We here at Kelly Weaver Photography believe that part of the power found in portrait photography is the environment, the ambiance the photo conveys. So that’s why we travel to our clients’ offices and capture them in their space.
It’s very important for a law firm to have their lawyers photographed IN their office because it gives the client a feeling of what it will be like to be there and how warm and inviting it can be. Oftentimes, prospects are going to feel very nervous about going into a law firm and feel very vulnerable. So having portrait photography of lawyers in their office can help ease the clients’ concerns about their first visit to your office, and your firm can come across as trustworthy.
We recently did a back-to-back photo shoot for Hale Westfall, a boutique litigation firm with an emphasis on commercial litigation and alternative dispute resolution, appellate practice, public policy issues, land use disputes, condemnation matters, and labor and employment. In their portrait photography, you can see how warm and comfortable the environment appears and how open and approachable the lawyers are. Contrary to the common notion of a law office, Hale Westfall gives a much more inviting impression.
This back-to-back portrait photography shoot was also powerful because I was able to photograph 13 lawyers in one setting. This work typically is something that I would do over two months, but in many ways it’s more effective to do one setting because it’s more affordable, and I can capture team shots and mini-groups. What’s great about taking photos in their atmosphere is that all the partners AND the administrative employees can be photographed either individually or together in teams. It’s important that clients see the whole team, as they will likely interact with a few of them.
Another important aspect in using the environment where these lawyers work is they look like they actually “fit” in this environment, especially with natural lighting complementing their natural setting A staged backdrop would feel impersonal and not feel as powerful. This old-style way of doing portrait photography doesn’t connect with clients and no longer follows what the trends are showing these days.
Using Hale WestWestfall’s environment, I was also able to match their brand. For example, the words “boutique,” “creative,” and “dedicated” are on their website, so I made sure to capture portrait photography that clicked with these words and their brand.
Doing a back-to-back photo shoot works great for law firms, financial planners, doctor offices, dental offices, and more.