How To Pick The Best Background Style For Your Headshot

People don’t usually give much thought to what type of background they want to shoot their headshots, putting their focus mainly on what to wear instead.  That’s what we’re here for! This post is meant to give you an idea on additional elements you should consider when planning your company headshot photos. These images will represent your entire business so thought should be given to every element: lighting, backdrops, and yes of course clothing. For now, let’s focus on backgrounds. Here’s a few things to consider when choosing the best background style for your company headshots from photographers in Honolulu Hawaii specializing in headshot photos:

Know Your Options

There are two different background styles to choose from and both are great options.  In considering which one will be the best fit for your business think about how the background can enhance your business presence. Is there anything in or around your office that can help tell the story of what you do? Is there a great view inside or out of your building?  Perhaps the office itself is exceptional or you’d just like to portray your team in a professional corporate environment.  If the answer to these questions is yes then you may want to consider environmental style headshots to represent your business.

Of course, not everyone works in a big impressive office perhaps it’s too small to shoot in, not visually pleasing, or just isn’t relevant to what you do and won’t enhance your image. In these cases you can go with a traditional style backdrop that is non-descript, usually a painted canvas or paper roll that can be set-up easily on-location or in-studio. You will have a variety of color choices to select from so think about which option best represents your business. Is your brand based on a particular color palette or do your employees wear uniforms that will look best on certain colors?

Traditional Style:

Traditional style backgrounds are solid colors with or without texture. These types of shots are done in-studio or on-location with our portable studio equipment. Here are some examples of traditional backdrops that we use on a regular basis. Paper backdrops come in almost every color  under the rainbow and with enough advance notice we should be able to procure special colors if you don’t see what your heart desires here. This type of backdrop is generally best if all you need is a thumbnail shot for your business card, website, or social media. It’s clean and professional keeps all the focus on the person.

Environmental Style:

An environmental style photo uses the natural surroundings as a backdrop. It can be done indoors or outdoors and is currently a very popular option. This is a great choice for businesses that want to incorporate their working environment into their portrait and can make for very dynamic creative images.  Only the people who work in that office will have images with that background which makes them unique!  It’s is a great option for generating imagery that can be used in a variety of ways for your website and marketing materials.

Additional Considerations:

If you’re still not sure after looking at the example portraits on this page, here are some additional details to consider.

Cost & Logistics:

If you’re on a tight budget, a traditional style background can cost less than an environmental background due to the fact that you can come into our studio to have your images done which doesn’t require any additional set-up of equipment or travel time. Of course, that means extra travel time for you and your team.  The extra cost of in-office shots whether environmental or on traditional backdrop goes a long way on time savings if you have a busy office life and several people to photograph. Having us come to you will be fast and efficient for everyone in your office, you’ll get everyone completed at one time, and you won’t need to move your car.