A Headshot Was Not Enough

 

Smiling bearded man in a gray blazer sits at a wooden table with an HP laptop near a brick wall and a fireplace artwork.

 

When Craig Ashcroft needed photographs for his new website, a standard set of headshots was never going to be enough. Craig is the face of his business. He’s out and about meeting clients, and his working day rarely stays in one place. His photos needed to reflect that.

 

The Challenge


Matt Chandler of Chandler Digital introduced Craig to me while designing his new website. Matt had already mocked up how the site would look, and it needed personality-led images that showed the real Craig, not just a man in a suit against a plain backdrop. Craig runs a payment solutions business alongside other ventures, including the L&Y Venue in Bamber Bridge, where his office sits upstairs. He needed photographs that captured all of that: approachable, confident, and very much himself.

Smiling bald man with a trimmed beard rests his hand on his chin, wearing a dark button-up shirt and a silver chronograph watch.
Smiling bald man with a trimmed beard and a cross tattoo on his chest wearing a dark button-up shirt against a light background.
Smiling bald man with a trimmed beard in a dark button-up shirt rests his chin on his hand against a plain light background.

Planning the Day Together


We started with a Zoom call with Craig and Matt to talk through what the website needed and how Craig spends his time. Rather than build the shoot around a studio, we built it around his real working day. The homepage banner was to be shot in the bar, so we planned that carefully. Everything else was kept flexible, because Craig wanted to visit some of the businesses he works with, and we wouldn’t know exactly where until the day itself.

Smiling bald man with a beard in a dark shirt sits at a tidy office desk with framed photos, a desk lamp and a black leather chair.
Smiling bearded man in a dark shirt works on a tablet at a modern office desk with three smartphones in the foreground.
Smiling bearded man in a dark shirt talks on the phone at a desk with a laptop, tablet and card reader in a bright office.

The Shoot


We began in Craig’s office above the bar, capturing him at work in his own space. In his signature black shirt, he was relaxed from the start. Then we headed downstairs to the bar. The bartender treated us to a flaming cocktail, which made for some of my favourite images of the day and gave us the setting for the homepage banner.

Smiling bartender gestures with open arms behind a wooden bar as flames burst from a cocktail, with glasses hanging overhead.

From there, we followed Craig out to meet some of the people he does business with. These images show what Craig is really like: friendly, sociable and at ease with his clients.

Smiling bearded barber in a black hoodie chats with customers inside a cozy barbershop with warm orange walls and wooden shelves.
Two men shake hands in a convenience store aisle stocked with snacks and groceries, with a Chilled Dairy sign overhead.
Two smiling men shake hands in a warehouse with tall metal shelving, one wearing an orange high-visibility vest and the other a black vest.

The Result


Craig now has a full library of images for his new website and social media, including banner and square crops ready to upload. Every image feels natural, because every image was taken in his world, doing what he does. He enjoyed the experience so much that we’re now planning regular sessions throughout the year, so his content stays fresh as his businesses grow.

Smiling bearded man in a gray blazer and navy shirt leans on a black railing by a waterfront path with autumn trees.
Man in a black jacket looks up and balances a football on his head on the pitch in front of the Gerry Lawson Stand on a sunny day.
Man in a gray blazer leans on a dark blue electric car parked outside a red-framed brick office building.

Could This Work for You?


If you’re the face of your business and want photographs that feel like you, I’d love to hear from you. Drop me a message, and we can book a chat about your own brand shoot. You might also enjoy reading my Top Tips post, Your Business Has Grown, Have Your Photographs? And for more behind-the-scenes moments, come and connect with me on LinkedIn.