How to Get Great Team Headshots of The Entire Office

Tips for a Successful In-Office Shoot of Each and Every Employee

I know it can feel overwhelming to coordinate corporate headshots for every person in the office. On the list of things people don’t want to do, getting their photos taken might be second only to going to the dentist. But a cohesive and professional-looking About section of your website is an essential tool in converting visitors to your website into clients and customers. And headshots are the key ingredients of that About page.

Why Employee Photos are Vital: The First 0.05 Seconds

We live in a digital age, and we process visuals much more quickly than any text on a website. Users form an opinion about your website in 0.05 seconds. Photos speak much faster than text in that split second. For most websites, the ‘About’ page is the second most-visited page after the homepage, and that rate is even higher for big ticket purchases.

When people are making decisions about spending serious money, they are not just shopping for products or services. They are shopping for trust. For big ticket items, the About page often serves as the tie-breaker between two companies. Lawyers, medical specialists and long-term contractors can’t afford to skip the About page.

Your About page Needs To:

• Quickly build trust
• Convey professionalism
• Communicate your company’s values to potential clients

What does your About page say about your company’s values?

What snap judgements will clients make about how they will be treated by the employees pictured on your About page? Is your About page a place where people feel connected to your employees? Do viewers feel invited in and taken care of? Will potential clients be drawn to your employee’s quirkiness or creativity? Do people see a trusted, confident partner and guide along their journey?

Or do they see a poorly lit, inconsistent series of photos that all say something different? Your company’s branding messages should answer these questions and support your branding messages both in quality and style.

The set of photos below was taken for Edward Jones Financial Advisors. The headshots needed to look traditional enough that someone would feel comfortable entrusting their money to the advisors, but also friendly and approachable so that potential clients see advisors as trusted guides along their journey.

Contrast those to headshots for a home-based podcast duo, and you can see that the style is very different. When a cat is part of your team, I suppose that changes things, too!

Headshots Should Convey Quality

If you want to be taken seriously for big ticket purchases, your website needs high-quality, professional photos. Your headshots should convey the same high standard of product you are selling.

High Quality Headshots Have Three Things in Common:

Consistent Lighting

Consistent lighting is the single biggest factor to convey quality and cohesiveness. Whether your photographer is using natural light or additional flash, skin needs to be lit consistently. Natural light sounds simple, but offices often have fluorescent (blue) or tungsten overhead lighting (yellow). Overhead lights cast color onto skin. Colorful walls or reflections off nearby buildings can also change the color of the light in a room. Not only that, but the sun moves throughout the day, creating different lighting scenarios by the hour in rooms with ample window light.

I add additional light almost 90% of the time when taking office photos, even in rooms with natural light. Have you seen a website where people look yellow or blue, or half of their faces are orange in the shadows? The photographer likely left overhead lights on and tried to use only natural light, or they didn’t know how to use flash properly. If flash isn’t turned on to the right power, color casts (blue rims around faces, orange shadows etc) will still creep in, causing a mixed light situation in the final photos (parts of the face are orange/yellow/blue or in shadow).

Thoughtful and Flattering Posing

Posing and framing also both need to stay uniform. Camera angle, head tilt, and body position in relation to the camera all convey various things to the viewer.

A head tilted away from the camera and taken from below the subject can translate as powerful, but it can also very quickly lead to the viewer seeing the subject as arrogant and aloof. When a subject tilts their head toward the camera, they conveys interest and a posture of being approachable and willing to listen. They invite the viewer in.

The most friendly, approachable angle for headshots is straight-on with the subject looking at the camera. A straight-on viewpoint conveys trust, connection, and a feeling of approachability.

Camera Angle is Important

A low camera angle, or photographing someone from below, can convey power or arrogance. Combine that with someone looking off-camera, and you can add conveyed qualities of disinterest and aloofness to those messages. These are not qualities I look for when I’m going to spend a lot of money on something. And I can promise you that most employees being photographed do not want the underside of their chin to be the first thing anyone sees of them in a photo.

The photos below are of my niece, Jaynie. We took these for her medical residency interviews. I adore the headshot on the left because it shows her as powerful and intelligent. I’ve often seen this look on her face as I wait for her to respond to a tricky question, sometimes with a touch of her witty sarcasm. But that look could definitely be misconstrued by someone who doesn’t know her well. Someone might mistake that look for smugness or arrogance. The middle headshot is a little more inviting, with the smile on her face. But for me, the photo on the right and the black and white at the bottom are best suited for her interview purposes. Her posture and expression convey more connection and teamwork toward the viewer.

The camera also needs to be held at a flattering angle for everyone. Your employees should feel confident and relaxed while being photographed, knowing that the photographer is going to individualize posing to ensure each and every person looks their best. Not only that, but how a person is photographed conveys strong messages to your potential customers or clients.

A good photographer knows how to direct posing so that each and every person looks their best. And when a customer comes to your website, they shouldn’t be distracted by how employees look uncomfortable in their photos.

Photo Style That Matches Your Brand

Photos need to look they belong on your website and inside your business. They need to match and complement your branding in color, tone and attitude. For instance, headshots for a well-established bank that’s been in business for hundreds of years are going to look very different than those for an edgy new marketing firm.

I’ve taken several headshots for Gateway Construction over the years. Some employees work on the job site during the construction phase, some work in the office, and some work with the finished product on design and finishes. All of their headshots, despite different locations, match in tone and style. We did some branding photos on-the-job, while others were more traditional headshots at the office. All had a lifestyle feel with natural light.

Branding Photos Add Depth To Your Headshots

Branding photos provide a big library of photos to use not only on your website but on social media platforms as well. To learn more about the difference between headshots and branding photos, click here.

Branding photos have their place on any website. They can communicate so much more than a classic headshot can to your potential customers. Branding photos show how you solve problems for your customers and clients, in addition to who is behind your business. They might show your employees engaging in their day-to-day tasks in their work environment. They can include images of employees with customers, or they might show your employees during behind-the-scenes processes. Branding images have a strong visual identify and showcase what makes your business unique. They also can help convey the why behind your business.

Branding photos begin with marketing messages targeted at your ideal clients. From those messages your photographer will help you plan photos that flow from that key messaging.

Here are some examples of branding sessions.

Jessica is a stylist, who wanted her personality and creativity to shine through in her branding session. Everything from wardrobe to posing, to lighting was aimed at showing her creativity, fun personality and slightly edgy vibe.

Ageless Medical wanted an upscale branding session for their beauty-minded medical aesthetics clinic. They needed a lot of style, but a clean, modern look. We paired their headshots with a few working photos of the staff working in the clinic. Branding photos also serve to show clients what it’s like to experience your business first-hand. Photos of you working with patients or clients can help build trust if someone is on the fence about working with you.

Headshot Background is Important

I went into a deep dive about backgrounds in this post, so head there if you need help deciding on a headshot backdrop. In general, your backdrop needs to flow with your website and your line of work. If your website is light and bright and modern, a white backdrop might be the ticket.

If you work in a very traditional industry, like the courts or state government, we should lean more toward a traditional backdrop.

For real estate, you might consider using a home or your office as a backdrop.

Ask Your Photographer For Guidance on Planning Headshots for Your Team

Most importantly, ask your photographer for help in deciding on the look and feel of your headshots, especially if you’re going to invest in photos for your entire staff. Your About page is too important to risk sending the wrong messages to your potential clients or customers!

If you’re looking for a corporate headshot photographer for your team, please hit the contact button and get in touch about scheduling.