Are these photos on-location business headshots or environmental portraits?

So here’s the thing- I’ve been getting lots of requests recently for on-location photo shoots and I couldn’t be happier about it. I love doing portraits and headshots for clients in the studio, but going on-location for a photo shoot always makes for a fun adventure. In addition to being a change of scenery, each new location I get hired to go to in the Lower Mainland brings with it unique challenges that I love working with and adapting to so as to craft photos that my clients will love.

Environmental portrait or on-location headshot?

Sometimes people want to incorporate the environment into their portraits and sometimes what they want instead is a more traditional looking headshot (with more of a studio look), just shot on location. So which is which? What’s the difference?

Environmental portrait examples:

Take for example the photos below that I took on-location for local Vancouver business owner Michael Young of MJY Fabrication. Notice how much of Michael’s workshop we can see around him in these photos. These are not, in my opinion, headshots. These are environmental portraits that showcase the business as much as they do Michael. These portraits are really about Michael existing in, and his relationship to, his environment.

Environmental portrait of a man/business owner in his workshop in Vancouver, BC.
Photograph of a business owner in his workshop in Vancouver, BC.
Environmental portrait of a business owner in Vancouver, BC.

On-location business and corporate headshot examples:

Now let’s take a look at what I would call business headshots or corporate headshots. This more traditional style of headshot is photographed against a fairly simple backdrop and are usually a medium close up (from the waist to the top of the head). This type of headshot is all about the person’s face- the environment they’re in is an afterthought (it’s still important in that we need to make sure colours work together and compliment the brand of the person being photographed, but it’s totally different to the much more prominent role the background plays in environmental portraits). For example:

Black and white business portrait of a woman.
Headshot of a young man.
Black and white studio corporate headshot.

What type of photos are you looking for? Whether it’s environmental portraits, on-location business or corporate headshots, or something else, get in touch to start planning your photo shoot today…

Vancouver branding photos, headshots Vancouver, Vancouver business, Vancouver business photos, vancouver headshots, vancouver photographerLaura Sosnerenvironmental portraits, business headshots, corporate headshotsComment