Transform Your Team Photos from ‘Meh’ to Magnetic
3 Simple steps for your best team brand photography shoot
It’s so much more than a corporate headshot. And it goes beyond a posed group photo with everybody smiling at the camera. When done right, your team brand photos can transform your website, give you more options for content sharing, and even bring your team closer together.
A group photoshoot is also a little bit trickier to schedule and coordinate than my brand shoots for solopreneurs. Here are my 3 biggest tips for how to elevate your brand with a team photoshoot:
1. Don’t match (Do coordinate)
Wardrobe choices for a team shoot can be stressful, so this is what I suggest when it comes to what to wear. Instead of everybody wearing the same thing, choose a color palette and a level of formality to get cohesion that way.
For example: “Business casual in greys, blues, greens and any neutrals like white/ cream, black.” Additionally, have everybody bring a couple extra options so you can switch things out once we are together in the same room and can see how the colors and textures look together. We are aiming for balanced variety that gives visual interest, and moves the eye of the viewer around the photo.
Colors choices for a brand shoot need NOT only be in your brand colors. I usually suggest including your brand color, but the only rule I have is that you should not CLASH your brand colors. Your business photos need to blend well with your website and social media pages, which will include your logo and brand colors. This is how you create a polished and professional feel for your brand!
Also, be mindful to communicate the smaller details so everybody is on the same page. For example: no bare legs or yes bare legs… no open toes or any shoe is fine… jeans are great but you may want to designate no rips… and the list goes on. Personally, I ensure no apple watches are in sight, and even prefer no watches unless they are well hidden in sleeves or look like bracelets. (I feel they break up the beautiful line of your arm and draw the viewers eye away from more important things, like your face and your interactions with each other). Details matter for strong brand images.
2. Get in the Flow
Lay out the flow of your photoshoot ahead of time, by designating the order from one set to each other than makes sense and is most efficient.
When you have a team of people together, the last thing you want to do is be wasteful of time, so being organized and prepared will ensure we get maximum number of photos and everybody feels comfortable and taken care of.
My favorite order? I typically begin with individual corporate headshots, move to the large posed group, and then break it up into smaller groups and candids.
First, I find that even though we designate a start time, people may start floating in and be ready to shoot at different times, so I am grabbing headshots as that happens. This gets them out of the way, and also captures faces when they are fresh. Nobody wants everybody standing around and watching them when they get their headshots done, so I take these when greetings and settling in is happening.
Then, we gather everyone together for the formal group shots. Everybody wants and needs these photos. They are typically the hero shot of your website. However, I do caution that these aren’t the ONLY shots you should have of your team, because as we know teams change and people come and go. What your team looks like today isn’t necessarily what it will look like next month.
Therefore I swiftly move on to smaller group shots, candids and details (walking, talking, working, consulting action shots). These are the photos that really sing and celebrate your brand. They say “We have a team – we will take care of you, and by the way, look how fun/ professional/ caring (insert your own brand essence words) we are!”
3. Involve your team
Every member of a team has different strengths and interests. There will typically be someone who is totally into a photoshoot and have tons of amazing ideas. Maybe they’ve seen what other companies have put out on social media and will be honored to be involved. Encourage their suggestions or maybe even make them the contact person for your photographer.
There will ALSO be people who are counting the minutes until the photoshoot is over. There is no rule stating everyone must be there for the whole brand session. Because I typically begin with individual headshots, then grab the posed group photos you need, once we move into more lifestyle brand shots with smaller groups and details, we can dismiss those who just aren’t into it.
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From multi-day corporate events for tech companies to beautifully crafting photos to cover an aesthetic company for a year of social media, I’ve worked across industries to create authentic brand images that convert clients.
But don’t take my word for it:
“Our office of 9 reached out to Katie for some updated team/brand photos. When I said we were BLOWN AWAY – Katie provided us with the most natural, beautiful photos. She was so kind, encouraging, knowledgeable and easy to work with. Her attention to detail is astounding – the way she worked with each person to make sure our hair was laying nicely, our clothing was adjusted, hand placement was natural…it made the whole process so fun and easy!” – Jessica Ebler
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