How to organise staff headshots for your company

Organising company headshots for your company can be slightly daunting. Aside from finding a professional headshot photographer who will work with your budget, you will need to consider staff availability, headshot location, and style.

Here are some tried and tested tips to help plan your staff headshot session.

Setting the date

Finding a date when all the staff will be on-site can be a challenge, especially if some of the staff works part-time or from different locations.

It might be a good idea to plan the headshot session to coincide with a company event where staff will be gathering at the same location, for example: an annual convention, board meeting, or even a company social.

Give your photographer as much notice as possible so they can reserve the date for you.

Alternatively, you might need to arrange to split the shoot over more than one day to cover staff working part-time or off-site.

Headshot style

Does your company have a section for staff headshots in their branding guidelines? This might include guidance on background (black, white, plain, environmental…), format (square, landscape or portrait orientation), expression and dress code. There might also be existing staff headshots with a look that needs to be matched, so it’s always worth checking that first.

Have a think about where the photos will be used, and whether you just need one image per person or a selection of images with a variety of expressions and/or backgrounds.

Generally, keeping the background plain means that it will be easy to replicate on future shoots when new employees join, but you might need a wider selection for the more senior staff only, especially if they need photos for PR purposes.

Briefing your employees

Let the staff know at least 1-2 weeks in advance about their upcoming headshot in case they want to have their hair cut beforehand. Remind them by sending them an email the day before.

They might want to bring a hairbrush to re-adjust their hair before the photos or bring their make-up in case they feel they need a last-minute touch-up.

Employees will most likely need a bit of guidance in terms of dress code, and this very much depends on the company image you would like to put across on your website and LinkedIn. Don’t forget to let them know if you would like them to dress in a certain way, particularly if men should wear a shirt, jacket and tie.

If some of your staff members wear a uniform such as branded polo tops, remind them to wear a clean/fresh top on the day, it might also be a good idea to have some spare brand new tops in various sizes just in case.

Location and Space

Although some staff members might be excited at the thought of getting professional headshots, some will invariably be dreading it. Making them feel at ease is the job of a good photographer, but it also really helps to find a location that will give some privacy like a meeting room (remember to book it!) or low traffic area within your office building. Posing in the middle of a busy open plan office can be daunting and will make it a lot more difficult to get a relaxed expression.

If your office is too crowded, it might be an idea to see if there is another area with your office building, empty offices on other floors (obviously, seek permission first!) or a lobby with little footfall. Don’t worry about natural lighting as your professional photographer can provide their own lighting and background but space and a little privacy are important.

Your photographer will typically require a minimum space of roughly 2×3 meters to work comfortably. We can work in smaller spaces if needed but it will affect the results in terms of lighting and getting flattering angles.

If you are thinking about getting some environmental headshots, you will need an interesting background indoors or outdoors (with a backup solution in case it rains!). Your photographer will look for interesting features in your office, building or street to get photos that are “on brand”. Environmental headshots can take a bit more time so it’s worth factoring this into your budget.

Timing and Budget

Professional headshot photographers will have different pricing structures, some will charge for their time, some will charge per headshot, sometimes a mixture of both. I charge for my time and I am happy to be flexible with my service depending on your budget.

If your budget is quite restricted, I will spend less time photographing each employee and simply provide you with a single photo per person. This might be a good option if you have a large quantity of staff to get through, and if the photos are mainly used internally and not really client-facing. In this instance, I would allow 2-5 minutes per employee.

If there is more flexibility within your budget and if getting the best result is the priority for you, I will spend more time with each employee, fine-tuning pose and expression, showing them the back of the camera to make sure that they are happy with their headshot. I can also supply a wider variety of images for you to choose from. Allow 10-15 minutes per employee, sometimes a little more if they are particularly camera shy or self-critical.

corporate photography in Hertfordshire employee meeting

Follow up sessions

Regardless of how well the planning goes, there will usually be at least one or two people who won’t be able to make it on the day, sometimes due to unforeseen circumstances such as illness or a last-minute client meeting.

You’re also bound to have some new joiners in the future so it’s good to also have a plan and budget for ongoing ad-hoc photography after the bulk of the staff has been photographed. Using a local photographer who can come back for individual headshots can be a sensible option.

Do you need staff headshots for your company?

I offer professional headshots, environmental business portraits, corporate photography, and event photography throughout Hertfordshire.

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