Executive Headshots Toronto. Leadership Portraits
Executive headshots in Toronto for founders, C-suite, board members, and leadership teams. A separate session format from standard corporate work, longer, more deliberate, with both studio and on-location environmental options, and a delivery package built for press kits, annual reports, board pages, and conference programmes. Sessions start at $400 for a single executive look; full leadership packages and on-location bookings quoted on inquiry.
Why this is a different session
A standard corporate headshot is fast, efficient, and shot for use at thumbnail size on a website team page. An executive portrait has different requirements:
- It will be printed large. Annual report covers, conference backdrops, lobby panels, press releases, the image lands at a size where every catchlight, every fabric texture, every retouching choice shows.
- It will travel. Bloomberg, Globe and Mail, Forbes, LinkedIn editorial, your own newsroom. Once an executive image leaves your control, it's downstream forever. It needs to be the version you want quoted from.
- There are usually multiple looks. A serious portrait for the board page, a warmer one for staff communications, an environmental shot for a feature article. One session, three or four working images.
- The session itself runs differently. Longer, fewer frames per minute, more deliberation between setups, frequent ground-glass review on the monitor before committing.
Most executive sessions run 60–90 minutes in studio and another 60–90 minutes on-location if the package includes an environmental shoot.
Two formats
1. Studio executive session
Single executive, full-control studio environment, multi-look delivery (board portrait, warm leadership portrait, optional black-and-white).
- Session length: 60–90 minutes
- Looks delivered: 2–4 final images
- Pricing: $400 session fee + $200 per finished image (premium retouch). Most clients book 3 images = $1,000 all-in.
2. Studio + on-location combined session
Studio portrait followed by environmental work at your office, boardroom, or a chosen Toronto location. Useful when the press kit or annual report calls for "in their element" imagery alongside a clean leadership portrait.
- Session length: half-day (3.5 hours, includes travel between locations within downtown Toronto)
- Looks delivered: 4–6 final images across both environments
- Pricing: $1,500 session fee + $200 per finished image. Most clients select 5 images = $2,500 all-in.
3. Leadership team package (4–8 executives)
Founders, full C-suite, or board photographed in a single half- or full-day. Each executive gets a multi-look studio session, plus an optional group portrait at the end of the day.
- Session length: half-day (4–5 executives) or full-day (6–8 + group)
- Pricing: quoted per engagement; typical half-day lands at $4,000–$5,500 all-in for 4 executives + group portrait. Contact for a quote.
What's included at every executive tier
- Premium retouch ($200/image vs. the standard $100). full skin retouch with texture preservation, eye work, hair-flyaway cleanup, wardrobe straightening, colour grading aligned to your brand palette.
- Press-kit deliverables: high-resolution (300dpi, 8x10 print-ready), web (sRGB optimised, multiple sizes), thumbnail (square, optimised for LinkedIn and bio panels), black-and-white version of every selected image.
- Usage rights: unlimited corporate, editorial, and personal use. The studio retains portfolio rights subject to the NDA terms below.
- NDA-friendly workflow, happy to sign your standard NDA before the session. Default policy is no public posting of any image without written sign-off.
- Same-day private proof gallery with password protection.
- Finals turnaround: 5–7 business days for executive sessions (longer than standard headshots because of the deeper retouch). Rush 48-hour turnaround is +$300 per image.
Pricing summary
| Format | Session fee | Per image | Typical total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio executive session | $400 | $200 | $1,000 (3 images) |
| Studio + on-location | $1,500 | $200 | $2,500 (5 images) |
| Leadership team (4 execs + group) | Quoted | $200 | $4,000–$5,500 |
| Press-kit refresh from existing files | $300 setup | $100/image | Quoted |
What an executive session looks like
A typical 90-minute studio session:
- Arrival and brief (10 min), review the brand palette, the use cases (board page, press, annual report), and any reference work.
- First setup: serious portrait (25 min), controlled studio lighting, neutral backdrop. Reviewing 2–3 frames at a time on the studio monitor between setups.
- Wardrobe change + warmer setup (25 min) — second jacket or shirt, slightly warmer lighting, more open expression range.
- Optional black-and-white setup (15 min) — reframed and lit specifically for B&W output, not just a colour image desaturated.
- Image selection (15 min) — review the strongest 8–10 frames together on the monitor. Pick 3 finals on the spot, or sleep on it and return the gallery within 48 hours.
On-location days extend this with a vehicle move and a 60–90 minute environmental shoot at the executive's office, a chosen interior, or an exterior location.
Why Toronto executives book here
- Medium-format capture (Fujifilm GFX 100), files large enough to print at lobby panel size without interpolation.
- Premium retouch as standard, the per-image $200 retouch is what other studios charge as an "executive add-on" on top of corporate pricing.
- Discrete by default, no posting, no portfolio inclusion, no behind-the-scenes content unless you sign off in writing.
- One photographer, one editor, one decision-maker, Jose handles every step from the brief through the final retouch.
- 8x10 large-format option available, for executives who want a true heirloom-grade portrait alongside the press-ready files, the premium 8x10 film service can be added to any session.
Frequently asked
Can you photograph our IPO press kit?
Yes. IPO and major-announcement press kits are a recurring engagement here. Plan 4–6 weeks ahead of the announcement date, the deliverables typically include leadership portraits, environmental shots, group portrait, and HQ exterior, with multiple aspect ratios for international wire distribution, video production, etc.
Will my image be retouched in a way that looks "too retouched"?
No. The retouching house style preserves skin texture, expression lines, and natural colour. The goal is to look like the best version of yourself on a normal good day, not a different person. If you want heavier retouching, ask explicitly, it is a separate workflow and not the default.
Do you offer environmental on-location shoots without a studio session?
Yes, environmental-only sessions start at $1,000 for 90 minutes on-location plus $200 per finished image. Useful for executives who already have a recent studio portrait but need new environmental imagery for a feature article or annual report.
What if our PR team needs to use the image in a specific way (cover, full-bleed, etc.)?
Send the spec at booking. The session will be composed with the final crop in mind so the deliverable matches your PR team's brief, not the other way around.
Can you photograph board members across two visits?
Yes, one studio day and a second day on-location at the office is a common pattern, with a colour-grade pass at the end so all images match.
Request an executive session
Executive bookings are by inquiry, not online checkout, because the session format and timeline depend on use case (announcement, annual report, ongoing leadership refresh).
Contact for an executive quote →
Studio in downtown Toronto. On-location across the GTA. NDA-friendly, discreet, fast.