In honour of #WorldPhotographyDay we are taking the opporunity to talk to our wonderful, corporate photographer of choice (for several reasons) Lisa Carpenter.
Hi Lisa, thanks so much for your time! We’ve known you and worked with you for a good while now and it’s always a pleasure to see you.
First of all, can you just tell us a little bit about yourself and your work?
Hello! I’m Lisa. And a photographer! I am based in Sutton Coldfield (but I’m happy to travel!!)
Usually, wedding and portrait photography takes up the majority of my working time however since lockdown I’ve seen my work head in a new, exciting direction.
I’ve always really enjoyed my corporate photography shoots and working with design agencies like yourselves, but it’s normally been so difficult timewise to fully promote this part of my business.
With so many people working on their websites during this down-time they’ve realised that they could do with some fancy new photography to get their sites looking tip-top.
Luckily for me, I’ve become the go-to girl for personal business branding, corporate photography and website imagery.
That’s great Lisa. We’ve long known how professional photography can completely transform a website and our favouite are most often the ones you work with us on.
What would you say you enjoy most about being a photographer?
Right now, it’s incredibly exciting to have the time to diversify and see my photos being used to elevate businesses and brands.
Working with both new, small businesses who have found a niche market during Lockdown and larger, more established brands who have found time to refresh their identities is a gratifying new direction for me.
As you know, we are a big fan of your photography (even I like some of my photos by you!) and we know there must be so many different variables but what would you say is important in getting ‘that photo’?
Light.
For me, that’s the most important starting point, I love natural light photography and if I can’t find that, getting a good light set up is essential so having a photographer who knows how to use their tools is crucial!
Equally, having a photographer with good social skills is a bonus! 😉
When you spend day after day photographing different business sectors, you need to be able to walk in and get the best from the staff –
having a friendly manner and a big smile goes a long way towards making both my job and the clients experience a much happier one!
Totally. We recommend you without any hesitation because we know that not only will the photographs be fantastic but you will be brilliant when you arrive and immediately connect with the client.
How would you say corporate shoots vary from, say, family or wedding shoots?
There’s a lot more routine and schedule in a corporate shoot, the brief I’m given is usually one that we can all adhere too, keeping within a time frame that suits the clients budget.
With a wedding, you can schedule as much as you like but invariably, timings are not something that I, as a photographer, have much control over. Don’t get me wrong, I love the organised chaos of a wedding day and have the magic touch when it comes to keeping things on track as much as possible but my timing list normally goes out of the window post-ceremony! 😉
The way I shoot a wedding used to be completely different to a corporate shoot – I document as much of the wedding day from a distance as possible, making sure to capture moments that the bride and groom might not be aware of – the guests laughing and singing during an impromptu wedding dinner dance-off, the mother of the bride wiping a tear away as the bride and groom say I do or a bridesmaid flying through the air during a sack race (it’s happened!)
Just recently, I’ve taken this approach with the corporate shoots too – it’s not just the head shots and company exterior that I’m photographing, I want my photos to show the ambience at your place of work – your director chatting to the receptionist or a team meeting that has descended into a fit of group giggles.
I want to help you show that your business is a place where your staff are as important to you as your clients, a place that people want to come to spend their hard earned cash.
If I can fit these photos into the brief as well, I will.
We really love those kind of shots too. Do you remember with one of our clients, I think the photos we loved the most were the kind of ‘blooper’ moments when they are so relaxed and natural?
That’s so true. I think the ones of you and Warwick and Beau are excellent examples!
Everyone does love those! We get the most likes and comments on those photos on social media!!
Make sure you include them in the blog!
I definitely will, promise!!
Tell us a bit more about the kind of shoots have you done for businesses?
Oooh, exciting stuff! Have you ever heard of this amazing company called Adventure Graphics?
We have actually!!
I’ve photographed them countless times! 😉
Lucky you!! (or lucky us!!)
Other than that my client list is pretty endless, I’ve photographed local companies like Ebrook Osteopathy, Nancy and Frank, Pilates Lounge, Feathers Bridal and Self School, along with international clients like Clinique, Sub Pop, Virgin Records, Sony BMG, The Wedding Club, Sass and Bide and Amnesty International!
We LOVE your client lists! We need to do 5 minutes about your New York chapter!!
What practical advice do you have for businesses that are thinking of investing in professional photography?
Photography can elevate your website, printed materials and social media to the extent that you’ll see yourselves gaining a whole new client list – if using the right images!
To get the right images, you need the right photographer.
Your Dad, cousin or sister-in-law may have the latest iPhone and an abundance of enthusiasm for photography but what’s the point in telling everyone how amazing your products are with half hearted photos to accompany them.
You’ve got a shiny new website – keep it looking it’s best with a whole host of images to promote yourselves over all platforms.
And I would absolutely love to help you acheive that so give me a call!
Lisa, we really hope they do, because we know they wouldn’t regret it. New photography would also be great for refreshing existing websites.
Thank you so much for sharing ‘5 mintues’ with us.
If you’d like to speak to Lisa and discuss ideas and how she can help your business just contact her here (and say that we say ‘hi’).
For more information, and to see even more of her work, please visit Lisa Carpenter Photography
Please note; all corporate photography in this article is produced and owned by Lisa Carpenter Photography.
And here’s the favourite ‘blooper’ we were talking about (and yes I think Beau did get me!)
If you’ve enjoyed this ‘5 Minutes With’ we’ve been lucky enough to speak to Rachel from Frankie Doodle Gifts and Sarah & Mark from Saracen Fire Protection too recently.
