Sotheby’s , George Azar — CEO Portraits in Mayfair
Corporate and lifestyle portraits of George Azar, Chairman & CEO of Sotheby’s International Realty in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, the UK and Saudi Arabia, made in one late-afternoon session inside a private Mayfair residence.
Photographed and directed by Etienne MoraxPhotographyLondon, 2026
Project Snapshot
Outcome
Fifteen edited portraits of Sotheby’s chairman and CEO, corporate and lifestyle, from one Mayfair session.
Relationship
Repeat client relationship · 4 projects
Portrait Subject
George Azar
Chairman & CEO, Sotheby’s International Realty — Dubai, Abu Dhabi, the UK and Saudi Arabia
Case Study
Sotheby’s International Realty trades on the credibility of the people who front it. George Azar has led it as Chairman & CEO since 2013, now across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, the UK and Saudi Arabia. The request for a new portrait set came from the Dubai office; the session happened in Mayfair, between two diaries and one afternoon.
The Brief
One block of George Azar’s time in London, two sets out of it: clean corporate portraits for press and platform profiles, and a lifestyle series placing him inside the kind of Mayfair property the firm markets. Fifteen final edits.
The Challenge
The constraint was the diary, not the light. The location moved from the Conduit Street office to a private residence on Curzon Street days before the shoot, the call time shifted by ninety minutes on the day itself, and the brief still asked for two visually distinct sets. A residents’ building also meant lighting kit had to come in through the service entrance, with no room for a crew or a second visit.
The Approach
Collapse both sets into one address. The corporate frames were shot on a controlled lighting setup with the background replaced in post, which removed any need to travel to the office; the lifestyle frames used the flat itself, its art wall, terrace light and dining table under pendants. One body, two strobes in soft boxes, no crew: small enough to clear the building and quiet enough that the session stayed a conversation rather than a production.
The Execution
Lighting built and tested before he arrived, so his time started with the first frame. We worked the apartment as a loop of short stations, seated on the bench by the window, standing against the artwork, the armchair, then the dining table for full-length frames, changing posture and focal length at each one. Nothing held longer than a few minutes, and both sets were complete inside the slot.
The Outcome
Fifteen edited images delivered, final files 48 hours after the selection came back: a profile-ready portrait set for press and platforms, plus lifestyle frames that place Sotheby’s chairman and chief executive inside the standard of property the brand represents.
Used For
- • Corporate portraits for press and platform profiles
- • Lifestyle portrait series inside a Mayfair residence
- • 15 fully edited high-resolution files, 48 hours after selection
Executive Portraits on Location
Need leadership portraits that work for press, platforms and brand, made in one session around a full diary? Let’s plan a shoot that fits the schedule you actually have.
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