Unleash the Power of Professional Photography: Elevate Your Brand with Aire Street Studio and Sagars in Leeds

Carrying on from previous sessions (catch up with us here), the team, made up of our very own photographer Mark Wheelwright, shoot director Paula and runner Nicole went back in for another round of the photography studio’s infamous headshots.

To recap, on Days 1 & 2 the team went into Sagar Accounting Ltd, located in the heart of Leeds. This time, though, the team got to spend time focusing on photographing and interviewing the staff members. Sagar staff were taken through time efficient 30 minute slots individually, guiding them through various angles, before allowing them to pick (or ‘star’, as you might find Mark and Paula saying) their favourites. Believe us, they were spoiled for choice. Moving forward, these were then carefully considered, and cherry-picked by both Mark and Sagar’s marketing team after being retouched to advertising excellence and corporate perfection. Professional headshots will provide vital to Sagar Accounting, allowing them to advertise and market their dynamic, professional and qualified staff, as well as their award-winning services; corporate headshots should evidently be integral to any successful companies toolbox. 

To get an inside perspective on our services, we consulted some of the brilliant staff at Sagars. It was great to find out more about some of the gifted individuals and what makes them tick.

So on day 3, we met Harriet, an experienced auditor, who was just about to go on maternity leave. Here’s how it went.

Hey, nice to meet you! Thank you, you too. We’ll get into it then!

What do you do here at Sagars? So I’m one of the auditors here, I’m an audit senior. I’ve been here about five and a half years now. I came as a graduate, so I did do my qualifications.

What’s your daily routine in the office? Is there one? I work on a variety of different clients, so it changes depending on the clientele, or if I’m in or out of the office. I mainly do audits now, but I have progressed a lot during my time here.

Did you enjoy the shoot? What will you use your headshots for? I’ve not really had photographs taken like that before, but everyone sort of said it would be fine. It was gorgeous, well done. Thank you, it wasn’t awkward at all. I think people struggled at first but it was easier to relax than I thought.

On day 4, we met Joe, another fabulous auditor, who had an unfortunate coffee mishap just moments before the shoot, but he didn’t let that get him down!

So, tell me about your job. I work in the audit department, I started as a trainee about four and a half years ago now, and then moved to specialised audit just after my exams. I qualified last summer. Go you! Thank you! Very busy recently.

What does an auditor actually do? So we go into businesses, and try to get an understanding of their systems and controls, just understanding all the risks and we do various testing too determine whether their accounts that they prepare are materially free from fraud and error. I know it doesn’t sound so interesting but it’s actually quite engaging and cool to get an understanding of how a business works. We look through things and give them suggestions on how to improve.

What happened with the coffee? I had worn a nice cream jumper, and as I was drinking my my coffee, I spilled it all over. Just black coffee absolutely everywhere. I washed it in the bathrooms and let it dry, and Mark luckily moved my slot to later.

For your peace of mind, reader, Joe did eventually get the stains off of his jumper and the shoot went ahead as planned.

We had a break from auditors, having learned much about them from the two aforementioned interviews, and switched to Rebecca, a graduate involved in the tax department at Sagars, to hear a unique perspective about the accounting story.

Tell me about yourself? What do you do here? I’ve been here about three years, and I am coming towards the middle of my qualification. I’ve recently started taking on my own clients which is very exciting. A lot of personal tax returns and advising people on their trusts, encouraging them to take the best steps forwards. I do my best to help them protect their assets. Also, assisting managers too, obviously.

Did you go straight to uni? How did you get into tax accountancy? I went straight to uni for politics, and then I had a job in a bank for a while, but I knew I wanted to be on track to getting a qualification.

What is the best thing about your day here? Good question. I would say the people and the conversation we get to have. Everyone gets on really well. At lunch, for example, team members congregate from all the different floors and we all spend quality time together just talking. It’s a really enigmatic and welcoming environment - we’re like a family. The office functions superbly.

How do you think these headshots will help you? It’s good to have something professional, it’s an upgrade from my current one. When it comes to presenting yourself online, especially on platforms like LinkedIn, it’s important to come across as professional and put-together for clients and your own career. Having them done by a professional photography studio, like Aire Street Studios makes all the difference, and shows commitment.

How do you recommend people prepare themselves for headshots? Oh thats a big question. I would say makeup and hair, if applicable, but there were people (Paula and Nicole) who helped me by directing the shoot, posing me. Definitely wear a nice power suit for formality, or a clean, fresh outfit.

As you can see, it turns out theres is a lot more to accountancy than being good at maths and compiling spreadsheets. The Sagars team are people orientated, boasting a diverse set of interests which was fantastic to find out about, and we loved joining forces with them. To find out more about Sagar Accounting, they are hiring graduates too !! visit their page here, or to follow in Sagar Accounting Ltd’s award-winning footsteps, book your headshots and meet the fantastic bespoke photography and styling team over at Aire Street Studios