Case Study – On Location Headshots for Redpoint Global
I recently had the pleasure of creating new headshots for the executive team at Redpoint Global during their worldwide sales meeting here in Boston. Redpoint is a global software solutions provider that empowers brands to transform how customer experience is delivered. Founded in 2006, they are the only solution provider with a single platform across 3 Gartner Magic Quadrants, and have a who’s who client list which includes Dish Network, GoDaddy, Keurig,Salesforce.com, Toyota, and others.
They are in the process of updating their website and branding, and wanted new headshots that reflect the updates along with their core values:
Market-Leading Innovation – Develop market-leading technologies that enable customers to do new things in new ways.
Flawless Execution – Do the right things, do things right, and make them stick.
Delighting Customers – Partner with customers to deliver superior results.
Unwavering Integrity – Think straight, talk straight.
Performance Through People – Work with highly motivated people committed to excellence, teamwork, and success.
Respect for the Individual – Treat others as we would like to be treated.
Preparing for the Executive Headshot Sessions
Prior to the session, I worked with Laura Ackerman, Senior Director, to define the look that would best suit their needs. Their clients primarily offer products and services to consumers, and those clients utilize the web and social media to promote their brands and deliver a unique customer experience. Redpoint wanted to convey a professional yet approachable look for their senior managers – showing experience, energy – people that convey they are successful yet very interested in working with their clients to help them achieve success.
Based on these discussions, we made the following decisions:
· Solid grey background color – grey is complementary to virtually any color and is neutral. Goes very well with Redpoint’s future website, as well as with a variety of skin tones, hair color, and clothing. A solid background for headshots would focus the viewer’s eye on the subject and works especially well for LinkedIn profiles. It would also be easy to replicate should Redpoint wish to add additional headshots later on.
· High quality, even and smooth lighting – lighting is critical to the look of a headshot. Given the energetic and positive desired look, lighting that would minimize shadows (shadows generally convey drama) and work across a variety of skin conditions/types was chosen.
· Clothing – business professional/business casual – recommendations were provided to the subjects on clothing, hair, makeup, and so on.
· Expressions – confidence with approachability. We’d work with each subject to determine the best look for them (during the limited time allotted for each person), coaching them on how to look their best.
Prior to the session, we recorded a pre-shoot preparation webinar for the participants that reviewed what to expect during the session
We’d have about 10-15 minutes per person during the day and would utilize space in the hotel where the group would be having their meals.
On Location Headshot Session
Setup took about 30 minutes and we shot most of the images in the middle of the day. In any session there are often subjects who have particular concerns or challenges, which is one of the reasons tethered shooting (each shot is loaded immediately from the camera to a laptop computer for instant viewing) is so important – both subject and photographer can view the images to see what’s working/not working and make adjustments in pose, expression, lighting, etc.. During one of the sessions, one of the team mentioned a concern with a particular feature of their face. We adjusted the lighting ever so slightly to reduce the appearance of that feature, while maintaining the overall desired look, which the subject liked. With other subjects we tried variations on clothing (with/without a jacket), shirt color, smiling with/without teeth, and so on. During each session we reviewed the images and flagged ones we thought were good for final review later.
Headshot Post Production
Back in the studio, we loaded the un-retouched flagged images to a secure gallery website, where Redpoint could review and make their final selections. Individuals could login to the site separately and decide which image they’d like – written workflow recommendations were provided as to what to look for when making their selections and how to go about the selection process. Once the final selections were made, those files were retouched and provided in formats suitable for LinkedIn and general website and marketing use.
As RedPoint grows, adding staff and requiring additional headshots, that is easily accommodated in the studio using the same equipment and look. Employees outside of Boston can also have their executive headshot done with virtually the same look via a worldwide network of photographers I can refer them to that shoot in a similar style.
For more information on executive headshots for teams, download my ebook “Marketer’s Guide to High Quality Team Images” here https://www.barrybraunsteinphotography.com/marketers-guide-to-high-quality-team-headshots
Or click here to discuss your executive team headshot needs.