How to Prepare for Your Professional Corporate Headshots

Getting professional headshots for you and your employees is a great way for businesses to make a good first impression on potential customers. Investing in corporate headshots will also show your staff that you see them as serious and valuable working professionals.

Having a headshot taken may sound simple enough, but there are a few things you and your employees should know in order to get the best results. Keep these tips in mind—and pass them on to your team members—ahead of your corporate headshot session!

Dress to impress.

Most people’s first concern for any photoshoot is usually what to wear. It’s a good idea to choose an outfit ahead of time for your headshots, so you feel confident and prepared the day of. Select something that fits your company’s image but still feels like you. You might even bring more than one outfit to try. Avoid busy patterns and bulky accessories that will distract and overwhelm. Solid colors with high contrast to one another usually end up looking best.

Keep hair and makeup simple.

The goal of any headshot is to capture a photo that’s timeless—something you should keep in mind when styling your hair and makeup. Clean, natural-looking makeup is the way to go. Take special care not to use products that shimmer, sparkle, or even face lotion, as these will reflect on camera and make you look shiny. Choose a simple, polished hairstyle that you like and that frames your features well. For men, any facial hair should be trimmed and cleanly-shaped as well.

Try to stay relaxed and communicate with your photographer during your shoot.

You want your headshots to convey confidence and friendliness, especially if they’re being used for a company website or other marketing materials designed to attract customers. If you’re tense and anxious during your shoot, that’s what is going to read on camera. Communicating with your photographer will help you feel more at ease and make your photos turn out better. Share with them the look and feel you’re going for in your shots, so they can direct you and make you feel comfortable.

Are you looking for innovative ways to elevate the image of your company in Raleigh or around the Triangle in North Carolina? Get in touch with Neil Boyd Photography! We can set you up with corporate and executive headshots for you and your employees that draw attention to and send the right message about your business.

Contact our team of commercial photographers today to schedule your professional business portraits!

3 Reasons Professional Food Photography is Important for Your Restaurant

Anybody who has worked in the restaurant industry knows that the success of your establishment hinges on more than just the quality of your food. Delicious, high-quality food is, of course, a top priority. But if nobody shows up to your restaurant to eat that food, then it doesn’t matter how much better it is than your competition down the road.

The key to standing out is to tantalize your customers’ taste buds before they take their first bite. The best way to do that? By bringing in a professional to photograph your creations! Take a look at what an investment in professional food photography can accomplish for your business.

1) A good first impression makes people want to order.

A memorable meal is one that engages every one of your senses from the start. With food photography, you’re able to capture the visual appeal of your product and persuade people to perceive your food as delicious before they even taste it. Images that showcase the quality of your cuisine will draw attention, trigger hunger, and make people want to experience what they’re seeing for themselves.

2) Create a sense of trust with customers.

Being upfront about your products and what people can expect of them makes your restaurant look and feel professional. People can be very picky about their food choices. By offering high-quality photos of your menu items, you’re offering customers an idea of what they’ll experience when they dine with you and allowing them to make a more accurate judgement about your business. This encourages people to trust your restaurant and builds lasting credibility.

3) Use professional food photography to build and market your brand.

A professional food photographer will style your menu items down to the smallest detail to create the most attractive image to do justice to the quality of your food. They may also incorporate lifestyle shots of your chefs and/or servers in action. Together, all of these photos will shape the identity of your restaurant and show customers that you can offer them a delicious meal and positive, authentic dining experience. Use your pictures in print ads, online marketing, on your website, on your menu, and everywhere you can reach potential customers and increase brand awareness.

At Neil Boyd Photography, we have worked with many local establishments in and around Raleigh, NC, to capture the tempting tastes, mouthwatering aromas, and luscious textures of their cuisine on camera. Our professional food photography services can showcase the menu of your restaurant and the unique recipes you have to offer, no matter how big or small your operation is.

Give our studio a call at 919-737-5609 to get a quote for your project today!

Commercial Photography in Raleigh NC

Its getting to that time of year again when everyone is putting up Holiday lights. I love walking around in the crisp air and looking at all the different lights and the extremes that some people go to. We did a photo shoot a couple of years ago for a company called The Service Group. They specialize in professional lighting for single homes and complete subdivisions. Being well known for our architecture and real estate photography in Raleigh they hired us for the job. I remember it was really cold the night that we drove around Wake Forest and Hasentree. But I think we got some great real estate photography. So if you are looking for a professional approach to your lighting this year give them a call and if you want professional photos of the outcome, i’d love to discuss it with you.

Commercial Photography Raleigh NC

As a commercial photographer in Raleigh, NC I get asked to photograph a number of different subjects. It can range from real estate photography, product photography, food photography, and corporate headshots around Raleigh and Durham areas. We also cover editorial photography and I was asked by the Triangle Real Producers Magazine to photograph a real estate agent for their monthly “Risisng Stars” feature. The subject this time was Glen Clemmons. Glen picked the location which was The Wade in Raleigh. A new building of luxury condos close to downtown. We had a lot of fun on the shoot and ended up with many great photos. Below is the final article in the published magazine.

Real Estate Photography Raleigh NC

As well as photographing commercial real estate in North Carolina, we also shoot residential real estate. Residential real estate photography poses the same challenges as commercial real estate photography. When shooting interiors we have to be careful of the different lighting situations eg the warm tungsten light from lamps balanced with the blue UV light coming from outside. We also have to take numerous shots to balance the exposure between the bright light outside and the darker lights inside the building.

External shots also take some consideration as we often try to get nice blue skies behind the building which means we need to know where the sun is at any particular time of the day. There is nothing worse than having to shoot into the sun and getting lens flare across the building which we then have to handle on post production.

The other challenge that we face with residential real estate photography is timing. While its relatively easy photographing a house that is unoccupied and has been staged beautifully, it is a lot more challenging photographing a house that someone is living in.

There is also the time pressure in returning finished images back to the realtors so that they can get their listings up quickly.

All of the factors above are why I enjoy photography and the different challenges that each day brings. I have been a commercial photographer in Raleigh, NC now for almost twenty years. I love photographing residential real estate in Raleigh, NC so if you have any projects that you need photography for please contact me for a free quote. neil@neilboydphotography.tv

Real Estate Photography Raleigh NC

Photograph of house in Raleigh NC. By real estate photographer Neil Boyd.

Real estate photography in Durham NC

Photography of kitchen in residential property in Durham NC. Image shot by real estate photographer Neil Boyd.