Photographing Large Law Firms: Collaboration, Logistics, and Creating Natural Confidence
Over the past year, I’ve had the opportunity to partner with Dion Algeri and his team at Great Jakes on two law firm branding projects — one in Philadelphia with Stradley Ronon and another in St. Louis with Lewis Rice.
Dion’s agency builds sophisticated, strategic websites for large law firms. The photography we create becomes a core visual foundation for those sites — images that need to communicate authority, collaboration, intelligence, and approachability all at once.
These shoots are layered, fast-moving, and deeply collaborative. They’re also some of the most interesting logistical and interpersonal challenges I take on all year.
The Unique Challenge of Law Firm Photography
Photographing attorneys in large firms presents a very specific set of realities:
Extremely tight timelines
Busy partner schedules
Limited shooting locations
Internal hierarchy considerations
The need to balance confidence with approachability
You’re walking into environments where time is scarce, schedules are tight, and everyone in the room operates at a very high level.
Lawyers are skilled communicators. They’re confident, articulate, and comfortable leading conversations. But introduce a camera and even the most seasoned litigator can suddenly feel unsure of what to do with their hands.
There’s a fine line between:
Looking smart, capable, and confident
And looking stiff, overly posed, or disconnected
Our goal is always to create imagery that feels natural and collaborative — without looking staged or forced.
These firms aren’t looking for “smiling stock photo energy.” They need imagery that reflects how they actually work: thoughtful, strategic, engaged.
Creating the Right Environment
There’s often a marketing director or internal coordinator who understands the nuances of firm hierarchy. Senior partners need to be positioned appropriately. Junior attorneys shouldn’t unintentionally overshadow leadership. Subtle things matter.
A large part of my role is reading the room and making sure everyone feels comfortable, respected, and properly represented.
We focus heavily on collaboration scenes — attorneys working through documents, reviewing materials, discussing strategy. The story we’re telling is one of partnership and expertise.
The challenge? Conference rooms don’t always photograph beautifully.
Even in stunning high-rise buildings with incredible views, some of the actual meeting spaces can feel visually flat. So we often repurpose larger, more architecturally compelling common areas — spaces with glass, light, wood paneling, and scale — and transform them into what feels like a high-level conference environment.
The result elevates the imagery to match the caliber of work these firms produce.
Lighting, Partnership, and Problem Solving
On both shoots, I brought my longtime friend and incredibly talented photographer Rob Futrell along.
While technically assisting, Rob operates more as a creative partner. We collaborate closely on lighting strategy — sometimes traditional, sometimes slightly experimental — always working to create light that feels polished but natural.
We want the attorneys to look strong and dimensional.
We want the spaces to feel bright and refined.
But we never want the lighting to feel theatrical or distracting.
Rob also brought something incredibly valuable to the process: organization.
On larger group shots, he would sketch quick diagrams of the setup and write down each attorney’s name and position. When you’re managing dozens of moving parts — lighting, framing, hierarchy, schedule — remembering every name is not always easy.
Being able to address someone directly instead of saying “Hey, you on the left” changes the tone of the room instantly. It communicates care and professionalism — which is exactly what these environments require.
Working With Dion
While my partnership with Dion is relatively new, he has been doing this work for years and knows exactly how to direct attorneys in a way that feels authentic.
Photographing real professionals can be tricky. They can be animated and conversational — until the camera comes up. Dion has a way of maintaining that energy and guiding interactions so they feel genuine on camera.
It’s not about forcing big smiles.
It’s about subtle cues.
Small adjustments.
Natural gestures.
That collaboration between photographer and strategist is what makes the imagery work.
The Logistics Behind the Scenes
There is a high level of coordination involved in these shoots.
We’re aligning:
Attorney schedules
Internal marketing teams
Building management requirements
Certificates of insurance
Loading dock access
Travel logistics
Most of these firms are in major downtown high-rises. That means early arrival, gear routed through service elevators, and careful timing.
A typical schedule looks like this:
Travel Day
Early flight in. Hotel within walking distance of the firm. Afternoon location scout. A little bit of exploring if time allows — one of the perks of working in major cities.
Shoot Day
8:00am start. Fast-paced. Highly scheduled. Lots of moving parts. Wrap around 5:00pm. Backup files. Early dinner. Reset for the next day.
Final Shoot + Travel Home
Finish remaining shots. Pack carefully. Dump and duplicate files. Hand off drives to Dion. Head straight to the airport.
Traveling with camera gear always carries variables — weather, connections, delays. I’m loyal to Delta, but I’ll choose a nonstop flight over loyalty points every time. Reducing variables matters.
Why These Projects Matter
These assignments are about more than headshots.
They’re about helping firms visually communicate who they are at their highest level.
They require:
Technical control
Emotional intelligence
Logistical precision
Creative flexibility
Relationship building
The reason I was brought into these projects wasn’t just lighting technique or camera gear. It was trust. Reputation. Reliability. And the ability to work seamlessly alongside a strategist like Dion in high-pressure environments.
And maybe just as important — Rob and I genuinely enjoy being on the road together. We work hard. We experiment. We solve problems. And we have a good time doing it.
That balance shows up in the final work.
