Executive Headshots for Ferguson in Newport News, Virginia

Ferguson Executive Headshots from our September time together

The fact that corporations need headshots of their executives (and often want them for their entire staff) is not new. We’ve seen literal walls of stuffy headshots of CEOs and company presidents upon entering a business or office building for decades. It’s generally a row or two of photographs of the same basic suit and tie, the same stiff pose, and the same uncomfortable, fake smile. 

Social Media has upped the Playing Field

In the past ten years, as social media has become a part of our daily lives, it’s become apparent to businesses of every size, from small, local businesses to large corporations, that their brand is more than just a logo, font, and brand colors. In the very visual world of social media marketing, a company’s brand must now include their personality, both as an institution and the individual personalities of their executives and staff members. In short, in order to stand out with any online marketing or presence, you need to be authentic and unique.

“Kim is an incredibly talented photographer. I recently had the pleasure of working with Kim on an executive photoshoot for my company, and it was immediately obvious she is able to bring out the best in her subjects. Every single executive commented it was the most professional session they had been to, and all felt Kim really captured their personality in their portrait. During the sessions, Kim was very approachable and warm, and her talented team was extremely accommodating on style, space, and day-of logistics. I have since booked Kim and her team multiple times and will definitely continue to partner with her in the future for our company portraits.”

— Whitney Porter, Ferguson

The Fun Story of How I got to Work with Ferguson

As a photographer who prides myself on capturing the unique personality of every subject I photograph, I’ve loved this trend and I’ve made a name for myself in Virginia as the go-to corporate photographer for that reason.

Last June, I was approached by the senior manager of brand photography and videography for Ferguson, the largest distributor of plumbing supplies, PVF, waterworks, and fire and fabrication products in the U.S. He had found me through a Google search and loved my reviews (have I mentioned I LOVE Google reviews?). 

When we talked, he told me the story of one of their C-suite executives who had worked with no less than five photographers and wasn’t happy with any of her headshots (I think he may have even used the word “hated” to describe how she felt about them). He’d been to my website and said that he loved the executive branding shots there because each person looked relaxed and authentic and, most importantly, he could see their personality shining through in their photographs. 

Ferguson also wanted executive lifestyle images.

The Perfect Choice

He said he thought I’d be the perfect choice to finally get a headshot his executive would like and arranged for me and my team to come and take headshots for the entire company, and to work with this particular unhappy executive to see if the sixth time (and working with me) might be the charm. I did my homework ahead of time, and I was confident in my proven process that she was going to love her new photos. 

In September, I showed up with my hair and makeup artist and my stylist for the shoot. We took traditional headshots of everyone and some additional marketing images for a few of the executives. I was excited about working with the executive who had rejected every other headshot she’d had taken.

Behind the scenes with my talented team.

We spent an hour pampering her and making her feel like her most beautiful and authentic self by doing camera-ready makeup and hairstyling. We also did her wardrobe consult on-site. Once she was camera-ready, she and I had a ball taking lots of photos. We were able to put her at ease very quickly and we captured beautiful, authentic images together.

She also got to see each shot I was taking, letting me know which ones she liked and which ones she didn’t so that I could make adjustments during the photoshoot and ensure that the final product would be one she loved. And she did! She was so thrilled with her photos that she ordered several extra poses to have for her professional use.

One happy executive!

A Win-Win

Ferguson loves my team and they love the results we deliver. I went back in December for a second shoot and they plan on having us come back quarterly to ensure that their very important corporate brand headshots stay relevant and up-to-date.

If you have a business, no matter how large or small, we should chat about your next business photoshoot. If you’ve never had professional photos of your team taken before, I can guide you through the process so you end up with images that help advance your brand no matter where you use them. Click here to get on my calendar and let’s chat!

Ferguson Executives from our December time together