Professional Portrait Photography

PORTRAIT

insights

a practical guide to commissioning professional photography

Over the years, clients have come to me for a wide range of portraiture, including:

Business portraits for company websites, press releases, LinkedIn profiles, and internal communications.
On-location portraits of factory and technical staff for campaigns, recruitment, or company culture initiatives.
Portraits of professionals and freelancers who need to present themselves online.
Editorial portraits for magazines and publications.
Portraits as part of a wider visual package, such as a winery shoot, a restaurant story or a company profile.

Each project is different, but the goal is the same: to make the person look confident, approachable, and authentic.

Planning Your Next Portrait Photoshoot: What to Keep in Mind

I think I've understood what makes a successful portrait shoot so I wanted to share some ideas here in a practical guide for potential clients thinking about commissioning a photographer for new portraits, either for themselves or their company.

1. Choosing a Photographer
Portrait photography is a balancing act between technical ability and human connection. When choosing a photographer for portraits, there are some key qualities to look out for:

Technical Skill
Lighting, composition, posing, and attention to detail all play a vital role. A technically strong photographer knows how to flatter the subject, control the environment, and deliver consistent results, whether you're shooting in a boardroom, a factory, or outdoors.

Empathy & Communication
Just as important is the ability to put people at ease — especially those who may feel awkward or camera-shy. A good portrait photographer creates a relaxed, friendly atmosphere that allows the subject’s character to come through naturally. Many people hate having their photo taken — but with the right approach, even the most reluctant sitter can enjoy the experience and walk away with a portrait they’re happy with. You can often get a sense of this just by looking at a photographer’s portfolio: do the people in the photos look confident and relaxed, or do they seem uncomfortable or tense? That can tell you a lot about what it’s like to be on the other side of the camera.

Understanding the Brief
Every portrait has a purpose — whether it's to show authority, approachability, craftsmanship, or creativity. The best results come from a photographer who understands not just how to take a picture, but what that picture needs to say.

2. Different Portrait Styles
Portraits can usually be grouped into a few key styles. When planning a shoot, it helps to use the same language as your photographer — that way, you're both on the same page when thinking about what's needed. I typically work across the following styles, often combining more than one within a single project:

Formal Portraits
These are classic, composed images where the subject is posed and looking directly into the camera — often with a clean or neutral background. They're ideal for corporate profiles, press kits, LinkedIn, and any situation where professionalism and clarity are key.

Observed Portraits
Rather than asking the subject to pose, I photograph them while they are actively engaged in their work or conversation. The result is more candid and natural — useful for campaigns, brochures, or editorial content where authenticity is important.

Informal Portraits
These portraits fall somewhere between formal and candid. The subject might be dressed for business or work but appears more relaxed, with a natural expression or pose. These are particularly effective for social media, websites, or recruitment material where approachability is key.

Environmental Portraits
In these portraits, the subject is placed in a setting that says something about their role or environment — a workshop, a kitchen, or a factory, for example. These portraits are more narrative, giving context to the person’s work or character. It's one of the portrait types that I enjoy most

Group Portraits
These include three or more people — perhaps families, teams or entire companies. Group portraits can be formal or more relaxed, depending on the intended use. They require careful planning in terms of composition, location, and lighting, especially for larger groups.

Editorial Portraits
Typically commissioned by magazines, these portraits are more dynamic and visually distinctive. They might reflect the tone of the article or the style of the publication, using creative lighting and unusual locations. Editorial portraits aim to tell a story or convey a mood in a single image.

3. Planning a Portrait Shoot

Before the shoot: I always take the time to understand the context and purpose of the portraits. Are they for a corporate website, a magazine feature, a social media campaign? This helps determine the best style and location. If helpful, we can schedule a brief call or email exchange to discuss your goals.
Location: Portraits can be taken at your office, in a factory, at home or outdoors. I have lighting that can adapt to any situation. For environmental or observed portraits, your own workspace usually works well.
Time: Each session is planned to make the most of your time while allowing enough flexibility for people to relax. For example, setting up a single portrait might take 15–30 minutes, a variety of portraits around one person could take up to two hours (then they start to get tired) while a series of portraits of different people across a company can be spaced throughout the day.
What to wear: Clothing should match the context and your usual work style. Plain colours tend to photograph best and avoid distractions. For teams, it can help to coordinate outfits slightly — even just avoiding overly bright or patterned clothing.
On the day: My approach is calm, friendly, and professional. I usually set up the shot first with an assistant and then guide my subject through the process, making adjustments to lighting and posture as needed — all while helping them feel at ease.

4. Case Studies

(i) Luca Barilla, for Bentley
This was an editorial commission to photograph Luca Barilla (of the pasta company) for Bentley Magazine. The brief required environmental portraits of Mr Barilla with his car in various locations around the Barilla factory as well as some observed portraits.

I spent a couple of hours before the shoot to identify suitable locations, planning around the position of the sun later that day. Photographing company directors usually means working to a tight schedule, so having the shots prepared beforehand ensures things go smoothly I aimed here to provide a good variety of shots, some closer and some more distant, to give the magazine plenty of options.

In this case I was working with an assistant to help with the lighting; a combination of flash and reflectors. Mr Barilla was really accommodating so things couldn't have gone better.

(ii) Elisa, Life Coach

This was a commission to make a series of portraits for a professional Life Coach that required a variety of images for her website, promotional material and social media profiles.This kind of shoot can always be adapted to the budget available, but in this case there was enough to provide a beautiful location in Florence as well as a make-up artist to ensure that Elisa was looking her best. She also had a number of clothing options to change into, some brighter and more feminine to match her personality, others more subdued and business-like.

The shoot was timed so the interior portraits were made during the middle of the day while the light outside was less interesting. Then we moved into the gardens to get some warmer, informal shots in the late afternoon. Again, my assistant was at hand to help with the lighting - a combination of flash and reflectors.

(iii) Volksbank

I've been working with Volksbank for a couple of years now, returning to their headquarters in Bolzano when they need to update the portraits of their directors and management team.

The shoots are organised to a tight schedule over the course of a day, making sure that everyone is available for their time slot. A room is designated for the hair and make-up artist who will give them that final touch to make sure they are presented at their best In that way I can be photographing one subject while the next is being prepared. It's a smooth way of working.

The portraits are made in the reception area of the building, choosing a different background for the formal and informal portraits. I use the same lighting set up even with some months passing between sessions. In that way we can easily reproduce the scene to ensure the images work together despite having different dates of shooting.

The style, background and lighting are designed to project a professional and approachable feel, using shallow focus and fresh lighting to present a clean and modern setting.

5. Cost Estimates & Packages

The cost of a portrait session can vary depending on several factors, such as:

Number of Subjects: more people require more time and more post-production.
Shoot Duration: some sessions can be completed in under an hour; others may take a full day or more.
Lighting & Equipment: the session may involve lighting setups, neutral backgrounds or the use of an assistant.
Make-Up & Styling: optional, but often recommended — particularly when photographing multiple people throughout the day.
Post-Production: each image is carefully selected, colour-corrected and retouched as needed.
Travel Costs: depending on the location of the shoot.

As a general guide, most of my portrait sessions fall in the €700–€1200 range, depending on scope and complexity. Some cost more, some cost less. I’m happy to create a package that fits your goals and schedule — whether it’s an ongoing portrait project, a single shoot, or something in between.

6. Post-Production, Image Delivery & Back-Up
For a photographer the work doesn’t end when the camera is packed away. After the shoot, a significant amount of time is dedicated to post-production. This includes selecting the best shots, fine-tuning lighting and color, retouching blemishes where needed and crafting the final images.

To make things easy for my clients, I generally deliver two complete sets of images:

High-resolution files for print use (brochures, magazines, etc.)
Web-optimized files for online use (websites, social media, email newsletters)

Each version is prepared with the correct resolution and color profile so there’s no need for additional adjustments on your end.

While you should save a copy of the images on your own system, I also maintain multiple backups of every job—both locally and in a cloud archive. That means if you ever misplace your files, even years down the line, I can resend them without issue.

7. Why Work With Me?

Over the years, I’ve worked with companies large and small, professionals, artists and numerous international magazines. Whether I'm photographing a company director, a famous chef or a factory worker, I aim to create a relaxed, friendly and professional atmosphere during the shoot. Even those who normally hate having their photo taken often come away surprised by how relaxed the session felt.

If you're planning on new portraits for yourself, your company or a publication, please get in touch so we can talk through your ideas and make a plan that works for you.

Thanks for looking!

Colin.