What does your portrait say
before you speak?
Business Portrait.Premium business portraits for executives and teams
A headshot makes you recognisable — enough for a staff directory.
An image that represents your name for years is often made in a few moments — because the light is already set and someone knows exactly what he is waiting for.
Silhouette. Composure. Stature.
Is your image right?
A portrait that lags behind your reality does more harm than none at all. A portrait that runs ahead of it opens doors before you enter the room.
Arrived?
Does your portrait tell of someone who wants to arrive — or of someone who has arrived? The difference is measured in millimetres. In posture, lighting, line of sight.
Does it carry your stature?
Status is not seen in suits. Status is seen in images. A portrait that carries your stature works for you — even when you are not in the room.
“One of the best photographers and filmmakers in Stuttgart.”
Credit: camera Joe Lindenmann
Playing the video connects to Vimeo. In the process, data is transferred to the USA.
Photographing celebrities or CEOs comes with a particular challenge: there are usually only a few minutes. A few minutes in which to build trust, open the person up and gain that special insight that makes the images unique and valuable.
It is like a lion hunt: you have to wait patiently for the lion, get it in front of the camera briefly and capture the perfect moment – otherwise it escapes and all the effort was in vain.
These minutes can only be prepared, not improvised — on location at the client's, with the light set in advance. For clients in the Greater Stuttgart area there is a dedicated page: Business Photographer Stuttgart (German).
What it looks like when a portrait really fits.
Member of the LBBW Board of Managing Directors, Chair of the Art Board of Trustees. The portrait was commissioned by LBBW for the anniversary exhibition at Kunstmuseum Stuttgart.
Image source: Michel Majerus / Mobil Block Nr. 42, 1999 (detail), Michel Majerus Estate, 2021
Experienced master tailor in Stuttgart, founder of Atelier Calkap. Known for fine fabrics, excellent craftsmanship and personal advice.
Sometimes an old, gnarled apple tree is all it takes. Lucas Reyer is committed to sustainable concepts — and then the old apple tree simply took the young architect into its arms.
Quick-witted, confident presenter, award-winning model, international brand ambassador. In his presence everyone feels a little more valued — stylish, interesting, classically elegant.
Three things that set a premium business photographer apart from a headshot studio.
Lighting from the world of film
Standard headshot studios work with softboxes and a plain background. Premium business portraits are made with up to a dozen different light sources. Daylight, continuous light and flash are often combined deliberately, and light shapers are built by hand, to develop a language of light of its own. This language of light has grown over an entire career, from large-format sheet film to the digital sensor, across industries that each brought their own expectations. The result is more than a face in front of a background: you see how someone stands and what role they fill — corporate portraits and CEO photographs where you recognise at first glance: this person leads.
The same lighting carries moving images too: photo and image film or brand interview on the same shooting day — one setup, two results, an identical visual language.
The same signature also carries the Art Portrait for artists, actors and ensembles — there the focus is not on a position in a company, but on the role.
Experience from more than 1,000 business portraits
With more than 1,000 business portraits completed, Jens Achtert knows the requirements of every use case — from the LinkedIn profile and the annual report to the press kit. Clients include LBBW, VW, Breuninger, the auction house EPPLI, ELO Digital Office, targens and the Postbank corporate client magazine. This range ensures that every portrait works where it will later be used — as a headshot on LinkedIn, in the annual report or as a representative executive portrait on the company website.
Mobile studio — throughout Germany and internationally
With his mobile high-end studio, Jens Achtert photographs directly at your company or at the location of your choice — based in Calw near Stuttgart, working throughout Germany and in numerous European cities. Besides his native German he speaks fluent English and French, which makes working with international clients on set easier. As a business photographer in Stuttgart based in Calw, Jens Achtert also works as a portrait photographer and photographer for corporate portraits throughout Germany — from business portraits for individuals to complete team shoots for agencies and corporations. A make-up artist and stylist can be part of the setup on request — more on the Collaboration page.
Why preparation on set matters more than the most expensive camera.
Concept, mood board and briefing
Some jobs produce portraits completely spontaneously. Usually, though, agencies or marketing departments provide precise briefings that have to be implemented. Just as often, Jens Achtert develops the ideas together with the client, their team or their agency — and turns them into a detailed concept with a mood board and posing suggestions.
The camera shows more than the mirror. What looks natural in a personal conversation or in everyday life comes to the fore in front of the lens — every reflection, every slipped collar, every detail of hair and styling. Premium lighting is designed to bring out your best presence — not how you happen to look that day. Preparation on set is therefore not vanity, it is craft.
A professional make-up artist balances this out in twenty minutes — with the expertise of what works in front of the camera and what does not. At the same time, a professional stylist makes sure that shirt, blouse, jacket, tie, jewellery and accessories sit perfectly. What you no longer see yourself in the mirror is corrected before the first shot.
On request we work with our established network of make-up artists and stylists in Stuttgart, Karlsruhe, Mannheim, Frankfurt am Main and other cities in the region. The briefing sets the style — we bring the professionals.
From a compact portrait session to a full Brand Day with photo, film and content. Each package is tailored to a clearly defined need.
What clients ask before the shoot.
What does a premium business portrait cost?
Prices are grouped into clearly structured packages — from a single person to a full Brand Day for the entire team. The complete overview is on the packages page. Individual concepts and large commissions on request.
Does Jens Achtert also photograph on site at the company?
Yes. With a mobile high-end studio, the portraits are created on site at your company — throughout Germany and internationally on request. Travel and studio setup at the location are included in the package price.
Are a make-up artist and stylist included?
For Brand Interview and Full Brand Day, a make-up artist and stylist are part of the standard setup and included in the package price. For the compact Portrait Essential, both can be added for €300 each per session. There are established partners in the network for every location.
How many final images are there per shoot?
The number is fixed per package: 5 fully retouched images in Portrait Essential, 50 to 75 images in several sets in Personal Branding, 10 in the Portrait + Brand Interview package. Additional images can be added at any time. Delivery is in high resolution, in portrait and landscape format, each in colour and black and white, web-optimised and print-ready.
In which cities are business portraits created?
Based in Calw, Baden-Württemberg. Focus on the Greater Stuttgart area, plus Pforzheim, Karlsruhe, Heilbronn, Reutlingen, Ulm, Mannheim and Frankfurt am Main. Firmly established in Coburg and Upper Franconia since two years of agency work there. Regularly in Switzerland and Austria around Lake Constance. Abroad on request; previous assignments include Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Greece and Slovakia.
How quickly are the finished images available?
First preview selections within 48 hours of the shoot. The fully retouched hero images typically within seven to ten working days. For time-critical publications, express delivery within four to five working days is possible for a 50 percent surcharge on the package price. Express must be agreed when the order is placed.
In which formats is the final data delivered?
For print you receive final files in the appropriate CMYK profile – as TIFF on request, if the images are going into a layout or will be edited further. For web and social I deliver up to 3,840 pixels wide, i.e. the 4K standard. Which format is right for what is explained in detail on the File Delivery & Formats page (German).
Let's talk.
One sentence on the occasion and intended use is enough. I usually reply within 24 hours – with a proposed date, the time required and a package recommendation.