Silicon Valley Portrait & Event Photographer
About Me
I'm John D. Martin, a San Jose photographer. I've photographed thousands of portraits at Stanford and UC Berkeley commencements — 150 to 500 graduates an hour, seconds per person, every frame consistent on the first try. I bring that pace and discipline to Bay Area offices, plus over 10 years of corporate operations experience, so your headshot day runs on schedule and doesn't become anyone's side project.
Seamless On-Site Headshots & Corporate Event Coverage Without the Wait
Who is this for
Built for teams that need to look consistent
Law firms and professional services with attorney or partner directories. Medical, dental, and veterinary practices where patients meet the staff page first. Startups that just closed a round and need leadership photos for the press kit. Consultancies, agencies, and financial advisors whose pitch is credibility. Real estate brokerages and staffing firms with a roster that turns over.
If your team page looks like it came from vacation photos and three different photographers, one morning fixes that.
How it works
01.
Send me your headcount and a date.
That's the whole ask. I'll confirm availability and send a one-page quote within one business day.
02.
Forward one link to your team.
Everyone picks their own time slot. You don't chase anyone or build a schedule. A wardrobe and prep guide goes out with it, so nobody shows up wondering what to wear.
03.
I show up and run the day.
I arrive early, set up the studio in whatever room you've got, and photograph each person in a few minutes. They approve their shot, it lands on their phone, and they're back at their desk. You get the complete file set the same day.
Total time on your calendar: about ten minutes.
New hire matching
Most team photos fall apart within six months. Someone joins, sends in a phone selfie, and your directory starts drifting back to where it was.
I keep your lighting setup, background, framing, and edit settings on file. Every new hire after that gets a headshot that matches the rest of the team exactly, not one that's approximately similar.
Membership clients get quarterly New Hire Days at no extra cost, plus discounted visits in between if someone needs a photo sooner. Not a member? I'll come back on-site once you've got a few new faces.
Everything handled, start to finish
- Scheduling. You give me one point of contact. I provide a sign-up sheet so employees pick their own slot.
- Employee prep. A forward-ready wardrobe and prep guide goes out before the shoot day, so nobody shows up unsure what to wear.
- On-site studio. Professional lighting and backdrops set up in any conference room or open space. Setup takes about 45 minutes.
- Direction for every person. Most employees have never been professionally photographed. I coach posture, expression, and angle so everyone looks like themselves at their best.
- They approve it before they walk away. Each person sees their shot on the spot and we keep going until they're happy with it. Nobody's least favorite photo ends up on the website.
- Their headshot, on their phone, in about two minutes. It lands in their personal phone gallery seconds after it's taken — sized for LinkedIn, your team page, email signatures, and slide decks. They can update LinkedIn on the walk back to their desk.
- Consistent across the whole team. One background for the day, grey or white, chosen in advance, with the same lighting and framing for every person. Your directory looks like one company.
- Organized delivery. You also get a complete set of the team's files, named by employee, ready to hand to whoever manages your site.
- New hires match. I keep your lighting and background settings on file, so anyone hired next quarter gets a headshot that matches the rest of the team.
What I need from you: a room roughly 10x10 feet or larger, access to a power outlet, and one scheduling contact. That's it.
Clear delivery timelines
Standard: same day, on the spot
Included with every session, whether it's a team shoot, an event booth, or an individual session. Each person's headshot lands in their personal phone gallery seconds after it's taken. It takes only a few minutes of each person's day, including clicking the link from their phone.
- One background for the day, grey or white, chosen in advance so the whole team stays consistent
- Web quality, sized for LinkedIn, team pages, email signatures, and slide decks
- Not intended for print or large-format use
- You receive the full team's files the same day
Full Delivery upgrade: $50 per person
- High-resolution files suitable for print, press, and large-format use
- Professional retouching on every image: skin refinement that keeps natural texture, stray hair cleanup, light clothing wrinkle removal, and consistent color and tone across the whole team
- Three background versions of every headshot: grey, white, and transparent
- A private selection gallery, where each person reviews their proofs and picks their favorite
- Delivered within 48 hours of the shoot day
- Included with every individual session
On a deadline?
Launches, funding announcements, conferences, press dates: tell me the deadline and I'll tell you honestly whether I can hit it.
Transparent Pricing
No quote needed to see if this fits your budget. Team headshots are $250/hour with a 2-hour minimum, and a 2-hour session covers about 15–20 people.
What every person gets, at every tier
On-site direction from someone who photographs people for a living. A shot they approve before they step away. That image delivered straight to their phone in about two minutes — sized for LinkedIn, your team page, email signatures, and slide decks. One background for the day, grey or white, chosen in advance, so your directory looks like one company instead of twelve different photographers. You get the complete team file set, named by employee, the same day.
There's no stripped-down version at the low end. An 8-person team gets the same treatment as an 80-person team.
Upgrades & Booking Terms
Every session includes same-day delivery of web-ready images straight to each person's phone.
Also available:
- Full Delivery: print-ready retouched high-res files in three backgrounds, plus a private selection gallery: $50 per person
- Additional final images: $75 each
- Advanced retouching (background swaps, heavy edits): from $25 per image
- Custom or branded background: $50 per image
- Extended gallery hosting (90 days): $75
A 25% deposit reserves your date ($100 minimum for individual sessions, $200 for teams). The balance is due 24 hours before the shoot.
Session Location & Travel Rates
One invoice. No reimbursement forms, no surprise parking charges
On-location at your office or event, or our San Jose studio for solo sessions.
Free travel: Menlo Park & Fremont to Gilroy.
$75 flat: Redwood City–San Mateo, Hayward, Union City, Santa Cruz.
$150 flat: San Francisco, North Peninsula, Oakland.
Half day or more? Travel is free Bay Area-wide.
Tell me five things
That's all I need to send you a real quote — not a "let's hop on a call to discuss your vision," but an actual custom quote.
If the date works, a deposit holds it.
If you'd rather talk it through first, book a quick call.
Testimonials
"Working with John for my professional branding portraits was an absolute pleasure. His attention to detail and professionalism were outstanding, making the entire experience seamless and comfortable. The final photos exceeded my expectations, and I couldn’t be happier with the results. Highly recommend!"
Adarsh S.
We don't have a dedicated photo space. Is that a problem?
Almost never. I need a spot roughly 10 by 10 feet with a power outlet — a conference room, a wide hallway, a corner of the lobby, or an unused office all work. I bring my own lighting and backdrop, so the room's own lighting and wall color don't matter. I've shot portraits off the side of a commencement stage; your break room will be fine.
How long does setup take?
About 45 minutes before the first person, and 20 to 30 minutes to pack up. I arrive early so your start time is your start time.
How long does each person take?
Two to three minutes, including getting their finished headshot onto their phone. A 20-person team is done in half a morning.
What should people wear?
I send a one-page prep guide you can forward. Short version: solid colors, avoid busy patterns and bright white, and bring a jacket or second layer if they want options. Nobody needs to buy anything.
Someone's out sick that day. Now what?
No problem. They can book a discounted solo session whenever it works for them, and I'll match the same lighting and background so their photo fits right in with the team. If several people miss the day, I'll schedule a short return visit. Membership clients can simply send them to the next New Hire Day.
Can you do multiple offices?
Yes. Multiple locations get scheduled as separate days on the same project, with identical lighting and backgrounds so the final set looks like one shoot. Teams of 50+ or multi-site companies get a custom quote.
What do we actually receive?
Every person gets a web-optimized, LinkedIn-ready file on their phone the same day, and you get the complete team set named by employee. Add Full Delivery for high-resolution retouched images in three backgrounds — grey, white, and transparent — within 48 hours.
Do we own the photos?
Yes. Full rights for your website, LinkedIn, recruiting, press, and internal use. Extended commercial licensing is available if you need it for paid advertising.
How far do you travel?
We travel throughout the entire Bay Area with transparent, flat-rate pricing and no hidden fees.
South Bay, Mid-Peninsula, & Tri-Cities: Travel is completely free for locations including San Jose, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Cupertino, Campbell, Saratoga, Los Gatos, Milpitas, Morgan Hill, Gilroy, Mountain View, Los Altos, Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Fremont, and Newark.
Upper Peninsula, East Bay, & Santa Cruz: A $75 flat fee covers Redwood City, San Carlos, Belmont, San Mateo, Union City, Hayward, Santa Cruz, and Scotts Valley.
San Francisco & Beyond: A $150 flat fee covers San Francisco, the North Peninsula, Oakland, and the rest of the Bay Area.
Half-Day Bookings: If you book a half-day session or longer, travel is free anywhere in the Bay Area.
All travel costs—including parking, tolls, and bridges—are consolidated onto a single invoice with no complex reimbursement forms or surprise charges.
For locations outside these areas, just reach out for a custom quote.
How do we book?
A 25% deposit ($100 minimum) reserves your date, with the balance due 24 hours before the shoot.
