The Glamour Shot

Our office recently participated in the ever so fun and creative exercise of office portraits. As architects and designers, we inherently made this process more difficult by not simply sitting on a chair with a very nice solid background color (or for those Sears Roebuck fans, the mottled teal, purple and pink drop down screen). Instead, we thought about it. We scouted locations. We brainstormed in the office for hours. We even thought about traveling to a distant setting. In the end, we tore apart our conference room and completely redesigned a 12 x 20 space with only two blank walls, one wall of closet doors and one wall of windows. Go figure.

The result: an extremely interesting photo to use for marketing purposes that not only looks good, but tells a story. It is not just a pretty picture. It uses the opportunity to capture a single moment in a way that provides the potential client, consultant or future employee a glimpse into what we do in our profession. Whether architecture, interior design, law, restaurateur or even janitor – if you’re taking photos, think about what the photo could say. Tell the longest story in the shortest time ever. You may even take two photos.

~Barron Schimberg, AIA, LEED AP

One of The Schimberg Group ‘s architects, Todd Anderson, ready for his closeup.

Photo Credit: Greg Dechow Photography