The Business Portrait Company turns 1 year old tomorrow. It hardly seems like yesterday that the plan came together and what was Stuart Carter Photography started to take business seriously. Very seriously!

We couldn’t have done it without all of our loyal clients, friends, associates and mentors. But it’s thanks to you and them that our future looks very bright. The question of business growth keeps raising its head, and we’re currently preparing everything we need to take the business forward with stability and strength.

It’s also a Happy Birthday to Visual Answers opticians in Loughborough (well, Quorn and Barrow). I had the pleasure of visting and shooting their 21st Birthday party this afternoon, where there were two clients who have been with the practice since the day it opened its doors!

So, huge congratulations to Mohammed Bhojani and the team at Visual Answers! Here’s to another 21 years of trust in your care, qualifications and independence!

Personality Profiles

In a recent presentation on the Strength Deployment Inventory from M Powered Coaching, I learned a little about the different personality profiles people can have.

The red profiles want to get stuff done. Right now. The blue profiles are about feelings; they want to help out and make people happy. The green profiles are about checklists and procedures, getting things done properly.

It struck me that The Business Portrait Company can be profiled too, and it fits neatly into all three categories.

Bookings and shoots are quickly and efficiently handled with a minimum of fuss. Subjects feel they have been cared for and look their absolute best. And everything is done to procedures to guarantee a professional, dependable and consistent service.

Naturally, we recognise that not everyone can be pigeonholed which is why, in actual fact, we provide a service tailored to each and every client. If you do fall into one of the profiles, you can bet we’ll tick the boxes that suit your personality.

What you can do, though, is listen out for the profiles – if someone complains that photographers are too laid back, they might be a red. If they complain that they’re too focussed on their technology to care about the sitter, they might be a blue. If they complain that it’s all too ad-hoc, they might be a green.

If you meet any of those cases, please pass on a warm referral, and ask them to give us a call! 0116 3200 689

Press & PR Photographer Leicester

Most of our shoots are quite flexible time-wise. A seven-day turnaround is normal for headshots. However, there are occasions when a quick turnaround is required. Sometimes 48 hours. Sometimes 24 hours. Or in the case of the PR photographs above—shot this week—the shoot was finished at around 7:00pm on Tuesday and the finals were available to the client by 9:00am the following morning ready for newspaper publication the next day (today).

While we don’t make a rule of this kind of work, it’s always a great challenge and very rewarding. We make a point of giving the same personal service as with standard headshots. It’s about the people, not the fancy camera.

So if you know a professional; solicitor, accountant, banker, architect or medic in the East Midlands who might need PR shots in a hurry, get them to give us a call: 0116 3200 689. We won’t rush or panic, we’ll just provide a quick, efficient service that gets the right results in the right time.

People Buy From People

I received a verbal testimonial this week that I’d like to share.

We did headshots for Strawberry Lettings and Sales last year, and placed the headshots on to the company’s email signature logos. I was at a meeting yesterday where Nicola from Strawberry explained that they don’t even notice the photos on there any more; they’re in some way invisible.

What they do notice, however, is that when clients walk through the door for the first time, they walk up to the agent who has been dealing with them and greet them by name.

These people have never met before, but due to their photographs appearing with all of their communications, their clients feel the connection as if they have. The photos lend credibility to the communications, with clients feeling that the message has really come from a real human being.

It’s often said in business that “people buy people”. An email template is the perfect way to put your people in front of your clients and prospects.

After Nicola’s kind words, another local business owner approached me, realising the power of this form of subtle marketing, and said I need that. I agreed, and we’re meeting next week to discuss.

If this interests you, please give us a call on 0116 3200 689 and we can discuss your requirements.

Colour Critical Photography

Colour is a notoriously complicated beast. People’s perception of colour differs from individual to individual. Consider colour-blindness, for example, as an extreme case.

Sometimes, the work we undertake is colour-critical, so the colour in front of the camera must be preserved throughout the workflow and in to print. In these cases, the visual judgement of a human is not enough; so in steps the X-Rite ColorChecker Passport.

Colour Checker Passport

This little ‘passport’ of swatches is created under extremely strict conditions, so that the colours are always the same. By photographing the subject along with the passport, the whole workflow can be calibrated to the original chart. The colours of the passport are so accurate that it’s recommended to replace it every two years, due to natural fading.

Artist Photography

In a slight variation from the norm, I was photographing an artist with some of her artworks a week or so ago. The colour-checking procedure has ensured that any prints made will match the originals perfectly. She is now free to sell the originals, and there remains a reference of the ‘true’ colours in the pieces.

The shoot was also an opportunity to do something a little different with her headshot. While a plain grey background is perfect for a business shot, an artist requires something a little more dramatic, telling the story, evoking feeling.

I asked which was her current favourite of her works and we included that in the shot, too.

This is exactly the sort of bespoke portrait work that, while it isn’t the main focus of The Business Portrait Company, makes a hugely enjoyable project. Each shot is unique because each subject is unique.

Ten is the Magic Number

While we have a growing number of small-business clients benefitting from our bespoke portrait service, ten is really the magic number in our business headshot photography.

Why’s that? Well, because potential clients as well as you, the reader are able to benefit from the number ten.

Economy of Scale

When a client has a need for ten headshots, it’s where economy of scale really starts to benefit us and our clients alike. We only have to travel once, set-up once, provide one disc of images, deliver once, invoice once. Because of this, the per-head charge for ten headshots is significantly lower than a single headshot—way less than half, in fact.

Referral Bonus Scheme

As a bonus for you, the reader, we’re running a referral bonus scheme for the next ten weeks. From Thursday 8th March until Wednesday 16th May inclusive we’re looking for introductions to companies who require ten or more headshots. If we arrange an eligible shoot*, then when the client settles their invoice, you will recieve a £25 gift voucher for Amazon.co.uk.

* Terms & Conditions
To refer a company, you must pass the company our details and let us know you have done so. A personal introduction would be appreciated. We will confirm with you that this is an eligible referral – if another party has already referred the same company, any further referrals are not eligible. The referral must be made and shoot booked before the closing date. Your voucher will be issued once the client has paid their invoice and funds cleared.

Last week, I talked about what makes a professional, and during the week I’ve read some interesting articles about what, in particular, makes professional photographers.

There are many photographers out there whose work is:

1. On the side from a “day job”.
2. A hobby that pays for itself, usually being supported by a wage-earning partner.
3. Full-time until the next full-time employment in their “usual” profession comes up.

The Business Portrait Company is different. We are dedicated to providing a professional, dependable service; and providing continuity of service, too. We’re not in it for a quick buck – we’re building relationships with our clients, getting to know them, making their life straightforward and providing a consistent, known service – with gradual improvement, naturally!

Our most frequent client has now had four shoots from us. You would struggle to tell the three standard headshot shoots apart, despite taking place over a span of about eighteen months. When a bespoke shoot was required, the subjects were asked to really come out of their comfort zone. The relationship we’d already built with them really helped them to feel at ease.

We don’t tend to compete on price with the budget end of the photography industry – these are often the photographers mentioned above. By charging a fair rate, we will continue to build and grow our business. 85% of photographers go out of business within 5 years… chiefly because their focus is on photography, and not that careful balance between business, photography, service and consistent delivery.

If you’d like to start building a relationship with a photographer, give us a call! We’ll gladly meet over a coffee to discuss your requirements and get to know you and your business.

What Makes A Professional?

I love those screwdrivers. You know, the ones that you put your finger on the end and pop the other end onto a live mains wire and the lamp inside glows. What a great invention! In fact, I own one of those screwdrivers.

But does that make me an electrician? No, it means that I can do the odd job like wiring a light-switch.

It’s very common for people to hire a ‘mate with a camera’ when having their photographs taken. Sometimes the ‘mate with a camera’ is very talented, and that’s fantastic news. But it’s worth bearing in mind that a ‘mate with a camera’ doesn’t spend every day considering how to light images, how to get the best expressions from sitters and how to compose compelling images.

Even if they have considered or studied those aspects of photography, they almost certaily haven’t considered how to provide a professional, consistent service. Or how to care for your images; how to back-up and archive them safely. How to make sure when you come back to them in three years’ time wanting a specific image, they can find it in an instant. Or can send you relevant examples of previous work for inspiration or illustration of their ideas.

You wouldn’t call your ‘mate with a light-up screwdriver’ to re-wire your house. You’d call a credible, professional electrician. Think of your photos in the same way.

I don’t talk about prints very much, and that’s because most of our clients here at The Business Portrait Company usually require digital images for LinkedIn, their website or display panels. However, particularly in a surgery or clinic environment, you will often find framed photographs of the key staff on the wall.

This is a service we provide; the prints can be edited with names and job titles or presented as is. Clip-frames come at no extra cost above the price of the prints, and simple frames do not add a great deal extra to the price.

So next time you’re going to see your doctor or dentist and are unsure of what to do with your time in the waiting room, have a look for photos on the wall. Look out particularly for the following situations:

• Badly out-of-date images
• Inconsistent images, clearly photographed at different times
• Your doctor is missing from the photographs
• There are no photographs

If you see any of those, then please let your practice know how they’re missing out on building trust and connection with their patients. A warm introduction to The Business Portrait Company would naturally also be appreciated!

At The Business Portrait Company we, unlike many photographers, take business seriously. Very seriously.

What does that mean for our clients?

1. Continuity of service – many photographers come to photography as a hobby or side-job. As the saying runs; ‘easy come, easy go’. Those who fail to actually run a business providing photography will invariably fall by the wayside.

2. Humans – in working hours, our phones are always answered by a human being. The sole trader who relies on their mobile will often have it turned off, or on silent. Some will rudely interrupt their shoots to take calls, interrupting the flow and comfort of the sitter. When you call us, you will get through to a photographer, or leave a message with a human PA, assured that the full message will be passed on and you’ll be called back as soon as possible.

3. Processes and Follow-Ups – you have a busy life. It is our job to make sure everything is in order for your shoot; your ‘what to wear’ guide will arrive by email in good time before your shoot, you’ll be kept up to date on progress, and you’ll be cared for even after your shoot.

4. Backup – all images are kept in at least two locations at all times, so your pictures are safe from shooting, through editing to delivery and beyond. If you need to get hold of a replacement for your lost CD, get in touch and we can supply your images.

These are just a few of the benefits that come from taking the business of photography seriously. Note, though, that serious doesn’t mean stuffy, and the our service is always carried out with the right light-hearted but professional atmosphere.