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Photographs your CEO wants to be seen in, and your clients believe
No more waiting two weeks to find out how the shoot went wrong.
You see every frame on a screen as we make it. You approve the ones that matter before we pack up. And you get a labelled set with the crops already made for every channel you publish on.
*Briefs sent during office hours usually get a reply the same day
Ten years photographing people at work for organisations that publish
Their photographs ran in annual reports, sustainability reports, campaign material, careers pages and press kits.
Does this sound familiar?
The last studio sent someone who had not read the brief. Your CEO waited twenty minutes and still remembers it.
The report closes in six weeks. The newest photograph of the leadership team is three years old.
Your website, your deck and your careers page were shot by three different people. Side by side, it looks like three different companies.
Someone tried a generative AI headshot. It came back looking like a stranger wearing your face.
Your branding collaterals can look like this
Studio Zainal & Zainal is a commercial photography studio in Singapore, led by Zakaria Zainal for ten years. We photograph people at work for organisations that need those images to hold up in public: annual reports, sustainability reports, campaigns, careers pages and executive profiles. Clients include Seatrium, NAMIC, GF Piping, Venator and the National University of Singapore. Zakaria's documentary work is collected by the National Museum of Singapore, has been exhibited internationally, and is published in two books. The studio is at 14 Robinson Road in the Singapore CBD, and we work across Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.
What we do
What we photograph
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Corporate and campaign photography
For annual reports, sustainability reports, brand campaigns, investor materials and website builds. Every setup is shot to a written brief that names the channel, the crop and the message. A single shoot day usually produces 10 to 20 finished images.
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Executive and leadership portraits
For board profiles, media features, investor decks, conference programmes and LinkedIn. Senior people are busy, self conscious and often running late. We plan for all three. See our executive and personal branding work
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Employer brand and workplace photography
For careers pages, recruitment campaigns, EVP launches and internal communications. Candidates can tell a real team from a staged one in about half a second. We photograph the real one and make it look good.
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Industrial and facility photography
For operational sites, plants, yards and production floors, including permit controlled environments. See our industrial photography page
Most photographers ask what the picture should look like. We ask what it has to do.
A photograph for a report cover has to hold a headline and a caption, and still work at full bleed.
A photograph for a careers page has to answer a question the candidate never says out loud: what is it actually like to work here?
A portrait in an investor deck has to read as steady and human at the same time, because a board, a journalist and a job candidate will all look at it, and all three can tell when it has been managed.
Those are three different photographs. Treating them as one job is where most shoots go wrong.
Every photograph makes an argument about the people in it. We decide what that argument is before we set up a light.
You work with me directly
Not a junior sent after the pitch. I have spent 15 years photographing people in professional settings. My documentary work is collected by the National Museum of Singapore, has been exhibited at Noorderlicht in the Netherlands and at Dali in China, and is published in two books. I also lead the visual storytelling curriculum for the Asia Journalism Fellowship. That background is why the pictures hold up next to serious writing.
One shoot, six jobs
From annual report cover to media and press kit, every file we deliver is named and grouped by the job it does. Your team should not have to open forty images to find the one for the newsletter.
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What the photograph has to do?
Hold a headline and a caption at full bleed.
How we shoot for it?
Wide frame with clean space for type
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What the photograph has to do?
Answer "what is it like to work here"
How we shoot for it?
Real work, real desks, real faces
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What the photograph has to do?
Read as senior and approachable at once
How we shoot for it?
Controlled portrait, quiet background
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What the photograph has to do?
Survive heavy cropping on mobile
How we shoot for it?
Wide, centre weighted, generous margins
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What the photograph has to do?
Work at thumbnail size
How we shoot for it?
Tight crop, one strong subject
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What the photograph has to do?
Be usable by an editor with no brief
How we shoot for it?
High resolution, captioned, no logo clutter
ZEISS
Our studio spearheaded this employer branding project photographing ZEISS employees at work across their business units — highlighting a diverse workforce, cutting-edge technology and a great place to work.
How do you highlight the zest of youth and a vibrant campus lifestyle while also create visuals assets that enhance performance marketing on social media? Our studio is proud to project manage and photograph a diverse set of visual assets to showcase SIM GE as a great place to study and play. At the heart remains: their people.
“Zack has been a joy to work with, as he brings a positive attitude to support our vision of the photography project entrusted to him. He is quick to offer his perspective and will readily work with clients to ensure that goals are achieved. Overall, my team and I have had a positive working experience with Z&Z.”
— Vi Vien, Senior Regional Marketing Manager, SIM
SIM Global Education
NUS Faculty of Medicine
Here, creativity meets opportunity. Whatever you're building, we're here to help you take the first step with confidence. Driven by curiosity and built on purpose, this is where bold thinking meets thoughtful execution. Let’s create something meaningful together.
“It's a joy working with Singaporean photographer Zack on the photo shoot for our philanthropic campaign. He understood the theme perfectly and was able to provide great photography and art direction to our senior leaders to execute the perfect shots!”
— Pat, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, NUS
Flo Energy
Here, creativity meets opportunity. Whatever you're building, we're here to help you take the first step with confidence. Driven by curiosity and built on purpose, this is where bold thinking meets thoughtful execution. Let’s create something meaningful together.
“I engaged Zak to capture photos for our corporate culture, and he did a fantastic job despite a tight one-day schedule. He coordinated the shoot smoothly and put everyone at ease, bringing out their best.”
— Jun, Flo Energy
Sectors we have photographed
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Sustainability report photography and workforce portraits. Seatrium. MAN power plant, Belawan, Indonesia.
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Production floors, technical teams and capability imagery. GF Piping, Malaysia. Venator, Malaysia. HH Stainless, Jurong.
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Machines, researchers and controlled environments across multiple sites. NAMIC.
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Campaign portraits, campus and gallery environments. National University of Singapore. NTU Centre for Contemporary Art.
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Interiors, occupied spaces and operations. Cushman & Wakefield. Helutrans Artmove.
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Vertical farming environments for an international investor campaign. Skygreens for Pictet.
How companies work with us
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Step one. The brief.
A structured session, in person or on a call. We cover the objective, the channels, the brand guidelines, the key messages and the people involved. You get a written brief back before anything is booked. If a previous shoot went wrong, this is usually the step that was skipped.
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Step two. Pre-production.
Location recce where access allows. Shot list built against the brief. A schedule shaped around your people, because a CFO with a nine minute window is a scheduling problem before it is a photography problem. Hair and makeup arranged where the project calls for it. Consent and talent releases handled up front.
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Step three. The shoot.
Tethered, with live review on a screen. Your team sees the frames as we make them and signs off on the day. We keep the footprint small and we look after the people being photographed. Most of them are nervous. Handling that is part of the job.
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Step four. Delivery.
Edited selects with a deployment note: which image for which channel, crops for print and digital, caption guidance, and a file naming system your team can still navigate a year later. Full resolution files, with usage rights defined in the contract.
Frequently Asked Questions
At our studio, a single shoot day producing 10 to 20 finished images starts at S$3,000. Annual programmes are priced against your communications calendar. Costs across the Singapore market vary widely with scope and usage rights, so compare proposals on deliverables rather than on day rate.
How much does commercial photography cost in Singapore?
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Two to four weeks is comfortable for a single day. Annual report and sustainability report work needs longer, because access, approvals and executive diaries take time. We take short notice work when the calendar allows.
How far in advance should we book?
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The first edited selection usually arrives within five to seven working days of the shoot. Rush turnaround is available for launches and media deadlines, and we agree it in the proposal rather than after the fact.
How long until we get the images?
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Usage is defined in writing in the engagement contract before the shoot. Most corporate clients take broad multi channel usage covering reports, website, social, recruitment and press. Tell us where the images need to go and we scope the licence to match.
Who owns the photographs, and where can we use them?
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Our executives are busy and uncomfortable in front of a camera. How do you handle that?
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This is most of the job. The setup is built and lit before they walk in, the camera is tethered to a screen so they can see it working, and we give clear direction so nobody is left guessing what to do with their hands. Fifteen minutes is usually enough for a senior portrait. Hair and makeup is arranged on request and we recommend it for leadership and group shoots.
How is Studio Zainal & Zainal different from other commercial photographers in Singapore?
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Three things. You work with the principal, not a junior sent after the pitch. Every shoot starts from a written brief about where the images will be published, so you get a deployable set rather than a gallery. And the work is held to a standard set by documentary practice, with photographs collected by the National Museum of Singapore and exhibited internationally.
Both. Most corporate work happens in your own spaces, because the environment carries meaning a plain backdrop cannot. We bring lighting and can build a portrait setup in a meeting room, a lobby or a plant floor.
Do you shoot in our offices or in a studio?
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Yes. We ask for the guideline during the briefing session and treat it as part of the brief. The aim is a set of images that satisfies the guideline and is still strong enough to carry a report cover.
Can you work within our brand guidelines?
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Yes. We have run multi-location projects across Singapore, Malaysia, Bangkok, Phnom Penh, Kathmandu and Indonesia. For regional programmes we set the visual standard on the first shoot so every later location matches.
Can you cover multiple sites or countries?
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We are mainly a stills studio. When a project needs both, we will lean into our video production partners who have served our clients.
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Do you offer video?
Send us a brief
Tell us what the images are for and where they need to go. You get an itemised proposal, usually within two working days. You can email us at hello@zainalandzainal.com
"Zack is easy to get along and accommodating. Most importantly, he listens to what client is looking for and get client actively participates in the creative process.”
— Chin Wah, Forum Architects
Testimonials: What People Are Saying
"One can often assess the skill of a photographer by studying the quality of his portfolio. What is harder to discern is his approach and attitude, professionalism and client orientation. Zak delivered on a project for the National University of Singapore, working in tight sync with my team and capturing portraits that brought the unifying idea behind our campaign to life. He was always on time, responsive and approachable, and his crew were just as professional. I am now looking for another project that will let me tap on his skills again."
— David, Founder & Principal Consultant, CourageousBrands
"He took time to understand what I wanted to capture and gave the talents clear direction without the photos looking overly staged. He was receptive to new ideas, which made the whole working experience an enjoyable one. 10 out of 10."
— Michelle, Senior Manager, NAMIC