Board Member Portraits and Documentary Board Meeting Photography for Scottish Funding Council

I’ve been taking board member portrait commissions for the Scottish Funding Council for quite a while now and I was delighted to be invited back to their recently refurbished Edinburgh offices for this shoot in March of last year. Dr. Mike Cantlay had just been announced as the newly appointed Chair of SFC. The primary aim of the photography shoot was to create a couple of different corporate portraits. These, in turn, will be used by SFC for marketing purposes as well as online and annual reports.

Stylish and Sophisticated Board Member Portraits at Scottish Funding Council

When I arrived, the first thing I noticed was the way they’d displayed the logo outside of the glass panelled offices. I immediately saw the picture potential for dynamic, editorial portraits. Before I shifted direction to be a Corporate and Commercial photographer, I worked for the broadsheet newspapers in London and Scotland. I’m well practised at seeking out the smallest of opportunities when I arrive at someone’s offices to add drama to a business page portrait. Whether through reflections, logos or dark coloured walls, my main objective is to create eye catching imagery that conveys the sense of style and sophistication my client has to offer.

Professional Corporate Photography with Epic Scotland

Mike Cantlay has been Chair of many important organizations in Scotland over the years and is, therefore, no stranger to having his photo taken. It can sometimes prove tricky when the client is so used to the process of getting their portrait taken that they just go through the motions and switch on a rehearsed smile. It’s a common problem I come up against time and time again as a corporate photographer. In fact, I recently shared the five most common mistakes people make with their profile pictures to help people take better, more professional head shots.

Mike wasn’t like this at all. He was completely focused on working with me to get the best shots. These are professionals that have carved a few moments out of their busy schedules for time in front of a camera and their minds are often on other things. They’re in a rush to get the session over and done with as quickly as possible. In a corporate portrait session, it’s not just the photographer who has to work hard to achieve a great image. The people who give themselves over to the job in hand and really focus on working with me to get the “money shot” always end up with the best pictures. Mike was a joy to work with, as were the other new board members, David Alexander and Mhairi Harrington.

The communications department also required some fly-on-the-wall pictures of the board meeting in session. This was a great way to capture the internal workings of the Scottish Funding Council.

It was great to be back at the SFC offices. I’m always delighted when I’m commissioned to do portraits for the Scottish Funding Council. I enjoyed meeting Mike, David and Mhairi and I wish them all well in their new positions!