The Ultimate Checklist for Scheduling Corporate Headshots
Scheduling a headshot session for your entire team can feel overwhelming, but don't worry! This checklist will guide you through the process, step-by-step. We’ll go over how to prepare, what to look for when hiring a photographer or selecting the space, and what to do during the session to make sure everything runs smoothly.
1. Define Your Goals and Objectives
☐ What is the purpose of these headshots?
Before you even start trying to find a date that works for everyone, it's crucial to define the goals and objectives for the headshot session. What is the purpose of these headshots? Will they be used for the company website, LinkedIn profiles, marketing materials, press releases, or internal communications? Understanding how the photos will be used will help determine the desired style and the number of images you'll need.
☐ Who will be getting photographed?
Next, consider who will be photographed. Will you be capturing headshots for all employees, just key executives, or perhaps only specific departments? This will help you determine the scope of the project and note any potential issues.
☐ What is the overall tone and style?
Finally, think about the desired company brand image. Do you want to convey a formal, professional, creative, or approachable look? The desired brand image will significantly influence your choices regarding the background, lighting, and the wardrobe guidelines you'll provide to your employees. If there is a specific background color you would like, that is definitely something you will want to make sure to communicate to the photographer.
2. Choose the Right Photographer
☐ Research and shortlist potential photographers
Start by researching and shortlisting potential photographers in your local area, but also expand out if needed - most headshot photographers will travel for company headshots. Also, make sure to look for photographers with experience in corporate headshots specifically and whose portfolio aligns with the style and tone you're aiming for. One red flag that could signal potential issues is if the photographer photographs a lot of other genres, has a website that doesn’t look professional, or takes too long to get back to you. These things might seem minor (how hard is it to take a headshot anyway?), but give insight into the expertise and professionalism of the person you’re hiring, which often matters more than you think.
☐ Read reviews and testimonials
Don't forget to read reviews and testimonials from previous clients. This will give you valuable insights into their experience working with the photographer, including their professionalism, social skills, and attention to detail.
☐ Schedule a consultation or send in your inquiry
Reach out to the few photographers you're interested in working with. Discuss your goals, budget, and any specific requirements you may have. Ask questions about their process, how long it typically takes to receive the final images, what editing services they offer, and how they can meet your needs. Also take note of how responsive and professional they are in their communication - that often is a good indicator of how organized the photographer is and how responsive they will be if an issue comes up.
☐ Consider the location
For larger groups, on-site at the office is always the better choice, but it’s also important to think long term. The headshot photographer you select will hopefully become a long-term partner for creating headshots for your team going forward. Ideally they will have a Photography Studio location where you can send new employees for headshots moving forward. Likewise, if you have a small team of just a couple of people, it’s usually better to travel to the Photography Studio instead.
3. Plan the Logistics
☐ Choose a date and time
Selecting the right date and time is crucial. Choose a time that works for the majority of your employees while minimizing disruptions to their daily work schedules. Sometimes a good date is one when you know all the employees will be on site, like a date of a big meeting or a holiday party. And if not everyone can be there on the same day (and often last minute emergencies or sicknesses do come up!), make sure you are able to send those individuals to the photographer’s Studio at a later date instead, and that their headshot will match exactly to the ones that are done on-site.
☐ Book a suitable location
If you're opting for an on-site shoot, carefully select a location within your office that offers adequate space for the photographer to set up. Ensure the chosen area is free from distractions to create a comfortable and professional environment. Personally, as a headshot photographer, I can work in any space and often set up in conference rooms with poor lighting and little wiggle room. The photographer you choose should be bringing their own lighting setup so that the headshots can look consistent and as good as possible.
☐ Communicate the schedule to employees
Once you've finalized the date, time, and location, communicate this information clearly to all employees. Send out a detailed email or memo with all the necessary information. I will often provide a booking page for my corporate clients (if the number of employees warrants it) as well as a 30+ page digital What to Wear Guide which really helps in this process. Once team members book their date and time, they get all the information automatically without the need for you to follow up with everyone. I also check in weekly and then daily to make sure everyone signs up for their headshot time slot.
4. Prepare Your Employees
☐ Communicate any specific requirements
Tie or no tie? Blazers for everyone or more casual clothing? Do you want everyone on your team to wear specific colors? What background color will we be using? Make sure to communicate this to the team so they show up on the day of the photoshoot 100% prepared.
☐ Encourage professional grooming
Photographs are different than real life and require a bit more prep in terms of hair styling and makeup. For men, they should be clean shaven (if that’s the preference) and with a fresh haircut. For women, even if they don’t usually wear makeup, wearing SOME makeup is is a good idea (I have a helpful blog post for that here) and taking the time to wash and style their hair is essential.
☐ Send out a reminder the day before
Don’t forget to email everyone the day before the photoshoot, just in case, and include all the reminders above.
5. Prepare the Shoot Location
☐ Minimize distractions
Clear the area of clutter and ensure a quiet environment to minimize distractions. This is often why I prefer the small conference over the big open atrium. When someone can have privacy while having their headshots taken, they will feel more relaxed and able to present their best self in photos.
☐ Provide a comfortable waiting area
If multiple employees will be photographed, provide a comfortable waiting area with refreshments, if possible.
6. During the Photoshoot
☐ Maintaining a professional and efficient atmosphere
The photographer should create a relaxed and welcoming environment to help employees feel comfortable. This is one of the most important aspects of the photoshoot and one that I work really hard to achieve. As a headshot photographer, I also make sure to bring a mirror, lint roller, clips, and blotting paper just in case.
☐ Communicating effectively
The photographer should always be providing clear instructions to each employee, which is where knowing how to pose people becomes absolutely critical. Being able to elicit a real smile or relaxed expression can take a headshot from a mediocre snapshot to a professional portrait, and knowing the right angles can present confidence, too. These are the little things that true expertise brings to the table which is why hiring a photography generalist often doesn’t produce the high-quality results that set a company apart.
☐ Be mindful of time
The reason why I provide online booking for bigger companies is so everyone has a dedicated time slot for their headshot and each session moves quickly. About 5 minutes is all I need to make sure the clothing and hair look good, capture a variety of angles and expressions, and go through all the options to select the best one that will then get retouched.
☐ On-site selection is key
The biggest problem with on-location headshots is that in an attempt to move through people as quickly as possible, most photographers won’t show the person their photos until a few days (or sometimes weeks) after the photoshoot is done. At that point, it’s too late to change anything, adjust clothing or hair, or get an expression that the person actually likes. It’s too late to make sure they actually like their headshots! This is why I always review images with each employee before they leave the session and make sure they are happy with their selected headshot. This process is a collaboration. I don’t know what’s best for them and while I’m more than happy to provide guidance, it’s up to them to select their favorite photo out of the set. This means that delivery is a breeze and that everyone is already 100% good with the images we got during the photoshoot!
7. Post-Production and Delivery
☐ Professional retouching
Retouching is essential. There is often one of two employees that simply aren’t happy with something in their image, and usually that something is very easy to retouch after the fact. This goes beyond removing some blemishes and whitening teeth (all standard, btw). I will often make sure clothing has less winkles, add volume to women’s hair, slim down body and face, even out eyes (one eye often can be smaller than the another), erase hair flyaways, and replace the backdrop with a digital version so all headshots moving forward will exactly match.
☐ Timely delivery & organization
If you’re waiting over a week for final images, that is definitely too long. I always deliver final retouched files (usually in several different formats to fulfill all the usage scenarios) within 72 hours, if not sooner. Files should be named with each employee’s name and organized appropriately - granted, there should also be nobody missing (as happened to one of my clients who hired a different photographer previously). This seems like such a simple thing but it’s something that often goes awry.
☐ Distributing images to employees
Providing employees with their headshot can often take a lot of time and emails, which is why I tend to handle this portion of the work for the companies I work with. I will email each person their photo, make sure they’re happy with the final result since it will be the first time they see the image with retouching adjustments applied, make changes if necessary, and provide the company with an online folder with all the images (high resolution and web-sized, plus also often an exported version specifically for the website) for easy access and long-term storage. Easy!
8. USe and Update Headshots Regularly
☐ Update company website and online profiles
Once you have all the headshot photos, you can go ahead and replace outdated headshots with the new images across all platforms. Don’t forget to incorporate employee headshots into brochures, presentations, and other marketing materials.
☐ Schedule regular updates & headshots for new team members
Plan for periodic headshot updates to ensure that employee images remain current and professional (usually every 2 years is a good benchmark) and provide a booking link to any new employees that need headshots when they join the company. I provide a private web page for each company I work with where a person can instantly book their own headshot session. They’ll receive all the info they need, as well as email and text reminders, and you will be billed separately (some companies like to an automated charge on their card on file and others like an invoice that they can pay separately). It’s such a great method that makes everything so easy moving forward!
I hope this comprehensive checklist helps you plan and execute a successful corporate headshot photoshoot! Investing in professional corporate headshots can be confusing and complex, but knowing what you’re looking for and what the process can look like goes a long way! Remember that this decision isn’t just about the cost, but also about making the photoshoot as smooth and successful as possible for everyone involved.
