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Rory Lewis Photographer · Headshots & Portraiture
Executive Portraits for the C-Suite in San Francisco & the Bay Area
The new standard of the executive portrait.
A British portraitist who has photographed a King, five Prime Ministers and Ray Dalio, now photographing at his San Francisco studio in the Mission District and on location across the Peninsula and Silicon Valley. For AI leaders, founders, CEOs and the boards behind them, we create portraits that don't just show a face. They communicate authority, intelligence, and the weight of the decisions that come with the seat.
Book RoryFrom Heads of State to Heads of AI.
The Bay Area's leaders are now public figures in a way few technologists have been before. Founders of frontier labs and fast-scaling startups are quoted daily, called to testify, profiled in the press and judged by investors on how they present. The portrait that goes out with the funding announcement, the keynote or the magazine profile has to say one thing clearly: this person can be trusted with something that matters.
That is the problem classical portraiture was invented to solve. Holbein, Van Dyck and Rembrandt made images of power that still hold five centuries later. Rory brings that tradition, and twenty-three years of photographing monarchs, Prime Ministers, generals and chief executives, to the leaders building what comes next. We don't just capture your face. We capture your authority.
Step 1: Email the Studio
Email Alexandra at AL@RORYLEWIS.STUDIO or fill in the form on the contact page. Share a little about your role, the company, the use case (funding announcement, leadership page, press, keynote, board book), and whether you'd like to sit at the San Francisco studio or at your office.
Step 2: Get Session Details
Rory will review your enquiry and send full session experiences, pricing and current Bay Area availability, so you can move forward with clarity. Discretion and NDA are standard for every C-suite engagement.
The British Eye. A Museum-Grade Legacy.
With over twenty years behind the lens, Rory Lewis is an award-winning British portraitist whose work is held in the permanent collections of the National Portrait Gallery, London, and the Royal Collection, and syndicated through Contour by Getty Images. Sittings have included His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan, Prime Ministers Sir John Major, Tony Blair, David Cameron and Theresa May, Ray Dalio, Usha Vance for The Free Press, HRH Prince Michael of Kent, former Mayor of Los Angeles Eric Garcetti, and senior leadership across the British Army, Royal Navy and RAF.
💼 Visual Architecture for the Modern Leader
Your professional image is your first negotiation, with investors, with talent, with regulators and with the press. We provide editorial-grade portraiture for CEOs, founders, CTOs, chief scientists, general partners and general counsel who need more than a generic startup headshot. Our portraits balance unshakeable confidence with genuine approachability, the same balance the role itself demands.
🏛 Beyond the Hoodie and the White Wall
In a sea of flat-lit, interchangeable tech headshots, we specialise in depth, shadow and intention. Each portrait is built to read the same way in a funding announcement, on a conference stage screen, in the Wall Street Journal, on the leadership page and on LinkedIn for years afterwards: cinematic, considered and unmistakably the person.
📍 San Francisco Studio
Mission District, San Francisco. Full address shared on confirmation of booking.
🧭 The Bay Area C-Suite Experience
- San Francisco Studio: Sessions take place at our private studio in the Mission District, a few minutes from the Financial District, SoMa and Mission Bay.
- On-Location, Across the Bay: When the schedule demands, we bring the studio to you, with full lighting, backdrops and crew arriving at your office. Routine across the Financial District, SoMa, Mission Bay, Palo Alto, Menlo Park and Sand Hill Road, Mountain View, Redwood City, San Jose and the East Bay.
- Signature Cinematic Lighting: Expertise in chiaroscuro and tenebrism, the same lighting language behind the National Portrait Gallery work, applied to leadership portraiture that holds in print and on screen.
- Discretion as Standard: Every C-suite engagement is covered by NDA. Nothing, whether proofs, behind-the-scenes or finished frames, is shared, posted or syndicated without written sign-off from the company. Pre-announcement and stealth-mode sittings are handled accordingly.
- Launch & Press Ready: Files are delivered in every crop and resolution required for funding announcements, press kits, keynote decks, investor materials and internal communications.
🛠 The Process
- Consultation: Confirm the use, audience, attire, and any brand colour or background that has to carry across the leadership team.
- Wardrobe & Styling Guidance: A pre-session note on tones, necklines and on-camera fabrics, whether the house style is a suit or a quarter-zip. Hair and makeup coordinated on request.
- Guided Session: A composed, unhurried sitting at the Mission District studio or on-site at your office. Typical block is 60–90 minutes per executive; for diaries that can't spare that, Rory regularly works in twenty minutes or less.
- Proof Gallery: A private, password-protected gallery delivered within 48 hours for review and selection.
- Master Retouching: Hand-finished by Rory, never templated. Skin, garment and background work to a natural, print-ready standard.
- Delivery & Licence: High-resolution masters plus pre-cropped LinkedIn, press and internal-comms variants. Full commercial licence to the executive and the company.
⭐ Why Choose Rory Lewis for Your C-Suite Portrait
- International Reputation: portraits in the permanent collections of the National Portrait Gallery, London, and the Royal Collection.
- Proven Under Pressure: a King, five Prime Ministers, and some of the most closely watched figures in global finance, each sitting short on time and high on stakes.
- Cinematic Lighting Mastery: Caravaggio-inspired chiaroscuro brought to the boardroom.
- C-Suite Specialism: sittings for CEOs, founders, chairs, general partners, general counsel and full leadership teams.
- Discretion Built In: every engagement covered by NDA, with proofs and frames released only on the company's written sign-off.
- Full Commercial Licence: use across web, press, print, SEC filings, S-1 and investor material, with no per-use fees and no expiry.
🧾 FAQ
- Do you sign NDAs?
- Yes, as standard for every C-suite engagement. The studio signs the company's NDA before the pre-session call, and nothing leaves the studio without written sign-off.
- Can the sitting take place at our office?
- Yes. On-location sittings are routine throughout the Bay Area, from the Financial District and SoMa to Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Mountain View and San Jose. Full lighting, backdrops and crew travel with us.
- What's the lead time?
- Two to three weeks is comfortable. Single-sitter bookings can often be accommodated sooner if the calendar allows. Funding, launch, IPO and press calendars are prioritised.
- Can you photograph our entire leadership team in one day?
- Yes. Full leadership and board days are routinely scheduled in 15-minute slots, so executives are in and out without disruption to the day, and every sitter receives the same lighting, treatment and finishing.
- What rights do we receive?
- A full commercial licence is granted to the executive and the commissioning company. Use across web, press, print, SEC filings and investor material, with no per-use fees, no expiry and no asterisks.
- How long until we receive the final files?
- Final retouched images are delivered within 5 business days of selection. Rush retouching is available on request.
- Pricing
- Quoted in US dollars, with travel for Bay Area on-location sittings quoted alongside the session. Invoices are issued by Rory Lewis Inc. with thirty-day terms and your company's PO reference if required.