corporate2026The Designer's Penthouse, Old Street, London

Entourage BD , Team Headshots

Corporate team portraits for a London marketing agency, using natural daylight and the penthouse interior as backdrop.

Client

Entourage BD

Role

Photography

Location

The Designer's Penthouse, Old Street, London

Year

2026

5 photos

Case Study

Entourage BD, a London-based marketing agency, booked a team headshot session at The Designer's Penthouse in Old Street. The brief was clear: professional portraits that feel human, not stiff.

The Brief

Deliver a consistent set of team portraits for a marketing agency that reflect their culture — approachable, confident, creative — while remaining polished enough for LinkedIn, press, and client-facing materials. The portraits needed to work across digital and print formats without looking like stock corporate photography.

The Challenge

Seven team members with different roles, styles, and levels of camera comfort needed to look like they belong to the same agency in every photograph. The tone had to project confidence and personality without crossing into casualness.
The penthouse interior offered rich visual texture — leather, velvet, plants, wood — but these elements needed to support the subject, not compete with them.
Two setups were required to give each person options: a seated editorial feel in the armchair and a standing, cleaner look against the living area. Both had to produce consistent results across all seven subjects.
The session had a two-hour window for seven people. Efficiency was non-negotiable, but rushing would show in the expressions.

The Approach

Used the penthouse's signature interiors as backdrop — the tan leather armchair, teal sofa, and tropical plants creating a warm, lived-in atmosphere that suits a creative agency.
Two setups were offered: seated portraits in the armchair for a relaxed editorial feel, and standing portraits against the living area for a cleaner, more classic look.
Direction was kept conversational and efficient. Each person was given enough time to settle into the frame without the session losing momentum.
Natural daylight from the south-facing windows provided the primary light source, keeping the portraits warm and consistent without artificial lighting setups between subjects.

The Execution

The session was built around The Designer's Penthouse in Old Street — a 250 m² daylight studio with interiors that double as production-ready backdrops. Two zones were prepared before the team arrived: the leather armchair corner for seated editorial portraits, and the open living area for standing half-body shots.
Each team member was directed through both setups in sequence. The pace stayed brisk but unhurried — brief conversation to establish ease, two to three directed variations per setup, then move to the next person. Natural light from the south-facing windows was the primary source, with the penthouse's warm tones and textures providing depth without requiring any set dressing.
Post-production applied a uniform colour grade across all six delivered portraits, ensuring the set reads as one coherent visual statement. The seventh portrait (Ross) will be processed to the same standard once the client confirms the final selection.

The Outcome

Entourage BD now has a consistent set of team portraits that reflect the agency's personality while meeting the standard expected for professional communications. The portraits work across LinkedIn profiles, the agency website, press materials, and pitch decks — each image distinct enough to represent the individual, unified enough to represent the team. The session also demonstrated the efficiency of the penthouse studio for team bookings: seven people, two setups, under two hours, with results that hold up across every format the agency needs.