A Day in the Life of a Commercial Photographer: Emerald Developments' Team Headshot Day
Before the Shoot: Understanding the Brief
Every commercial headshot day starts long before anyone steps in front of a camera. When Lia Wall, General Manager and co-founder of Emerald Developments, reached out to Life Portraits to comission their headshots, it was off the back of some genuinely exciting news — a Forbes feature and a run of HIA awards recognition for the business. She needed the headshots done in the next week, had the team organised and timing. That's the kind of client I love working with — decisive, clear on what they need, and honest about the brief from the start.
And the brief here mattered more than most. This wasn't just a website refresh. The imagery from this shoot was headed straight into Emerald Developments' HIA Building Awards submissions — meaning it needed to hold up in front of industry judges, not just Instagram followers.
The Moodboard: A Few Reference Photos Go a Long Way
You don't always need a polished Pinterest board to plan a great shoot — sometimes a handful of reference photos and a clear sense of the brand does the job. Ahead of the shoot, Lia sent through a few images to give me a feel for the tone Emerald wanted: professional enough to sit alongside a growing, award-winning building company, warm enough to still feel like the family-owned business it is.
I arrived at 7:30am — 30 minutes before the 8am call time — to set up lighting and scout the best spots through the display home before a single team member walked in. That prep window is non-negotiable for me on any commercial shoot. It's the difference between a team standing around waiting for me to find my light, and a shoot that moves.
Ever Wondered What a "Day in the Life of aof the headshot photoshoot with Emerald Developments below 📸
What the Day Actually Looked Like
We shot the session at Emerald Developments' award-winning Mediterranean-inspired display home at Morayfield — the same home that took out the 2025 HIA Queensland Display Home award. Fitting backdrop for a team about to submit for more of their own.
Across the two-hour window, we moved through individual headshots for every team member and cohesive large and smaller group shots that needed to work as a set — inside on the staircase and living space, then out the front under the home's arches for the full team photo. With 15+ people on the schedule, the job isn't just technical, it's directional: reading who's comfortable in front of a camera and who needs a lighter touch, keeping the group energy up, and making calls on the fly about framing and grouping ("maybe those 15…") without slowing the whole team down on a workday.
Why the Stakes Were Higher Than "Just Headshots"
This is the part that made the day feel different. Lia Wall's own contributions to the building industry have already been recognised with the 2024 HIA Queensland Young Achiever/Trailblazer of the Year and 2025 HIA Queensland Professional Business Woman of the Year — and in 2026, she's a finalist across three HIA Building Women categories. Emerald Developments itself has picked up the 2024 HIA Queensland Emerging Builder Award, the 2024 HIA Queensland Small Business Management Award, and a national finalist placement in the 2024 HIA Australian Emerging Builder Awards. They are a high achieving team!
When imagery is going in front of that level of industry scrutiny, it has to do real work: showing a genuine, capable team, not a stock-photo version of one. That's the standard I bring to every commercial and corporate headshot day, awards submission or not.
Ready to Document Your Team?
If your business needs team headshots that hold up wherever they're used — your website, LinkedIn, an awards submission, or your next big pitch — that's exactly the kind of day Life Portraits is built for. Head to our Commercial & Branding page to see the full range of our photography services, or get in touch to lock in your team's headshot day. Or feel free to EMAIL US for a custom quote for your team.
