The photography may only take five to 10 minutes but getting a leadership team in front of the camera without wrecking the day takes more planning. Orlando Sydney, founder of Orlando Sydney Corporate Photography, shares his advice for EAs.
For the EA coordinating a session, the priorities are a realistic schedule, a suitable space and a process that accommodates different personalities without slowing everyone else down.
Get the logistics right before the diary fills up
A mobile photography studio typically needs around 45 minutes to set up and test, plus another 30 minutes to pack down. Allow for this separately from the photography appointments.
In CBD offices, access can make a surprising difference. Confirm where equipment can be unloaded, whether the goods lift needs booking and how the photographer will reach the room. An inconvenient loading arrangement can delay the first appointment before anyone has stepped in front of the camera.
Choose a room large enough for the equipment, preferably without direct sunlight – and comfortable for those being photographed. A cramped meeting room may accommodate the lighting but still create a poor experience for senior staff.
For CEOs, managing directors and C-suite executives, individual 20-minute diary appointments work well, even though the photography itself typically takes five to 10 minutes. That extra time accommodates overrunning meetings, early arrivals and the occasional exec who needs longer to settle in.
For department heads and larger staff groups, allow up to 10 minutes each and work in small batches of around five. Build another 30 minutes of flexibility into the overall schedule to absorb unexpected delays.
Manage people, not just appointments
Some executives arrive prepared, smile naturally and select their preferred image within minutes. Others find the experience unexpectedly uncomfortable.
I’ve noticed that even highly confident sales and client-facing execs can become self-conscious in front of a camera, perhaps because they know their portrait will represent them publicly.
A good photographer recognises that discomfort and adjusts their approach. Sometimes a brief conversation about someone’s role achieves more than additional posing instructions. For larger teams, allowing colleagues to observe the process before their turn can also help reduce uncertainty.
There’s a point where more time stops helping. After around 10 minutes, expressions can become tired and people may grow more critical of their appearance rather than more comfortable.
Final tips
Ask the photographer for a short wardrobe guide to distribute two days beforehand.
Where possible, arrange for participants to review a manageable selection of photographs and confirm their preferred image during their appointment. For you, this can eliminate days of circulating contact sheets, chasing decisions and coordinating additional approvals.
Finally, ask whether the photographer can reproduce the same lighting, framing and background if someone misses the session. Leadership teams change, executives travel and last-minute cancellations happen. A repeatable setup allows those people to be photographed later without an obvious difference in the finished portraits.
A well-organised session isn’t one where every appointment runs precisely to schedule. It’s one where an unexpected meeting, a nervous exec or a last-minute absence doesn’t create another week of administrative work.
orlandosydney.com
