Planning Corporate Headshots for 30 Employees? Start Here.
Corporate headshots and team portraits photographed for The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Malaysia.
You've been assigned by your company to organise a corporate headshot session for 30 employees.
Where do you start?
Do you book the photographer first? Prepare a timetable? Ask everyone to wear a black blazer?
And how much time should you allocate for each person?
After 20 years of photographing corporate executives, board members and company employees, there's one thing I've learned.
80% of a successful corporate photoshoot happens during pre-production.
Get the planning right, and the actual photography day becomes much easier.
Let me share how I normally organise a corporate headshot assignment for companies in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor, using one of my recent projects for The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Malaysia as an example.
1. Appoint a Person in Charge (PIC)
Most of my corporate photography assignments are coordinated by the Corporate Communications or HR department. This person becomes my main contact before and during the assignment.
The PIC helps coordinate employee availability, communicate attire requirements, arrange shooting locations and manage the photography timetable.
Sometimes the client prepares the entire schedule.
Sometimes I prepare it.
Quite often, we work on it together.
What matters is that both the photographer and client agree on the shooting schedule.
That way, the company can continue its daily operations without unnecessary interruptions.
2. Explain the Photography Objectives
Before I start planning, I normally ask the client four questions:
How many people are being photographed?
What's the management hierarchy?
What background or photography style does the company prefer?
Where will the photographs be used?
These answers affect the entire photography plan.
Mr Rodney Wong - CEO of Munchy's. A CEO's portrait for an annual report may require more attention.
For example, a CEO's portrait for an annual report may require more attention than a standard employee headshot for an internal directory.
If the company needs individual portraits, management photographs and departmental group photographs, we need to allocate time for each category.
Don't assume every person requires the same amount of photography time.
3. Conduct a Site Visit Before the Photoshoot
A site visit is important for me to understand the location before the shoot
I normally conduct a site visit before a corporate photography assignment.
Why?
I want to see the actual shooting location before bringing in the equipment.
Ideally, I prefer a long meeting room with air-conditioning and privacy.
A private room allows employees to feel more comfortable, especially those who are camera-shy.
If makeup artists are involved, I prefer a separate preparation area where employees can have their makeup and hair adjusted before their turn.
During the site visit, I'll assess the available shooting space, identify potential problems and discuss the photography requirements with the PIC.
Shooting Plan Document as a guide for the client during the shoot day
After that, I'll prepare a planning document.
Depending on the assignment, it can include:
Photography timetable and call sheet
Shooting locations
Participant list
Shot list and storyboard
Makeup and preparation schedule
This document becomes our common reference for the photography day.
4. Allocate Enough Time for Every Employee
One question I've received from potential clients is:
"Can you photograph 30 people in two hours?"
My answer?
It's going to be difficult if you want proper professional portraits.
Every person requires different posing guidance.
Some people are naturally comfortable in front of the camera. Others need more time.
Here's my usual planning guideline:
| Category | Approximate Photography Time per person |
|---|---|
| Regular Employee | 10 minutes |
| Senior Management | 15-20 minutes |
| CEO/MD | 30 minutes |
For regular headshots, I normally work with three posing directions - left, right and centre.
That gives us some variety without making the session unnecessarily complicated.
For 30 regular employees, that's approximately five hours of actual photography.
And we haven't included setup, breaks or unexpected delays.
That's why I normally recommend a full-day corporate headshot session for up to 30 employees.
Planning Headshots for Your Company?
Not sure how much time to allocate for your management team or employees?
Share your headcount, preferred location and photography requirements with me. I'll help you work out a practical shooting schedule before the photography day.
5. Prepare a Timetable, But Allow Some Flexibility
Corporate headshot shooting timetable coordinating photography and makeup appointments.
I always plan to complete my equipment setup one hour before the first employee's photography session.
This gives me time to arrange the lighting, test the background and make any necessary adjustments.
The shooting timetable should account for each participant's availability.
For senior management, I normally work with the PIC to identify suitable times that won't interfere with important meetings.
But here's something I've learned.
A good shooting schedule should be organised, not rigid.
Someone might become available earlier than expected.
Another employee may be called into an urgent meeting.
That's where the PIC comes in.
They can rearrange the participants without disrupting the entire session.
Proper planning gives us the flexibility to manage these situations.
6. Communicate the Dress Code Before the Photography Day
Inconsistent corporate attire can affect the professional appearance of company headshots.
This is one of the most common mistakes companies make. They arrange a professional photoshoot but forget to tell employees what to wear.
Some arrive wearing business suits.
Others turn up in casual shirts.
The resulting portraits may look inconsistent, especially when displayed together on a company website.
My recommendation is to follow the company's corporate branding or attire guidelines.
If there aren't any specific guidelines, a black blazer and white shirt are usually safe choices.
The important thing is to communicate the requirements early.
Don't leave employees guessing on the morning of the photography session.
7. Prepare Employees Who Are Camera-Shy
Let's face it - not everyone enjoys having their photograph taken.
Having a makeup artist or stylist on location can help, particularly for senior executive portraits.
Some people become nervous the moment they see a camera pointed at them.
Part of my job is to make them comfortable. I'll guide them through their posture, expressions and posing.
Sometimes it's a small adjustment to the shoulders.
Sometimes it's changing the angle of their face.
If someone has a wrinkled shirt or an untidy collar, I'll help adjust what I can.
Minor issues such as frizzy hair can sometimes be corrected during post-processing.
But I prefer getting as much right as possible during the actual session.
Having a makeup artist or stylist on location can help, particularly for senior executive portraits.
Read my Corporate Posing Guide eBook which I will give away to my clients as a token of appreciation to get them ready for the shoot.
8. Real Case Study: How I Planned Corporate Photography for Coffee Bean Malaysia
One assignment that demonstrates the importance of preparation was my corporate photography session for The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf (CBTL) Malaysia at its headquarters in Shamelin, Kuala Lumpur.
The project involved the Managing Director, 10 Heads of Department and 26 team members.
We needed individual management portraits, a management group photograph and several departmental group photographs, all within one working day.
And the planning started approximately two months before the shoot.
The Pre-Production Process
I conducted a site visit, discussed the photography requirements and prepared a nine-page Storyboard & Shooting Plan.
Corporate photography storyboard showing proposed management group portraits and office compositions.
The document included actual photographs of the proposed locations, a detailed timetable, makeup arrangements, participant information, sample group photographs and posing references.
We selected the training room for individual headshots and the reception area for group photographs.
The document even showed several possible arrangements for the management team, including photographs that incorporated the company's branding.
This meant the client could review the intended photographic approach before the actual session.
Coordinating Photography and Makeup
Faryn Razak and team helped me with the touch up and make up during the assignment
For this assignment, I worked with makeup artist Faryn Razak and her team.
Three makeup personnel were involved in preparing employees for their photographs.
Our call sheet coordinated makeup preparation with the individual portrait sessions.
Rather than asking everyone to arrive at the same time, participants were scheduled according to their photography requirements.
The Managing Director had a dedicated photography slot.
A management group photograph was arranged separately, followed by other individual sessions and departmental group photographs.
The document helped everyone know where they needed to be and when.
What Happened on the Photography Day?
Something interesting happened.
The session ran so smoothly that we could rearrange certain participants according to their availability.
Someone was available earlier? They could come in for makeup.
Another department was ready? We could photograph them next.
The changes didn't disrupt the overall workflow.
CBTL Malaysia Top Management Group Photo - is it similar to the planning document? You be the judge.
The people were easy to work with, the makeup team was efficient and the PIC helped coordinate everyone.
For individual headshots, I used a clamshell lighting setup to create consistent portraits.
For group photographs, I used softboxes and incorporated the company's reception area and branding into the compositions.
The planning document gave us a structure to work with, but it also allowed enough flexibility to accommodate changes.
That's exactly why I believe pre-production accounts for 80% of a successful corporate photoshoot.
Read my Coffee Bean Malaysia corporate photography case study.
9. Three Mistakes Companies Should Avoid
After years of photographing corporate teams, here are three mistakes I would encourage HR and Corporate Communications personnel to avoid.
Mistake 1: Employees Don't Know Why They're Being Photographed
Explain the objective of the session.
Are the photographs for the company website, annual report, LinkedIn profiles or marketing materials?
When employees know the purpose, they can prepare accordingly.
Mistake 2: Nobody Communicates the Attire Requirements
Don't assume employees know what to wear.
Give clear instructions before the photography day.
A simple dress code guideline can make a big difference to the consistency of the final photographs.
Mistake 3: Trying to Rush Everyone
Professional corporate portraits require time.
If you expect the photographer to photograph 30 employees in two hours, don't expect the same attention to posing and expressions as a properly scheduled full-day assignment.
Give people sufficient time to be photographed comfortably.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to photograph 30 employees?
I normally recommend a full-day assignment. Regular employees are typically allocated around 10 minutes each, with additional time for senior executives and management.
Can you set up a professional photography studio at our office?
Yes. I provide a mobile studio setup with professional lighting and backgrounds, allowing employees to be photographed at their workplace.
How much space do we need?
A long meeting room with air-conditioning and privacy is ideal. I'll assess the actual space during the site visit.
Do we need a makeup artist?
Not necessarily. For executive portraits or larger assignments, makeup artists can help participants prepare and reduce grooming issues during the photography session.
How much does corporate headshot photography cost?
At Images by Hafiz, a full-day corporate headshot assignment for up to 30 employees costs RM5,500, excluding travel expenses.
The final number of edited photographs and other deliverables are determined by the agreed project brief.
Read my corporate headshot photography pricing guide.
Planning Corporate Headshots for Your Company?
Some of my clients.
If you're from Corporate Communications, HR or a management team planning a corporate headshot session in Kuala Lumpur or Selangor, I'd be happy to help.
At Images by Hafiz, I assist clients with pre-production planning, site visits, shooting schedules, posing guidance and professional corporate photography.
My philosophy is simple.
Plan properly before the shoot, and the photography day becomes easier for everyone.
Explore my corporate headshot photography services or contact Images by Hafiz to discuss your company's photography requirements.
