Boothletter 001 - Get it?

Introducing: The Boothletter (get it?)

For the last several years, we have been doing traditional blog posts about our corporate headshot services. It's been great to highlight different features and experiences and are glad to have that 'library' of content about headshot photography and how people can access their professional photos.

It is a very useful tool for our clients and for us!

Now it’s time to try something different.... A newsletter!

This format is an opportunity to share current info about our services, what we have been up to, who some of our corporate headshots clients are and generally help you see the range of professional business photography work that we do.

We hope it will be fun to read and informative for those that are looking for new professional headshot photography.

Project Spotlight: Entrepreneurship at Cornell Tech

One of the coolest jobs we do all year is with Entrepreneurship at Cornell Tech. This year it was double cool because it was at the Bloomberg Center at Cornell Tech out on Roosevelt Island. The space is magnificent.

It’s a day full of young, smart people with unique and interesting ideas, looking to learn and tell the world about what they are doing. We get to take headshot photos of them between sessions. They get a new photo and a spruced up headshot for the professional LinkedIn profile.

Here’s Sade working on camera getting people the best professional portraits.

Office Headshots - This Grey or That Grey

When it comes to grey, there are just so many ways to go. You want neutral for your corporate headshot, go 18% grey. Want to get super technical, check out Ansel Adam’s Zone System and go for a dramatic zone 3. Perfect for staff headshots at a creative agency.

But there is more. Grey can have texture, it can shift, it can have pink, red, green and blue tones.

Here are a few different ways that we have used grey for both neutral and dramatic effects.

Texture adds variation and depth

Back light creates gradations and a nice glow for a radiant headshot

Colors Pop off of this rich Grey background for a corporate (but not so-so corporate) headshot look

Robert Frank - People Photographer

Robert Frank was the legendary photography who passed away earlier this month. Most famously, he created a project called The Americans. He had a way of seeing, a raw approach to looking at subjects. He moved quietly in and out of a scene and captured the essence of that person in that moment.

He has influenced the work of many that followed, including many that work in the ranks of The Booth, and we thank him for showing us what he saw.

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Retouching

We think you are all perfect and gorgeous, yet the most common question we get is, 'Do you do retouching?' Yes, we do, and for staff portrait packages, we include 15min for everyone.

Our retouching includes:

General color correction

Fly-away hairs

Minor skin smoothing and blemishes

If you have a particular concern, please run it by us.  We want you to see this photo as the best representation of you!

On-Site Image Selection

With on-site image selection, subjects can email their image to themselves directly from the session.  It is a rewarding experience for the subject and a huge time-saver for the planner.

The on-site image selection process is tremendously useful for staff and conference photography.  It works the same in both scenarios:

Guest takes a photo

Guests steps over to the  iPad kiosk to review their photos.

Guests select the image(s) that they like and enter their email. (screenshots of sm tool)

Photos are immediately sent to the subject.

On-Site Image Selection – Conferences

If you have been to a conference anytime in the last decade you know the biggest challenges are to stand out and to create good connections.

Place us near your booth, or assign us a few brand ambassadors and you can make focus on raising brand awareness with those waiting in line.

Add signage and use our many branding opportunities (on iPad kiosk screens, in custom text, etc.) to keep your brand on their mind.

Extend your brand awareness after the event – this new photo will be a valuable and widely used tool in each of those contact's professional profile.  You are extending your brand's touch as long as that contact uses their new photo!

On-site Image Selection – Editing Made Easy.

Here's another speed bump when updating your staff's headshot photography.  Getting everyone to select an image.

Our on-site selection tool is perfect for those companies that need a quick turnaround.

After each team member takes a photo, they step over to our iPad kiosk.  Right there and then they select the image they want. We send you a spreadsheet and a gallery with those selections.

Done and done.

Scheduling System

One of the biggest difficulties our client faces when planning for headshots comes from within their own company:  Scheduling your team can be like herding cats. Coordinating schedules, rearranging time slots and getting people to return a call can be a killer.

We have a solution and it comes in the form of a simple URL.  It's our online scheduling system.

We send you a link to your customized scheduling webpage.

You share that with your team.

Each person selects their preferred time (screenshot of timing)

Registers... (screenshot  of info request page)

And receives a confirmation in their inbox.

One day ahead, the team member gets a reminder about their headshot appointment.  We can send you a list of who has registered and when.

How Does it Work?

Our mission is to make every part of corporate headshot photography easy. So here's a quick outline from booking through post-shoot online gallery.

Here's how it's done:

• Check out our website.

Do you like our style? If yes, then...

• Contact us via email, phone or contact page on our website.

• Tell us as much as you know about the job (where it is, how many people, etc.)

• Look out for a proposal from us: how much time we need, background options, staff size, file delivery timeline.

• Pick a date and time.

• Watch our team show up on time, set up discreetly without disrupting your team's work, and be ready to take the best headshot photos ever!

• 48hrs later, look out for a link to your online gallery with download-able images.

A few things that make it extra easy:

• Pre-event scheduling system (blog post coming, but reach out for more information)

• On-site image selection

• Built-in retouching at 15min/person (included in staff photos, only)

Our menu is short, but it's all you need. Really.

Formats & Size

The final step before the the job is done is to get you your photos.  Again, we know it has to be easy to get them and the photos need to be easy to use.  That is why we send you your images in the most commonly used file sizes and format for the most typical end uses.

Images are delivered to you via a password-protected online gallery.

Our standard packages include JPEGs as:

High resolution 300dpi files

Low resolution 72dpi files

Use the high resolution file to submit for a printed brochure or program  Need to update LinkedIn? Your 72dpi file is ready to go.

Is your project different and you require alternate formats or sizes?  No problem. We will prepare your photos, as needed for your final end use.

Our Staff is Everywhere: Getting Consistent Headshots

Part 2: One business, multiple locations

Our clients, big and small, often have staff working in multiple cities.  What's the best way to cover a team like this?

1. Bring us in during an annual gathering.  Do you do an all-staff event every year? Schedule us in around it and we can be there to cover everyone.

2. We work in many cities, many of which are considered local and would not incur travel expenses.  Book us and you will have a consistency in look and process that makes your job way easier.

3. If they are traveling to NY, have them drop in at one of our Open Studio days.  The booth holds periodic open studio shoots in NYC and Westchester. Individuals can sign up for a convenient time and pop in to get their headshot done quickly and efficiently.

1. Finally, if it's a small group and we do not have anyone local, have them visit their local photographer.  We can give them a style guide so the images can match. Green screen is also an option to help maintain branding consistency.

Our Staff is Everywhere: Getting Consistent Headshots

Part 1: One Office, Staff Everywhere

You need high quality, consistent photographs of your team, done efficiently.  The problem is, how do you get everyone into the office on a specific day/time?  Half of the sales team is out in the field, two staff members work remotely, a CEO is constantly in and out of meetings, etc...

Here are a few solutions:

1. Book your headshot shoot over 2 consecutive days.  If someone is out on day one, they will likely be back for day 2.

2. Book  multiple days spread out over time – a month or more.  You get all the above benefits, plus you can cover new hires, those that were out over long periods, or staff that has changed their look and wants a reshoot.

3. Send those last few people to one of our open studio days.  The booth holds periodic open studio shoots in NYC and Westchester.  Individuals can sign up for a convenient time and pop in to get their headshot done quickly and efficiently.

How To Dress for a Headshot

We get this question all the time.  How does one dress for a headshot. The answer is easy:  Dress like you are going to meet your best client.

A headshot is the first opportunity to make an impression.  Does your company service a more traditional industry? If yes, wear a suit.  Does your audience value creativity? Then something less traditional can work.

Whatever you put on make sure it is clean and free of wrinkles.  Most importantly, make sure you feel comfortable and confident.

Posing. Ugh.

A subject walks into the a photo studio.  They look great, are at ease and are happily chatty.  The photographer raises the camera and 1 of 3 things happens:

1. The subject continues to feel relaxed and uses that easy smile for a great photo.

2. The subject goes into photo mode delivering a pose that is their camera face.

3. The subject panics and says, I look awful in photos and every bit of tension they are feeling shows up on their face.

Let's be clear – we are not all Giselle and Tom Brady.  It's tough to look good in front of a camera but we don't necessarily know what to do.

That's where we come in...  We can work with you to get that 'camera face' to relax and show the best you.  We can help you feel relaxed, making small adjustments and talking you through it the whole time.  You can come feeling dressed to the nines with your hair blown out and makeup done, but we argue that a photographer who makes you feel great is the secret ingredient.

Early Headshots

No surprise here, but The Booth was not the first to take a professional headshot. A few examples from history:

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/261842165813470317/

http://www.upworthy.com/15-badass-women-of-world-war-ii-you-didnt-learn-about-in-history-class

http://rogerjnorton.com/photos/abrahamgallery.html

Headshots - Professional, Not Boring.

Check out our most recent email.  Gary is looking good!

In Honor of International Women's Day

In honor of National Women's Day, here are 9 faces from the 2017 The United State of Women conference.

Corporate Branding, The Corporate Headshot and LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a tool for your business and shouldn’t be regarded casually.  It's more than just a personal profile.  It is a key channel for B2B marketing and a place to establish your brand as a thought leading field (read more in Forbes article about Brands and LinkedIn here).  

Your team’s headshots on LinkedIn matters for your company.  Their professional profiles are an extension of your branding so make sure they are just as well-considered.

The Booth for Business - Retouching

RETOUCHING

We think you are all perfect and gorgeous, yet the most common question we get is, 'Do you retouch our photos?' Yes, we do, and for staff portrait packages, we include 15min for everyone.

Our retouching includes:

General color correction.
Fly-away hairs.
Blemishes.
Skin smoothing (upon request).

Special requests?  No problem.  We are happy to evaluate your needs and offer solutions.

On-site Headshot Selection Tool

ON-SITE IMAGE SELECTION

It is now possible for event attendees or staff to select and email their headshot directly from the event.  It is a delight for people to get their images so quickly.  Further, it considerably cuts down on the countless hours you would otherwise have to spend getting people their photos.

After each person takes a photo they:

-Step to the iPad kiosk to view the photos they just took.
-Select the image(s) that they like.
-Email the images to him or herself.

Conferences – Attendees walk away with a new headshot that they can upload to LinkedIn before they leave the room.

Staff Photography – Staff selects their image on the spot.  We supply you with a list of selections, cutting your post shoot timing considerably.  

Quotes on Photography

Online Staff Scheduling Tool

SCHEDULING SYSTEM

Getting your team organized for headshots is not easy. Chasing team members down and juggling schedules is time-consuming and difficult. With our scheduling tool we handle that piece of the headshot project, while giving you continued oversight.

Here's how it works:

We send your point person a link to your customized scheduling webpage.
You share that with your team.
Each person selects their preferred time.

Registers:

And receives a confirmation in their inbox:

1 day ahead the team member gets a reminder about their headshot appointment.

We can provide you with a spreadsheet with all bookings at any point, helping you stay organized and on top of your team.