Category Archives: Publications

The Impact of Visual Storytelling in Corporate Annual Report Photography

Posted by Richard Boll on 1st August 2024 – 5:10 pm

Filed under Corporate headshot photography London, Corporate Photography, Publications

Importance of Corporate Annual Reports

Corporate Annual Reports are essential documents for organisations to effectively communicate their business mission, brand values, financial statements, and future vision, as well as highlight their company and employee wins and achievements over the year.

The importance of using strong, professional branded imagery to visually tell your business story, and highlight staff achievements and successful projects cannot be underestimated. High-quality and engaging photography can greatly impact and enhance the effectiveness of annual reports, drawing readers in and creating a human connection to real people that builds trust and credibility.

Approach to Annual Report Photography

I’ve worked on several annual report projects for corporate communications agencies Brunswick and Identity, and directly for organisations such as Octopus Energy, Derwent, Lazard, Citibank, and American Express.

Photography commissions have spanned a wide variety of sectors including:
– Finance
– Investment
– Banking
– Energy
– Civil Engineering
– Technology
– Construction
– Property Development

The brief often requires a single-day or multi-day shoot for corporate portraits of a senior executive team.

Typically, corporate imagery for annual reports will include:
– group portraits of employees
– individual portraits of key people
– interior and exterior architectural images
– ‘fly-on-the-wall’ lifestyle images of people working or having meetings

Derwent London Plc

Derwent London is the largest office-focused real estate investment trust in the UK. I’ve been commissioned to photograph Derwent’s senior executives and employees for three of their Annual Reports, and the corporate shoots are always productive and well-organised. For the 2022 annual report, I shot several group portraits of their various teams including Finance, Health & Safety, Leasing and Marketing, Valuation and Investment, Asset and Property Management, Development and Sustainability, and Building Management & Facilities.
It was a logistical challenge to arrange for this number of people to be present for the shoot. Scouting for suitable locations required recces ahead of the shoots so that the positioning of the often large numbers of people could be planned for accordingly.

Common Challenges

The individuals I’m commissioned to photograph for annual reports are often time-poor, so location recces carried out before the shoot are valuable. Working closely with an Art Director and making up-front decisions on the composition, lighting, and poses needed is essential.
Many people can feel apprehensive about having their photograph taken, so it’s part of my job to help them relax, look comfortable, and enjoy the process.

Final Results

In summary, professional and high-quality annual report photography shot by a creative and experienced corporate photographer, not only engages stakeholders but helps to set your organisation apart.
The results for corporate lifestyle and senior executive portraits should be authoritative, approachable, and professional, and also bring brand elements into the photographs where applicable. On a final note, the beauty of commissioning a full range of corporate executive headshots, group photographs, and lifestyle shots, means the images can also be for your company website, LinkedIn profile headshots, and other promotional materials.

See more examples of my corporate photography work and email richard@richardbollphotography.com to discuss images for your next annual report.

Portrait and Product Photographer for Burgundy Producer Olivier Bernstein

Posted by Richard Boll on 14th July 2020 – 12:55 pm

Filed under Advertising, Editorial Photography, Environmental Portrait, Location, Publications, wine photography

As someone who loves a good glass of Burgundy, it was a pleasure to be commissioned as a product photographer to carry out a shoot for a wine producer in Beaune in the Burgundy region of France.

The photography was commissioned by the creative agency Anew and it was to produce images for the great wine producer Olivier Bernstein. The images were for the website and editorial use, and included mostly product photography and some portrait photography.

Though it was a quick visit to the Olivier Bernstein premises in Beaune, less than 24 hours in fact, it was a productive shoot and the client was delighted with the results.

More of my still life product photography can be found here and more of my portrait photography can be found here.

Interiors and Portrait Photographer at Granger & Co in London for Habitus Living

Posted by Richard Boll on 5th December 2018 – 12:23 pm

Filed under Editorial Photography, Editorial Portrait, Environmental Portrait, Location, Location Photography, London, Publications

It was a great pleasure to be commissioned by a favourite client, the Australian lifestyle magazine, Habitus Living as an interiors and portrait photographer. The brief was to photograph the restaurateur and food writer Bill Granger in his London restaurant Granger & Co in Chelsea.
The commission was to produce a range of portrait and interior photographs for the 40th issue of Habitus Living.

Bill Granger moved from Melbourne to Sydney to study art in the late eighties, and it was whilst working as a waiter that he was inspired to switch his creative interests to food and hospitality. He opened his first restaurant the Sydney suburb of Darlinghurst in 1993, followed by “Bills Surry Hills” in 1996. From Australia he took the brand to Japan, opening restaurants in Tokyo, Yokohama, Kamakura, Fukuoka, and Osaka.

Granger & Co in Westbourne Grove, Chelsea was his first London restaurant, followed by Granger & Co in Clerkenwell, London.
It was a real pleasure to meet and photograph Bill and see the results of his ambitious hard work. I was also treated to one of the best meals I’ve ever had! Huge thanks to Holly Cunneen for commissioning the shoot, and to Leanne Amodeo for incorporating my images into her excellent article.

More of portrait photography can be seen here.

Portrait of Bill Granger in London for article in Habitus Living magazine

Pages from Lifestyle magazine Habitus Living. Images by Richard Boll of London.

Product and Lifestyle Photographer for nolii in London, summer 2018

Posted by Richard Boll on 13th November 2018 – 5:53 pm

Filed under Advertising, Editorial Photography, Editorial Portrait, Environmental Portrait, Lifestyle, lifestyle Photography, Location, London, Product Photography, Publications

Throughout the summer of 2018 I was delighted to be commissioned as a product and lifestyle photographer to produce a variety of images of the new range of mobile phone accessories from nolii.

The nolii products were designed by the industrial design studio Layer, owned by Benjamin Hubert.

The project drew on a range of disciplines, including product and lifestyle photography. I photographed the nolii products at Holborn Studios in London, and carried out a lifestyle shoot in various locations around East London. A team portrait of the nolii team with Benjamin Hubert was also required, which was taken in a cafe in East London.

The images have had a great deal of exposure, having been featured across the nolii website, as well as appearing in magazines including Wallpaper•, Dezeen, Medium, Design Week and Designboom.

More of my lifestyle photography can be seen here and more of product photography can be seen here.

Editorial portrait photographer commission to photograph Joseph Galliano for Buzzfeed in London

Posted by Richard Boll on 24th July 2018 – 1:05 pm

Filed under Editorial Photography, Editorial Portrait, Location Photography, London, Publications

The journalist and editor Joseph Galliano is currently working on a project to create the first LGBT museum in London. Buzzfeed commissioned me as an editorial portrait photographer to photograph him at the great London restaurant, L’Escargot to accompany a feature about the planned museum.

Galliano told BuzzFeed News that the museum will reflect every race, gender, and orientation under the LGBT umbrella in a bid to preserve histories that have been ignored or destroyed. It was great to meet him and congratulate him on his very exciting project.

More of my portrait photography can be seen here.

portrait of joseph galliano in london for buzzfeed by Editorial portrait photographer Richard Boll

Editorial portrait photographer Richard Boll's photo shoot of joseph galliano in london

Portrait of Designer Marc Newson commissioned by Vogue Magazine, London, April 2018

Posted by Richard Boll on 13th June 2018 – 1:44 pm

Filed under Editorial Photography, Editorial Portrait, Environmental Portrait, London, Publications, Vogue

Portrait of Designer Marc Newson commissioned by Vogue Magazine, London, April 2018

In May 2017 I had the great pleasure to meet the renowned designer Marc Newson CBE, and take portraits of him at his home in London. I was delighted when Vogue, London, commissioned a portrait of the designer for their April 2018 issue.

Marc Newson was included in Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World, and his work is held by many major museums, including MoMA, New York, the Design Museum in London, the V&A and the Vitra Design Museum. He has set various records at auction, and his work now accounts for almost 25% of the entire contemporary design art market.

Six Degrees of Freedom featured in volume 4 of Water

Posted by timball on 20th January 2018 – 9:28 am

Filed under Publications

The project Six Degrees of Freedom has been included in Volume 4 of the London-based publication Water, a beautiful journal the producers describe as, ‘A quiet exploration of all things water and life, celebrating its undeniable beauty and complexity’.

Six of the seascapes from the project are included, as well as the fantastic essay contributed by theorist and curator Duncan Wooldridge.