Tips on clothing, background, schedule and communication for consistent, trustworthy team portraits.
The corporate portrait is one of the most visible tools through which a company introduces its employees and culture to the outside world. A well-prepared portrait day makes the shoot efficient and the employees comfortable. The guide below is prepared for the HR and marketing teams planning a portrait day.
Planning: purpose first
Decide where the portraits will be used: website, LinkedIn, press kit, business cards, investor presentation. The framing (horizontal, square, vertical) and background are chosen according to usage. To shoot once and use everywhere, a flexible crop is preferred.
Background and light
For consistency, all employees are shot against the same background and lighting arrangement. Dark grey, light grey or a brand colour are common choices. If shooting at the office, set aside a quiet, spacious room where natural light can be controlled (for example a meeting room).
Clothing and appearance
Send employees a short guide beforehand: solid colours, avoiding very small patterns, matte fabrics and a dress code suited to the company culture. Avoiding dazzling accessories and very shiny make-up gives good results. Have a mirror and comb ready on shoot day.
Time plan
Allow eight minutes per person: two minutes for welcome and pose, four minutes of shooting, two minutes for choosing frames. Three to four hours are enough for a team of 20. Employees should be told their appointment times and busy meetings should not clash with them.
Direction and expression
To get a natural smile, striking up a friendly conversation with employees works well. The photographer improves frames with small directions such as bringing the chin slightly forward or angling the shoulders. Employees who feel uncomfortable are given extra time.
Selection and retouching
Each employee chooses one of three frames on screen during the shoot. The chosen frame goes through skin retouching and colour correction; we keep retouching light because over-editing destroys naturalness. Delivery is the next day from the client panel.
After the shoot
You receive files in web, LinkedIn and print sizes. For new joiners, we suggest holding a twice-yearly 'complementary portrait day' with the same background and lighting set-up.
Preparation checklist
- Define usage areas and framings in writing.
- Share the employee list and appointment times.
- Clarify the shooting room and power-socket situation with the photographer beforehand.
- Send the clothing guide to employees a week ahead.
- Appoint a coordinator for shoot day and have them queue employees.
At Kadrajhane we run corporate portrait days at your office or our Bomonti studio. Our 'Corporate Portrait Day' package is 9,500 TRY for up to 20 people; for larger teams the per-person amount falls and the shooting plan is prepared together.