When to Schedule Company Headshots for Your Whole Team

We get this call a lot. A marketing manager, an office manager, or an executive assistant reaches out and says, "We need updated corporate headshots for everyone on our team. I have no idea where to start." Most are surprised to learn it’s not that complicated once you know your options. Here are a few ideas we’ve learned over the years.

Note: We focus on “studio” or indoor headshots in this post because it’s easier to keep the look and feel of your headshots consistent when we can control the conditions of your photo shoot (background, lighting, temperature, wind). Outdoor backgrounds change with the seasons. Outdoor lighting changes with the time of day and the weather. Minnesota’s extreme weather derails the best-laid plans (and hairdos). Consistency is important for branding and photographing new hires later.

Headshots in Our Studio in NW Rochester

This is the simplest, most flexible, and budget-friendly scenario for teams of 2-9 people. You and your employees come to us on the same day or on different days, whatever works best for your schedules. If you book individual back-to-back sessions on the same day, you receive a discount. There are no set-up fees because everything is already set up. There are no parking hassles because our studio is not downtown.

Headshots at Your Business

This scenario is perfect for teams of 10 to 40 people. If you have a physical office, and most of your employees show up there regularly, we come to you. We set up a portable studio for on-site corporate headshots in your conference room, a spare office, or even a quiet corner of your lobby. Lighting, backdrop, laptop, the whole thing — it takes us about 30 minutes to get everything ready, and then we're off to the races. Employees sign up for individual 10-minute time slots throughout the day. Ten minutes sounds fast, but it works if you only need one good option per person.

If you have more than 40 employees, we schedule 10-minute time slots across multiple days. For large-group photos (people posing together), we either make a composite photo using individual headshots, go outside, or travel to a rented location. For more information about composite photos, see “Headshot Problems” on our Headshots + Professional Portraits page.

Headshots at a Corporate Conference or Quarterly Meeting

A lot of companies — especially those with remote employees scattered across the country — only have everyone in the same room a few times a year. A quarterly all-hands. An annual conference. A sales kickoff in January. These gatherings are logistical gold for individual headshot sessions, because the hard part (getting everyone in the same city) has already been handled.

We set up our portable portrait studio in a hotel lobby, event center foyer, convention breakout room, or conference pre-function space. Employees duck out between breakout sessions, get their professional headshot done in 10 minutes, and duck back in before anyone notices they were gone.

The key with this format is building the corporate headshot session into the official schedule so it doesn't feel like an afterthought. A simple line in the agenda — "Professional headshots 8:00–10:00 AM in the foyer, sign up at the registration table" — dramatically increases participation. People know it is an expectation of their attendance and feel like they have permission to step away.

Headshots as a Team Event or Happy Hour

This is our favorite format for company headshots in Rochester MN — and anywhere else — because it always gets the same reaction: mild skepticism followed by genuine delight.

What if you turn your employee headshot session into an event? A real one. Order appetizers. Pour drinks. Invite your team to show up not because they have to, but because it's actually a good time.

Here's how it works: you block out two or three hours on a Friday afternoon, or after a team meeting, or ahead of a happy hour you were already planning. Bring everything to our photography studio in NW Rochester, or ask us to bring our portable studio to you. People circulate — they eat, they talk, they catch up — and when it's their turn, they step in front of the camera for 10 minutes. Scott and Kelly are the entertainment. Not in a cheesy way. In a you-forgot-you-were-nervous way.

Because here's the thing about getting a great professional portrait: the biggest obstacle is tension. The best thing we can do — the thing that actually produces great business headshots — is make people forget all of that. Scott is very good at this. Kelly's dry humor helps, too. Between the two of them, a room full of colleagues, and a glass of wine, most people are genuinely relaxed within about 90 seconds of stepping in front of the camera.

This format also works beautifully as a precursor to a team-building event. Schedule your Rochester MN corporate headshots from 4:00 to 6:00 PM, then transition directly into dinner or an activity. The portraits get done, people are already warmed up and in a good mood, and the team-building event benefits from the energy in the room. It's a genuinely good use of everyone's time — including yours.

Companies that have tried this group headshot format tell us it's the first work event that people actually asked to do again. That's a low bar, maybe. But we'll take it.

How to Actually Pull Off a Company Headshot Session: A Few Practical Notes

Regardless of which format you choose for your team's corporate headshots, here are the things that make a company portrait session run smoothly — and the things that quietly derail them.

Give people advance notice.

One month is ideal. Two weeks is workable. The day before is not enough time for someone to find the right outfit, get a hair appointment, and/or mentally prepare for their employee headshot. People have strong feelings about how they look. They want to feel good about how they are represented, and they should.

Send clothing guidance ahead of time.

Your marketing team will have a strong opinion about this because headshots are an extension of your brand. The more descriptive you are, the better. Show pictures of acceptable colors, give ideas for casual or formal top/bottom combinations, reassure that logo wear will be provided, etc. The last thing you want is for someone to show up in a bright red top while everyone else is wearing pastels.

If you need a little guidance to get started, read our blog posts: What to Wear for Professional Headshots and ChatGPT Gives Color Advice.

Make participation easy.

Sign-up sheets work. Online scheduling links work better. Whatever system you use, make sure it's simple enough that employees can book their corporate headshot slot in under two minutes. The more friction in the sign-up process, the lower your participation rate. People are busy. Make it easy.

Designate 1 or 2 point persons.

Not to manage us — we've got our end handled — but to manage your team. Someone to send the reminder, watch the schedule, knock on the office door of the person who forgot their 2:15 slot, and generally keep things moving. This is usually an executive assistant or project manager.

Someone should also sit next to Kelly as she shows employees their headshot options immediately following their 10-minute photo session. You help her guide the selection process by reassuring employees when they voice insecurities and steering them toward a choice that best matches your branding and style guidelines. This can be the same person or someone from your marketing team. The best candidate is someone well-known, liked, and trusted around the office.

Plan for new hires.

If you're a growing company, think about how future employees will get their business headshots taken once the main session is over. A standing arrangement with Olive Juice Studios — just one or two studio appointments in our NW Rochester photography studio per quarter — means your team page stays current and new people feel like they belong from day one.

Looking for a Corporate Headshot Photographer in Rochester MN? Let's Talk.

The companies we love working with most are the ones that treat their team's professional portraits as an investment rather than a chore. When your website looks cohesive, and your employees actually feel good about representing you on the internet, it says: “We're a place that pays attention. We take care of our people. We're worth calling.”

Let us help you figure out which format makes the most sense for your team's corporate headshots. We are happy to talk through the logistics before you commit to anything. We coordinate company headshot sessions for Rochester MN businesses of all sizes, all the time. We ask questions, get a sense of your team size and situation, and point you toward the approach that's going to work best. No hard sell. Just a conversation.

Call Scott 507-252-0490.