How to Prepare Your Team for Headshot Day
Organizing team headshots means coordinating people, calendars, clothing, and a place to photograph everyone. You want a consistent result without turning the entire workday into a photo shoot.
My job is to make the photography side easier. A little planning together beforehand helps your team arrive prepared and keeps the day moving.
Whether we’re photographing your team at your office or arranging sessions at my Downtown Tampa studio, here’s where to start.
1. Decide Where the Images Will Be Used
Before choosing a background or setting a schedule, think about what your company needs.
Will these headshots appear on your website, in proposals, on LinkedIn, or in press announcements? Are we matching existing portraits or creating a new look?
Send your current headshots, brand guidelines, and any examples you like. Include requirements for image orientation, crop, and background if your marketing team has them.
If you also need a group photograph or environmental portraits, mention those early. They need their own time in the plan.
2. Choose Between Your Office and the Studio
On-site headshots let employees step away from work for their appointment and return afterward. Studio sessions can work well for smaller teams or employees attending individually.
We’ll choose an approach based on your headcount, location, availability, and the look you need.
For an office session, send photos of the proposed room before headshot day. A clear view of the space helps me assess the setup and discuss any adjustments with you.
3. Pick One Person to Coordinate
Having a main contact keeps details from getting scattered across several conversations. This person can confirm the employee list, collect brand requirements, share preparation instructions, and help manage any changes.
Before the day, let me know about building access, parking, loading, elevators, security procedures, and any restrictions on when we can set up.
Please reserve the room for setup and breakdown as well as photography. We’ll confirm those times together.
4. Create a Schedule With Room to Breathe
Headcount alone doesn’t determine the schedule. Outfit changes, image selection, the amount of coaching needed, and additional photographs all affect timing.
As a starting point, standard team headshots often allow around 5–10 minutes per person. We’ll confirm the actual appointment length for your project before you send the schedule to employees.
Work around important meetings and identify anyone with limited availability. Build in a little flexibility rather than filling every available minute.
For larger teams, an internal coordinator can help notify the next person and keep the waiting area clear.
5. Give Everyone Clear Wardrobe Guidance
Your employees don’t need identical outfits to look like one team. They do need a shared understanding of the level of formality you want.
Decide whether jackets, ties, or company attire are expected. Ask employees to arrive in clean, pressed clothing that fits comfortably. Solid colors are a dependable starting point, and busy patterns or large logos are worth discussing in advance.
If employees are bringing options, agree on that before building the schedule so there’s time to accommodate them.
6. Reassure the People Who Dislike Being Photographed
There’s usually someone on the team who is dreading this part. Let them know they won’t be expected to figure out posing on their own.
I coach each person through positioning and expression. Even within a consistent company style, there’s room for individual personality. The goal is to help everyone look professional, approachable, and like themselves.
7. Confirm Selection, Delivery, and Future New Hires
Before headshot day, we’ll agree on how images will be selected, who approves them, and how the files should be organized. Let me know if you need employee names in filenames or particular crops for your website.
We’ll also confirm retouching, delivery timing, and any deadline tied to a launch or announcement. If you need something sooner, raise it during planning so I can confirm what’s possible.
Think about future hires, too. Keeping a reference for the background, lighting, and crop helps us plan subsequent sessions that fit the company’s existing look.
A Quick Checklist for Your Coordinator
Confirm headcount and who is being photographed.
Share brand guidelines and reference images.
Approve the location and allow for setup and breakdown.
Confirm access, parking, and building requirements.
Agree on appointment lengths and circulate the schedule.
Send wardrobe and preparation instructions.
Confirm selection, file requirements, and delivery timing.
Let’s Plan Your Team’s Headshot Day
Send me your estimated headcount, location, preferred dates, and how you plan to use the images. If you have a deadline or existing portraits to match, include those details too.
We’ll build a plan that gives your people the attention they deserve and your company a consistent set of headshots.
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