Corporate Photography - Portraits in a museum

One of my larger projects this year was to make portraits of the senior management at the Corcoran.  

When I've photographed management at the Corcoran in the past, it's mostly been on an individual basis, making it hard to get a good cohesive group of images.  This time we were able to shoot everyone against the same white seamless with the same lighting, as well as in a space around the gallery.  

This time, I had a dozen different people to photograph over two days.  I brought an assistant, and had help from the Corcoran's communications department in scheduling everyone.  

I've previously written about taking photographs in a museum.  Many of the same considerations of copyright and permissions came into play when making these portraits.  When scouting the different locations, I had a list of approved artwork that could be shown in photographs.  

Corporate Photography - Clips

It's always nice when I get to shoot for a very specific layout.  The image in the clip below was shot specifically for the front of this brochure.  Knowing exactly how the image was going to be used was a great help in composing it.  The difficulty in this shoot was to capture three VERY tall pieces of artwork in a long horizontal image.  I shot from a few different angles within the gallery to give the Corcoran's design office options when they lay out the page.  

In the end,  I am not surprised with the image they chose.  The photo prominently features one of the main works on display, and easily shows what they exhibition is about in a clean layout.  

Click on the image to see the original.

Corporate Photography - Dancers

The Corcoran currently has a show of work by Artist Spencer Finch, including a few pieces that are site specific to The Corcoran.  One of Spencer Finch's pieces that is specific to the Corcoran is a large blue sculpture suspended from the ceiling of the rotunda.  The sculpture is a representation of a passing cloud and a passing meeting between Walt Whitman and Abraham Lincoln.  

Earlier in December,  Dana Tai Soon Burgess & Company dancers performed a site specific dance inspired by the sculpture.  

Update on Saturday, January 8, 2011 at 8:00AM by Denny

The DTSB & Co has posted more of my photos on their website.  

Corporate Photography - Photographing Lectures

Recently, I had someone ask me how I get different pictures every time I photograph a lecture at the Corcoran.  The lectures are held mostly in a semi-circle shaped auditorium, that isn't lit particularly well for photos.   

Each of the people who come to speak at The Corcoran have different mannerisms, and ways of interacting with the audience.  The images from the last event I shot are the perfect example of how subtle differences in each speaker or presentation can make for completely different pictures.  At these events, the best pictures usually come at the beginning and end of the lecture when the lights are all up, and the speakers are interacting with the audience.  I always keep my eyes out for pictures at other times during the evening.  The images below were shot when the lecturer, Rick Valicenti, was standing in a mis-aligned spot light.  

Corporate Photography - Photographing Artists

One of the most interesting things about shooting for a museum and college are the artists I get to meet.  When the artists meet with students or give lectures, they often focus their talks on what inspires them to do their work, and the methods behind their thinking.  Whether the artists are photographers or not, I often find some part of what they have to say is applicable to my work.

The images below are from Seymour Chwast's visit to the Corcoran a few weeks ago.  

Seymour Chwast meeting with Students at The Corcoran

Seymour Chwast after his lecture at The Corcoran