Having pictures of real people on your website increases trust in your business.
While generic stock images are better than nothing, photos of the actual people who run the business and who’ll be interacting with clients are even better.
But these shouldn’t be just any old photos.
They should be professional photos in a style that reflects the unique values of, and the one-of-a-kind experience offered by, the company.
These brand photographs can make a huge difference to a business’s credibility.
As a Shrewsbury headshot and brand photographer, let me show you how.
An online presence to match the in-person experience
Hatchers Solicitors approached branding and digital studio GoodThing, with a brief to overhaul their digital presence. They wanted their website and marketing channels to match the level of service and the unique, people-focussed experience that their clients get in person.
They needed their online offering to reflect what makes them so special. What GoodThing co-founder, Warran, describes as: “Their combination of traditional values, dedication to the profession, commitment to supporting the local community, and innovative approach to law.”
During their early workshops with Hatchers, GoodThing identified the priority areas as “strengthening the Hatchers brand digitally, simplifying the structure of services, modernising the website enquiry process, empowering the internal team to manage the new website, and new people photography.”
That last one is where I come in!
Professional headshots for law firms that’s professional, warm and friendly
The vision for Hatchers’ new solicitor headshots was a suite of images to show the warmth and originality which solicitors’ images so often lack, without undermining their professionalism. This included more general photos of the office on a standard day, as well as individual headshots of every employee, so clients could always put a face to a name.
“It was crucial to find the right collaborator to help us deliver on our strategy for the new website.” Warran, founder of GoodThing, says. “They had to have extensive experience in delivering the quality of people photography we envisioned. We also needed an individual who could quickly absorb the essence of the Hatchers brand and how we wanted to bring this to life.
“Laura understood the brief, but she also brought lots of ideas with her on the day. Her warmth put everyone at ease and brought out the best in a diverse team that came together from two locations.”
How to organise a photoshoot of 30+ people
It wasn’t just aesthetics we needed to think about for this photoshoot; it was logistics too. We worked closely with Emma (below), Hatchers’ brilliant office manager, to coordinate everyone and everything to ensure the shoot went as smoothly as possible.
“We decided to do it on a day when all staff had to be in the office,” Emma explains. “I made a list of the times, and allocated staff accordingly. The staff who came from another office were allocated the earliest times, so they didn’t have to hang around waiting to have their photo taken.”
To ensure everyone felt as comfortable as possible in front of the camera, all staff were allocated 10 minutes with a make-up artist, the brilliant Helena Restall, followed by 5 minutes with me. That’s all I need to make people feel comfortable in front of the camera!
The impact of good photography
Combined with their new website, their new people-focused brand photography has allowed Hatchers to enter a new digital era, attracting not just more custom, but the kind of custom they excel at too.
“The end result has been so widely admired within Hatchers from board members, support staff, finance, HR,” Warran says. “Everyone who was initially wary of the process could see why it was so necessary.”
Here’s what some of the Hatchers staff had to say too:
“Laura really put me at ease, and it was fun”
“The photographer was very personable and friendly”
“I don’t like having my photo taken, but Laura made the process painless.”
“I enjoyed having my photo taken and it looks great on our website.”
People are what matters most
“The power of collaboration is if you work with the best people, who share your values and that of the client, amazing things happen.” Both Hatchers and GoodThing are independent Shrewsbury businesses, and it was such a joy to work on a project which intentionally platformed and supported the local economy.
It was also a dream to be on a project where purpose was as important as results, and where all of us were aligned on the focus: people are what matters most in all of our work.
With that in mind, if you’re a local Shrewsbury business (or based further afield) and are looking for updated brand photography to showcase your human side as well as your business side, then I’d love to chat about how I can help, contact me here.
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