Corporate-photographerCorporate photography from
© Roger Donovan, Media Photos

Even the simplest shoot can be challenging.

A recent corporate commission to shoot a portrait to accompany a press release proved just so. The subject, Mandy Jenkins, who had just taken up a new position couldn’t have been more helpful but as so often is the case, the location didn’t really lend itself to photography. Whilst a tight head shot lit by two flash units, one for the subject and one to maintain a white background, was possible in the busy office, it fulfilled only part of the brief. The client also wanted a press shot.

I was forced into looking outside the office but the weather was turning against us and rain was in the air. Blue skies had been replaced by grey cloud and light was in short supply. Luckily there was a formal old Victorian garden available and having found a sheltered spot under some trees I provided some additional light in the form of fill in flash through a white umbrella. A wide aperture and a long lens produced a shallow depth of field which together with a low angle lead the eye to the main subject, creating a pleasing image.

Sometimes keeping things simple is by far the best approach.