There’s nothing quite like developing a strong working relationship with a client for one creative need and then, years later, being able to assist with more of the company vision.
We began working with the team at F.A. Wilhelm Construction around 5 years ago when they reached out for needs that matched our specialty, of course, architectural photography. We continued a great working relationship, shooting a number of projects for them over the years, and we were thrilled when they asked us to shoot their leadership portraits to include in their full web redesign.
Late last year, we began scouting for the perfect place to capture the team. The Wilhelm team had specific ideas on what they were hoping to accomplish, including a number of poses to allow use of the photos in a variety of ways. This meant finding a backdrop that would meet the vision, not an easy task. We eventually settled on the company fabrication building that offered an industrial look, with features like exposed brick walls, and was perfect for the look we were trying to achieve. While the building was just what we wanted, it is fully operational and would be in use during the time we’d be shooting, which meant working around their day-to-day business, including moving large pieces of equipment. After a pre-production meeting and a few separate scouts of the space, everything has been reorganized for us to get a number of shots in a number of areas for variety in the photos. We were ready for shoot day!
While Lesle was working directly on site with the client, our team behind the scenes built a scheduling portal for all Wilhelm staff to easily book the best headshot time for their schedule. Once they picked their time slot, they were sent automatic reminders so no appointment was missed. We love this additional perk for our large teams to use to keep everyone organized and make the day of run as smoothly as possible.
From start to finish, the Wilhelm team was fully on board, completely supportive of whatever changes we needed to make to reach the desired end result, and a pleasure to work with. Preparation is key for shoots like this, but the full buy in and cooperation from this organization took it to another level!
