Team Headshots for Charlwood IFA in Poole

An old brick wall turned out to be just right for a set of team headshots at Charlwood IFA’s office in Canford Cliffs, Poole. The team wanted the portraits to feel warm and approachable while still looking professional. We looked at a few surfaces around the office together and kept coming back to the brick. Its texture gave the portraits a little of the character of the place where the team works.

Soft portrait light in the office

The brick wall was at the back of the office, away from the main window. Very little daylight reached that part of the room, and the overhead tungsten lights cast harder shadows than I wanted for the portraits.

I used an extra-large softbox with two layers of diffusion and a pair of reflectors. That gave the portraits the soft, directional light you’d see in a magazine portrait, with gentle shadows across the face and the warmth of the brick behind. The setup was quick to put in place and easy to recreate on the second morning, so the headshots would sit together as one set.

Two looks in a few moments

We photographed each person in a shirt and tie or blouse, then added a jacket for a few more frames. Both looks worked with the same lighting setup, so the change took moments and gave everyone a wider choice when selecting their favourite.

Two mornings to fit around the team

The team couldn’t all be there on the same day, so we arranged two mornings at the office. That gave everyone a chance to be photographed without having to clear the same slot in their diaries.