The Complete Guide To Planning Company Headshots
If you’ve been tasked with organizing company headshots, you’re probably balancing a lot of competing priorities. People are busy, schedules are complicated, and you want the process to be as painless as possible.
The good news is that most of the work can be handled by your photography team. This guide will walk you through the biggest decisions, common questions, and practical considerations that come up when planning company headshots.
Which option is best for your team?
The simplest answer is this: if your team is mostly in the office and you have the space, office headshots are usually a great option. If your team is scattered, remote, hybrid, or hard to gather at one time, studio scheduling may be easier. If everyone is already together for an annual meeting, retreat, or conference, that can be the perfect time to update headshots.
Office Headshots
A great option when most of your team works in the office and you have enough room for a portable studio setup.
- Most employees are in the office
- You have a clear area of 15′ x 15′ or more
- You want to photograph the whole team efficiently
Studio Headshots
A flexible option for hybrid teams, remote employees, new hires, and organizations that have trouble getting everyone together.
- Team members are remote or hybrid
- You need ongoing new-hire headshots
- You want consistent images over time
Events & Locations
A smart choice for annual meetings, retreats, conferences, leadership events, or custom locations tied to your brand.
- Your team is already gathered in one place
- You want a specific location as part of the brand
- You may also need event photography
Office Headshots
For companies where most employees work in the office most of the time, photographing everyone on-site is often the easiest solution when updating the whole team’s company headshots.
For office headshots, we bring a portable studio setup to your workplace so your team can be photographed efficiently and consistently.
Space Requirements
For a typical headshot setup, we generally need:
- A clear area approximately 15′ x 15′ or larger
- An 8-foot ceiling or higher
- Access to power
- Access to WiFi if possible
While we can use mobile hotspots when necessary, WiFi access is always appreciated, especially in buildings with limited cellular coverage.
You don’t need to worry about the lighting in the designated headshot area unless the room itself is intended to appear in the final images. For most standard professional headshots, we don’t use available or window light. We bring a portable studio setup to you.
Conference rooms, board rooms, training rooms, and classroom spaces are all commonly used for company headshots.
Scheduling & Logistics
Making sure your team headshots run smoothly is a big priority for us.
Once the date is selected, we can create a custom online schedule for medium to large teams. Team members choose their own appointment times and receive automatic reminder emails, which keeps the day organized and minimizes interruptions to the workday.
For smaller teams, you may not need formal time slots. We will work with you to organize the shoot in whatever way makes the most sense for your team.
Our goal is to handle as much of the scheduling and administrative work as possible so your team can stay focused on what they do best.
Studio Headshots
For some organizations, coming to our Winter Park studio is the more practical option. Whether everyone comes at once or one person comes at a time, we are happy to accommodate teams in our space.
When Studio Headshots Make Sense
- Your team members work remotely or on hybrid schedules
- You don’t have an office with enough free space for headshots
- It is difficult to get everyone together at the same time
- You add new hires throughout the year
- You only need updated headshots for a few people
One of the biggest advantages of a studio-based program is consistency. Whether someone is photographed today or six months from now, we can create images that match the rest of the team.
Scheduling & Logistics
For teams coming to the studio, there are several options.
Small Teams
Teams of ten or fewer can often arrive together and complete the process in one visit.
Larger Teams
For larger groups, we coordinate individual arrival times using online scheduling.
New Hires
For ongoing updates, we can create a custom scheduling page so employees can book when they are available.
Our team will recommend the scheduling approach that makes the most sense for your organization and handle the details from there.
Headshots At Events & Third-Party Locations
Sometimes the best opportunity for company headshots is when everyone is already gathered together.
Custom locations can help connect your team images to your brand, community, or event.
Events, Conferences & Annual Meetings
Company retreats, annual meetings, leadership summits, conferences, and sales meetings are often excellent opportunities to update headshots.
Since team members are already in one location, event headshots can be added with minimal disruption to the event schedule.
Many clients choose to combine headshots with event photography services, allowing us to create professional portraits while also documenting the meeting itself.
Custom Locations
Some organizations choose a specific location because it reflects their brand and ties them to a specific community.
Many teams in Orlando like to feature landmarks like Lake Eola or Church Street Station, while Winter Park companies often like to use Kraft Azalea Gardens or Central Park.
Let us know what your brand goals are and we will help coordinate the best location possible.
Permits, Insurance & Access
When working at hotels, conference centers, public spaces, or other third-party locations, there may be additional logistics to consider.
- Parking
- Venue permissions
- Certificates of insurance
- Permits
- Access restrictions
We work with many popular local venues regularly and have experience coordinating with parks departments in the City of Winter Park and Orlando.
Preparing Your Team
A little preparation goes a long way. These are the basics your team should know before headshot day.
Basic Wardrobe Guidelines
Great team headshots aren’t so much about what people wear as much as how what people wear reflects the brand and company culture. Setting out specific guidelines and expectations for team members is critical.
We will work with you on what is best for your brand, but these basic principles almost always help:
- Solid colors are usually better than busy patterns
- Clothing should fit well and flatter
- Professional attire should reflect company culture, both in style and color
- Timeless choices tend to last longer than trendy ones
The goal is not to make everyone look identical. The goal is to create images that feel professional and cohesive when viewed together.
For more detailed recommendations, see our complete guide to what to wear for company headshots.
Before Headshot Day
Consider sharing these tips with employees:
- Get plenty of rest
- Stay hydrated for brighter, clearer skin
- Avoid excessive alcohol consumption 48 hours before
- Avoid excessive sun exposure and use sunscreen
- Make sure clothing is clean and pressed
- Avoid major appearance changes right before the session, like a new hairstyle or color
- Arrive with plenty of time to avoid feeling rushed
- Have specific concerns? Tell the photography team before shooting so we can address them
Image Selection & Delivery
How images are selected and delivered is one of the most important parts of the process. Every organization has slightly different preferences, which is why we offer several options.
Private online galleries make it easy for team members or company contacts to review images and select favorites.
Individual Selection
Each employee receives a private gallery where they can select their favorite images.
Company Selection
A company contact receives a master gallery and makes selections on behalf of the team.
On-Site Selection
When timelines are tight, employees can select their images immediately after being photographed.
Final Delivery
Final images can be delivered to individual team members, one company contact, or both, depending on your needs.
Using our proprietary gallery system, employees can review proofs, select favorites, and receive their final retouched images through a streamlined online workflow.
Once selections are made, chosen images are professionally retouched and delivered as high-resolution final files.
Frequently Asked Questions About Planning Company Headshots
These are some of the practical questions that come up when organizing headshots for a team.
How long does it take to photograph each person?
For most company headshot sessions, each person takes about three to five minutes to photograph.
That can vary depending on the goals of the session. A simple, consistent headshot for each team member moves quickly. Multiple looks, outfit changes, executive portraits, or additional branding images may require more time.
We design a custom schedule for every company so the process works for your team, your space, and your goals.
What happens if someone misses headshot day?
It happens.
If a team member is unavailable on the day of the shoot, they can come to our Winter Park studio for a matching headshot. Our team will handle the details and add their selected image to the same gallery system as everyone else.
This is one of the biggest advantages of working with a professional headshot team. The project does not fall apart because one person is out sick, traveling, or stuck in meetings.
Can you match our existing company headshots?
In many cases, yes.
If your company already has a headshot style you like, we can review the existing images and determine how closely we can match the lighting, background, crop, and overall look.
That said, some older images may be difficult to match perfectly, especially if they were created by another photographer with different equipment, lighting, or background choices. If matching is important, send examples before the session so we can give you an honest recommendation.
Should we provide professional hair and makeup?
Professional hair and makeup is never required, but it can make a noticeable difference.
For larger groups, we usually recommend touch-up services rather than full hair and makeup appointments for each person. Quick adjustments for shine, stray hairs, wardrobe details, and grooming can help employees look polished while keeping the schedule moving smoothly.
A good hair and makeup artist can also help people feel more confident on camera. We are happy to arrange professional hair and makeup services if desired.
How much retouching is included?
Our goal is for everyone to look polished, professional, and believable.
Retouching usually includes things like removing temporary blemishes, softening dark circles, reducing stray hairs, lightening teeth, and making small adjustments that help the final image look clean without making the person look fake.
We believe professional headshots should still look like real people. Beautiful but believable is the goal.
Should we include a group photo?
If your team is already together, a group photo is definitely worth considering.
Group photos are useful for websites, proposals, social media, recruiting, press releases, and internal communications. They can also be a great way to commemorate a milestone, leadership meeting, company retreat, or major team update.
The key is to be intentional. Make a list of the groupings that actually matter and think about where those images will be used. You can also read our guide to corporate group photos for more planning advice.
Should we use AI headshots for our team instead?
AI headshots may seem like an easy option, but they can be difficult for teams.
The biggest issue is consistency. If everyone uploads different selfies to different platforms, the final images may not match in lighting, expression, clothing, crop, or overall style. That can create a patchwork look across your website or company directory.
There are also questions around image rights, licensing, and whether the final image truly represents the person. For a team, especially one that wants a consistent and professional brand presence, real photography is usually the better fit.
Need Help Planning Company Headshots?
Whether you’re organizing headshots for a small leadership team, coordinating hundreds of employees across multiple offices, or looking for a long-term solution for new hires, our team can help. We’ll walk you through the process, handle the logistics, and make sure your team receives professional, consistent images with as little disruption to the workday as possible.