Business Woman Photo Shoot
This month we move to the corporate boardroom for the latest installment of our job series. We’re going to do a business woman photo shoot but in my style. So, you can expect it to be strong, powerful, sensual, feminine, and edgy.
Meeting the Business Woman Professional Photo Model
Our model CEO is Brooke Lily Brazelton. She brought several outfits perfect for the business woman photo shoot theme while keeping an alluring, feminine appeal. For example, we chose the oversized blazer with the low-rise dress pants.
Makeup Artist and Hair Stylist (HMUA)
For this photo shoot, I was fortunate to have on set one of the best makeup artists and hair stylists in South Florida, the multi-talented Shani Gottlieb.
Bring the Props
I also brought some props, including an old-school briefcase and a vintage mobile phone. If you’ve never seen a business executive’s mobile phone from the 1980s, you might wonder why our model is holding a large, oddly-shaped brick to her ear. But, hey, back in the day, only the cool corporate kids had one of these babies.
Why a HMUA is Worth the Money
The job she did on Brooke’s hair and makeup was perfect for the look I was trying to achieve. I know every photographer can’t afford a hair and makeup person, especially if they’re just beginning their career. However, once you have the appropriate budget, it’s worth the expense.
It also gives you a better chance of getting the look you want. Plus, having a professional do the hair and makeup usually means you’ll save time, making the photo shoot go much faster.
Nothing Beats a Talented Model
The corporate boardroom provided a great place to begin the day’s shoot. Usually, there’s a warmup period for everybody to get into the mood, but Brooke was nailing the business woman professional photo look from the beginning.
She was able to project a powerful but relaxed personality. With her black power suit and matching black lingerie set, she left no doubt that she was in charge.
However, she leaned back in one of the boardroom chairs and casually propped her Christian Louboutin pumps on the table. It was as if she were confident she was the best at her job and had the situation well under control.
The room’s classic dark wood paneling offered a terrific backdrop for shots of Brooke standing. The lower half of the lingerie set is on display as it prominently shows above the low-rise pants.
Camera Settings
For you photographers who like numbers, I was shooting with an ISO of 3200 in a somewhat low-lit space. I had my 38mm lens open to f2.8 while I snapped at 1/350. By the way, I stayed with short lenses throughout the session.
Get the Shot
Notice that to get the shot I wanted I had to get on the conference table. Are you willing to move around when you take your photo of a business woman poses?
A few minutes later, I got Brooke on the table, too for some great closeup shots with a 55mm lens.
With the 38mm lens, I was able to incorporate plenty of background and foreground. Brooke is framed by two conference chairs and backlit by a transom window.
Use What’s Available
I was also able to get another prop in the foreground, an office desk toy known as Newton’s Cradle. It was de rigueur for serious-minded gentleman’s office of the mid and late 20th century. I thought it would make a nice photo of a business woman meets classic masculine power toy.
We ended the initial part of the business woman photo shoot with a few poses at the water cooler where the cooler’s black finish worked well with Brooke’s ensemble.
The blue water jug added a pop of color against the paneling to enliven the palette of blacks and browns. Take a careful look at your location for something unexpected that could enhance your photo shoot.
Another piece of office equipment we used was the photocopier. Once again, its black coating worked well for us as Brooke stripped down to just her black lingerie ensemble and matching elbow-length leather gloves.
By lifting the copier’s cover, we used the underneath white surface to help bounce light onto Brooke’s face. That’s another case of making do with what’s available.
Use Lighting to Freshen Up a Boring Interior
For the latter part of the shoot, we moved to the office corridor. How do you make something as lifeless as a windowless corporate hallway interesting for a photo of a business woman poses?
We solved the problem by using inexpensive LED lightsticks to produce a moody, nightclub vibe. It proves you don’t need a lot of money to produce great photos, just imagination.
Brooke was in a black outfit for the corridor then switched to a red top with a black bottom combo for the remainder of the photo shoot. We also moved into an office for some desk photos.
The office had a strong white wall that brought a different feel to the photos. The red and black garments stood out in greater contrast than they would have against wood paneling.
Work With People You Like
I loved the photo shoot, so I was pleased to hear Brooke enjoyed being our business woman professional photo model for the day.
If you enjoyed this session as much as we did, don’t forget to check out the next installment of the job series.
