8 Tips For a Great Team Session With a Headshot Photographer in San Francisco
Your prospects and potential investors are laser-quick to form first impressions of your business. In person, you may have the luxury of seconds but on your website or social media channels, it’s mere milliseconds. As the public face of your company, your executive team’s online headshots are a vital part of your digital marketing toolkit. Done well, they can help open doors to valuable conversations with sales leads and possible business partners.
At the very least, professional headshots can help your company to build trust with your prospects. That, in itself, is worth the return on investment. Below are useful tips for how to organize professional corporate headshots of your executive team. Whether you’re engaging the services of a headshot photographer in San Francisco or using in-house talent, here is a step-by-step guide to ensure your corporate photo shoot is successful.
1. Define Where You Will Use the Headshots
The type of headshots you’ll need depend on where you’ll use them. Below is a common list:
Website (usually the “About Us” or “Our Executive Team” page)
Company social media channels
Individual LinkedIn profiles
Email signatures
Business cards
Annual reports
Pitch decks
Magazines
The variety of uses will define whether you need headshots, waist up shots or full length photos, or whether the orientation is vertical or horizontal. It will also influence the background chosen for the photos, whether it’s on-site, outdoors or at a studio.
2. Consult With Your Photographer About Specifications & Tone
For best results, view your headshot photographer as your collaborator. Share with them what sort of tone you want the photos to convey and ask for their thoughts.
You may wish to communicate your company’s brand identity and what professional image you want your executive team to project. For example, do you want the photos to look sophisticated, minimalist, classic or modern? Do you want your executive team to look approachable, authoritative, conservative or bold? The tone will influence the photographer’s recommendations on the location of the photo shoot and advice to your team about their clothing, hair, makeup and how to pose, as well as the retouching process.
3. Invite the Photographer to Scope Out the Location
The best location for your photo shoot depends what image you’re trying to project, whether you go for an outdoors, office or studio background. For example, if your executive team is trying to convey an image of an environmentally-friendly and socially conscious company, one option is take the headshots in well-lit green space. Bear in mind, if it’s an outdoor space, factors such as changing lighting patterns, pedestrian traffic and wind conditions need to be factored into your planning. A good headshot photographer in San Francisco should be familiar with the hotspots and can advise on the best times of day.
If you’re planning a photo shoot at your office, invite the photographer to scope out the location beforehand. They will need to check out the space for lighting conditions, size and configuration, camera positioning and equipment requirements.
If you’re going for a classic or minimalistic look, a studio is an excellent option. It’s also the easiest place to take a headshot because the photographer has full control of the lighting and it’s a relaxed and distraction-free environment for all. Another option is to ask the photographer to bring a mobile studio to your office.
4. Keep Your Team in the Loop through Calendar Invitations & Reminders
The golden rule of organizing a corporate photo shoot is to over-communicate a little.
Send calendar invitations to all of the executive team to confirm their availability. If there are a large number of team members, you may wish to schedule this out in batches so the whole group isn’t waiting around for their turn on the day.
In your communications, provide specific instructions on hairstyles, dress and make-up. I’ve found that it’s useful to attach photos to illustrate your advice, as the words “formal” or “smart casual” can mean different things to different people. I would also specify style choices to follow and ones to avoid. For example, if you’d like everyone to dress in a formal or neutral palette (blacks, whites, greys, navies, beiges), make this clear and ask them to avoid reds, yellows and other bright colors.
I would suggest sending a reminder email or group message the day before and another on the morning of the shoot. I’ve found mornings are often the best time for shoots, but it depends on the culture of your office and your team’s individual commitments.
5. Discuss the Photography Poses in Advance
If you’re taking photos that may be presented in one location, such as the “Executive Team” page of your website, ensure your photos showcase the same or similar body language. The group will look more unified, connected and professional that way.
You may wish for your executive team to pose front on or side on, head tilted slightly or straight, hands held in front or at the sides, or arms crossed. It may be useful showing your team members a picture to help explain the selected poses.
6. Coach Each Team Member on Their Posing and Stance
If you’ve adequately consulted with and briefed your photographer, usually they are happy to take the lead on coaching each subject on how to pose and where to stand or sit. Please be aware that headshots with some team members will take longer than others, especially if you’re dealing with someone who is camera-shy or stiff.
7. Allow Enough Time for Each Head Shot
Actively manage the expectations of the team, so they’re briefed that it often takes more than a small handful of shots to get it right. The photographer may take technically perfect shots immediately, but the subject may look stiff or tense and take time to warm up and relax. It’s worth allowing enough time to get each photo right, especially if you’re going to engage the services of an experienced professional headshot photographer in San Francisco.
8. Create a Contingency Plan
It might be an over-used quote, but it stands true. If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail. Create some contingency plans to ensure the success of your photo shoot.
For example, if you’re planning an outdoors shoot in a park, you may wish to choose an back-up location in a sheltered green space in case it rains.
If your photo shoot is scheduled for a board room with back-to-back bookings, factor in buffer time in case your team members arrive late and things run over time.
You may wish to create a group in Slack, Skype, WhatsApp or whichever messaging app your executive team uses in case you need to send out a quick notification of any changes.
Remember, you don’t have a second chance to make a first impression. Potential sales leads, investors and partners will look up your website or LinkedIn page before they make a decision to connect with your executive team. Each headshot represents an opportunity of sorts, the first step towards building trust, so make each opportunity count.
Slava Blazer Photography has 10+ years’ experience in taking professional corporate headshots in San Francisco. We’re consistently in Yelp’s list of top 10 best headshot photographers in San Francisco. If you want to ensure your executive team’s headshots make a powerful and lasting first impression, schedule a consultation with us today.