed wood textures, rickety fences – the perfect backdrop for Brenda's vision. Luckily it was overcast, so the natural light was going to look great. Plus, with all the rain we've had this January (thanks El Niño!), we got some great green fields in the background of many of the photos, giving them a lush feel. Brenda has a great natural smile and a youthful, dare I say Santa Cruzian, look to her. Beautiful outside and in, I had a wonderful time getting to know Brenda and getting some great shots of her true personality. Enjoy a few of my favorites below: