Corporate Photoshoot

Photography

Every year (bar 2020 because of Covid-19) the client-facing staff as well as the entirety of the investment management team need to have their photographs taken. The investment management industry in South Africa is small and the circles of fund managers run even tighter. It is of utmost importance that our clients know exactly who is looking after their money. Names and associated faces carry much clout when shopping for a house to invest with.

Since 2013, when I joined Prudential, we spent thousands of rands on hiring a photographer for the annual photoshoot. This was aside from the ad hoc costs that came with procuring the services of the photographer when a new senior person joins the company as the same daily rate applies. Factor in the incredibly challenging issues that come with arranging a convenient time to photograph the most valuable drivers of profits for the company and you have a logistical and cost-inefficient nightmare.

Eventually it was decided that I should take up the reins and learn how to shoot portraiture. This decision, whilst a short-term expense investing in equipment, has yielded beneficial consequences for the company: we can now host a photoshoot whenever a fund manager has the time to.