Rory Lewis Photographer Headshots & Portraiture

Portraits for chairmen, founders, general partners and leadership teams, made by the photographer whose work is held in the permanent collections of the National Portrait Gallery and the Royal Collection.

The San Francisco studio, on Bryant Street in the Mission District, accepts corporate and C-suite commissions only. I photograph in the studio or on location at your offices across the Bay Area.

Seven works, National Portrait Gallery, London
Sixteen works, The Royal Collection
Five Prime Ministers: John Major, Tony Blair, David Cameron, Theresa May, Andy Burnham
State Portraits commissioned by members of the British Royal Family and the Royal Hashemite Court of Jordan

Syndicated through Contour by Getty Images. Studios in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York and London.

Corporate and C-suite only

The San Francisco studio is reserved for boards, founders and the people who lead companies. I do not run all-staff headshot days, drop-in LinkedIn sessions or actor headshots here.

That is deliberate. A chairman’s portrait, a founder’s prospectus photograph and a matched set for a leadership team each need preparation, a lighting design built for the sitter, and time. Volume work cannot give them that.

What I am commissioned to make

The single executive portrait
For the chairman, chief executive, founder or general partner. Prepared in advance, lit for the individual and photographed over sixty to ninety minutes. Delivered for the annual report, the proxy statement, the press office and the wall.

The leadership team, five to twenty people
Every member of the executive team photographed in one day under one lighting design, so the website, investor deck and annual report read as a single board rather than a collection of strangers.

The partnership
Venture capital, private equity, law firm and family office partners. Partner pages are read side by side, and one mismatched portrait undermines the whole firm. I build a set that can be extended year after year as partners join.

Annual report and board photography
Board portraits, environmental portraits in the boardroom or lobby, and the chairman’s letter photograph. Credentials decide this work, and mine are held in national collections.

Written for the person organising the day

The executive in the photograph is rarely the person who books it. If you are the chief of staff, executive assistant, communications lead or marketing director, this is what you need to know.

You deal with one point of contact, from first call to final files. You receive a timed running order for every sitter before the day, a room plan for on-site work, and a short wardrobe note for each sitter. There is one invoice, agreed in advance, covering preparation, the day, retouching and corporate licensing. Files arrive prepared for web, print, press and the annual report.

Recent Collaborations

How a commission runs

The brief
A twenty-minute call with you, and where possible with the principal sitter. We agree who is being photographed, where the portraits will be used and how the company wishes to be seen.

The plan
I confirm the date, the location and the running order. Sittings take place at the studio, 2055 Bryant Street, or at your offices. On site I need a room of roughly 13 by 16 feet with a 9-foot ceiling and standard power; a boardroom is ideal.

The day
On location I arrive ninety minutes before the first sitter to build the set. That set is held unchanged all day, which is what makes a team match. Leadership team members need fifteen to twenty minutes each; a chairman or founder portrait sixty to ninety.

The proofs
A curated proof gallery within three working days. Each sitter, or you on their behalf, chooses the frames for retouching.

Delivery
Retouched, high-resolution files within ten working days of selection.

Across San Francisco and the Bay Area

The studio is in the Mission District, a few minutes from the Financial District, SoMa and Mission Bay. I photograph on location throughout the Bay Area.

San Francisco
Financial District, SoMa, the Embarcadero, Jackson Square, Mission Bay, Union Square and the Presidio.

The Peninsula
Sand Hill Road and Menlo Park, Palo Alto, Redwood City, San Mateo and Burlingame.

Silicon Valley and the South Bay
San José, Santa Clara, Mountain View, Sunnyvale, Cupertino and Los Gatos.

The East Bay
Oakland, Emeryville, Berkeley, Walnut Creek, San Ramon and Pleasanton.

North Bay and beyond
Marin County, Napa and Sonoma, and by arrangement Sacramento, Monterey and Carmel.

Selected commissions

Sitters include five British Prime Ministers, reigning monarchs, Ray Dalio, and chairmen and founders across finance, technology and law.

Why every leadership page looks the same

Most leadership pages in the Valley are photographed the same way: a grey background, a flat light, a fixed smile. The result is a row of interchangeable faces, and an investor learns nothing from it.

Holbein painted Thomas Cromwell with the tools of his office on the table before him. The portrait told you who he was and what he controlled. A modern executive portrait should do the same work, with restraint, and I make it in that tradition.

Fees

Commissions are quoted on application. Every quote is a single figure covering preparation, the sitting, retouching and licensing for corporate use, agreed in writing before the date is fixed.

Questions

Where is your San Francisco studio?
At 2055 Bryant Street, San Francisco, CA 94110, in the Mission District. I also photograph on location at offices across the Bay Area.

Do you photograph all-staff headshot days?
No. In San Francisco I accept corporate and C-suite commissions only: single executive portraits, leadership teams of five to twenty, partnerships and board photography.

What do executive headshots cost in San Francisco?
Commissions are quoted on application. Each quote is one figure covering preparation, the sitting, retouching and corporate licensing.

How long does each executive need?
Fifteen to twenty minutes per person for a leadership team. A single chairman or founder portrait takes sixty to ninety minutes.

Can you photograph us in our own office?
Yes. I need a room of roughly 13 by 16 feet with a 9-foot ceiling and standard power.

Can new portraits match our existing leadership photographs?
Yes, if the originals were lit consistently. Send me the current set and I will tell you whether to match it or replace it.

When will we receive the photographs?
A curated proof gallery within three working days, and retouched files within ten working days of selection.

Do you work outside San Francisco?
Yes, throughout the Peninsula, Silicon Valley, the East Bay and the North Bay, and from studios in Los Angeles, New York and London.

Plan a commission

Tell me who is to be photographed, where and roughly when. I reply personally within one working day.

Request a date

RL@RORYLEWIS.STUDIO · +1 (213) 895-7372
Rory Lewis Studio · 2055 Bryant Street, San Francisco, CA 94110