Recently I was asked by our lovely HR representative to photograph some content for her and her team at their work place – Howbery Park in Wallingford. Being completely honest this shoot was totally out of my comfort zone, I am predominantly a studio based photographer and am VERY used to being able to control my light sources, so this shoot came as a welcome challenge for me – especially on a bight on sunny day! To the untrained eye, a bright sunny day might be considered ideal for a photoshoot, and in many ways it can be, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t come without it’s challenges.
We started with some working style shots in the cafe, luckily the lighting was beautiful and even in here so I didn’t need to worry too much. Kitted with my R8 and 50mm lens I let the team chat amongst themselves, thankfully they were super comfortable doing this, only interrupting occasionally to ask someone to lean in here, change posture there or move everyone round a seat to add some variety and switch up the dynamics.
We then ventured outside for some headshots. I started with my subject’s back to the sun (as you usually should when shooting in the sunshine to avoid squinting and sharp shadows) but it was so bright my subject immediately turned into a silhouette so we had to rejig. Fortunately I had my colleague Charlotte with me who I positioned holding a diffuser above the subject, resulting in a much softer and flattering light.
Next we moved on to some walking shots under the shaded tree canopy. We did about four or five runs, each time using a different person as the focal point. The most important thing I found was to communicate to everyone to keep looking up, as whilst you’re walking it can be very tempting to look down (naturally to stop yourself from falling over!) but it doesn’t make for the best shot.
Finally we finished with some group shots outside the front of the gorgeous exterior of the offices. The wall was the perfect prop to allow the group to feel a bit more comfortable having something to lean on whilst we switched up positions from person to person – crossed arms, hands in pockets, hands on wall etc. to create some diversity in poses.
Afterwards we were treated to an ice cream with the team on the patio, which of course was impossible to say no to. The building and surrounding area really was quite beautiful and it was a pleasure to soak up the sunshine and enjoy the view. Overall, whilst I felt a little flustered at times, I feel the shoot was a success and I enjoyed getting out of the studio and doing something a bit different. Please do feel free to contact us if your company needs some updated, refreshing content, we’d be delighted to help.
