Christina Lauder Portraits

Headshots, or profile pictures are becoming a requirement of so many tools we regularly use or reference today. From Facebook to Linked In, Instagram to Twitter and often any website that represents a company for which you work or own will have a place to include a photograph that is meant to show your audience who you are. And how you present yourself there will tell your audience so much about you. 1. A profile picture is your first opportunity for your audience to see you. Its often the first impression you make and we all know you only have one chance at a first impression. A professional photographer has the skills to show you in the best, most suitable way to give a great first impression. (These headshots were created for recruitment firm  Optima UK  who asked to have their logo placed behind them. I think it makes these headshots quite eye catching and they should do their job well.) 2. Using a professional to create your headshot will ...

  Here are the images from the actual corporate team shoot using the technique I trialled with a friend of mine a couple of months ago ( Click here to see that blog ).  I can finally share it with you as they have now updated their website to include these images.  Click here to be taken to 3TC Software's website.   You should have seen the images originally in use which thankfully this client recognised as being inappropriate for their corporate image and hired me to create the replacements.  Those images were poorly lit and badly composed leaving these executives looking so different that I didn't even recognise the man pictured above.  Previously he looked ready to retire and not the sort of individual you could imagine capable of running a company.  Whereas here he looks well within his corporate prime, in touch with the current times and to be someone with a business acumen you can trust. It is vital that the image you...

Another great aspect of what I do for a living is being involved with new businesses and getting to see the enthusiasm of others as they develop and live their dreams.  This week I was able to provide both product photography and PR shots for the owner and designer of Juben Handbags as she continues her pursuit following the recent launch of her unique handbags.  Juliette Ryley began this dream several years ago as a design project while still a student, only recently taking the time to develop the project further.  Even going as far as securing exclusive rights to her unique design. One of Juben's missions is  "To aid the recovery of British manufacturing by designing and hand making (their) entire range of innovative signature design handbags in the UK", which is a sentiment dear to my heart as well.  Too many jobs have been taken out of this country, a factor that I feel plays a strong part in the econ...

I'm relatively new to corporate head shots but having been asked for a few recently I've taken the time to investigate what I like and don't like about what's currently on offer.  To be honest, as a professional portrait photographer, not many have the quality that an executive deserves.  So I set out to create a style that I think is not only current, but also depicts a strong and confident individual which would serve well, many executive teams.  Together myself and another local photographer, Lee Glasgow, worked to create my vision of a corporate head shot.  I'll be using this new lighting setup next week with my next corporate client when they visit me for portraits for their directors.  When I discussed with them their needs and what they were looking for I was told they already had photos taken they were unhappy with.  Having looked at those images and having listened to the description of how they would like their team protrayed I thin...

I recently had the opportunity to shoot an entire team of corporate head shots.  I never imagined how much I'd enjoy this type of work and I'm thinking of marketing directly for more of this type of work.  It would make a lovely addition to the portraits I already do and also a nice change from babies and children.  The remit for this project was that I was not to use a background, they wanted the hotel as a background.  So I had a quick tour of the hotel and decided on the lobby.  I supplemented the ambient light with studio flash to enable the subjects to be well lit while leaving the background lit enough to add some interest to the scene.  With a shallow depth of field the details in the background were thrown out of focus so the subject was able to stand out. In addition to head shots we also did a team photo which I am particularly proud of.  I just love the symmetry of this image.  I was very pleased wi...

Recently I had the privillege of establising an affiliation with Baby Dolly , specialists in Antenatal Care. Baby Dolly, based in Hinckley and run by founder Lucy Dolly, carries out antenatel courses for both private and NHS clients.  They also conduct baby massage classes.  Their services include such things as TENS and birth pool hire and an online shop for a multitude of useful products for both during and after pregnancy.  They even offer a cool Pick and Pack Labour bag.  It almost makes me wish I could get pregnant again.  Well actually I could get pregnant again but my husband would kill me.  I was lucky enough to find Lucy through the schools work I do and we just seemed a natural fit.  We can both help each other out by passing on referrals and I can of course also help Lucy with her photographic needs.  So the first task at hand was to provide some much needed team photos which I was all to happy to provide. ...

Last year I had the honour of photographing Rosemarie and Tony's wedding. This year I had the honour of photographing them yet again for their website. We spent a morning taking various images, bouncing ideas off each other to arrive at something we were all happy with. As is the case with most adults we had a barrier to break through in order to get shots that worked. I think most people come to a shoot with the belief that they don't photograph well or they don't know how to smile. Being in front of a camera is difficult. I don't pretend that it is anything less than that. I myself do not like to be photographed which is why I am quite happy being the one who is almost always behind the camera. But in time, if we take our time, we can get even the most camera shy person to relax. And I believe that it is relaxing that will eventually get the images that look natural and flattering. Rosemarie and Tony are the owners of Heterarchy, an interior architecture and...