Team Headshots Appeal to Your Potential Clients

Portland Rose Festival Foundation, 2023 Board of Directors at Embassy Suites Portland OR

I began incorporating headshots into my international event travels in 1998. I was hired as a “second shooter” (as we call our camera-packing assistants) by one of my peers. I suggested the headshots setup since their global board and committees were already assembled … "why not just add this service?” Seeming uninterested I offered to do it for no extra money “just to see” if my idea was worthwhile.

Though it proved popular, my peer was not interested so I began offering them on my own. Since 1999 I’ve provided portable headshots in Japan (where I captured a group photo of over 700), Toronto CA, Nassau The Bahamas, Brisbane Australia, Chwele Kenya, multiple in Las Vegas NV and New Zealand. Once, I even converted my ship cabin into a studio on a floating convention aboard an Alaskan Cruise. Likely no surprise why I have a Kiwi wife, though we actually met while I was providing this service in Baltimore … I digress…

Since the the 2020 surge in remote staffing, my portability has become even more beneficial. Teams reuniting or converging for the first time at out-of-state event gatherings made the TSA Pre-check a must with the amount of gear I travel with.

Why is it important for a unified, consistent look, style or vibe?.. I say it jokingly, but truly mean… “Your ‘about’ page should not look like a ransom-note” (newspaper word clippings). In sum - continuity = professionalism.

Here are some key points to ponder when investing in your marketing image content - especially your team’s headshots. One that you might figure without mention - it’s far more efficient, therefore a smaller investment when you can schedule multiple team members at once.

Financial Reserve Team - Outdoor (in Oregon) can add a bit of variety on weather, but I use different lighting for different days to assure continuity for when they are blended - as seen above, taken just adjacent to Studio B.

Professionalism: Matching headshots give a cohesive and professional look to a company's website, which can help to establish credibility and trust with potential customers.

Consistency: Using matching headshots ensures that all employees are represented in a consistent and uniform manner, which can help to strengthen the company's brand identity.

For more on planning your “look”, this post can be helpful…

One of our most popular requests is for a white background. While it may not be for everyone, there are some very strategic advantages.

1) When lit properly, a clean, white, shadowless background can allow you to knock out the background (think greenscreen) for uses on other marketing materials.

2) Most modern websites have white as their primary background, allowing you to add your brand color as a keyline border around that white background - further tying in your brand’s consistency.

3) Digital collages save you a great deal of time rescheduling your full team, just because one retired or new staff were added. See example below of the current Petroff team of 16, individually posed headshots that were posed with this end use in mind. In addition to the ability to crop in tight for a “headshot” we alternated their directions in order to digitally create a full team image.

This service does not require a white background, in fact - see the MLI group photo that consists of three combined images, all shot in front of their Oregon lab. Two subjects were posed in similar lighting conditions, and then added digitally to the base, group image.

Because both Lake Oswego High Schools have blue as a team color, we chose this black background with a blue color spot to tie in with their team pride.

You may recognize this sample image from our main Headshot page, but look a bit closer. One person left, three new team members were added. Ask us how and we’ll create something equally flexible for your growing needs.

Three images to assemble the current team at MLI. Can you guess which two individuals were not really there for the initial photo?

Personalization: Matching headshots can help to put a face to the name and create a more personalized experience for website visitors. This can help to build stronger relationships between the company and its customers.

Personally speaking I have used company staff pages before returning for service. We all enjoy being called by our names, so I like to make a point of remember who “that person was” that I wanted to thank or just say hello to on my return.

Recognition: Consistent headshots can help website visitors to recognize and remember employees more easily, which can be especially helpful in industries where personal relationships are important, such as real estate or financial services.

Employee satisfaction: Providing employees with professional headshots for use on the company website can help to boost their morale and make them feel valued and appreciated by the company.

Businesses exist to serve customers, but we’d all be lying to say that money does not matter. Longevity and success of a business is widely hinged on how well the staff is treated. Just look on your Yelp searches and you’ll find that most bad reviews are not about the product, rather about the experience that was had, usually with a staff member that likely did not feel valued.

When my regular headshot companies send new staff for their matching headshots, it’s very obvious that those people feel “…important enough to want me on their website.” Words I often hear.

PRICING: You may have noticed some pricing is visible the Headshots page, for 1, 2, 5, 8 & 12 individuals to book at once. That is not as low as the pricing goes, and certainly not the most I can manage. The per-person price is reduced as that number is increased. If you have a larger group that you want “as a team” or individually posed, give me a shout for a quote.

Those numbers drop down considerably in volume, and with more than two decades experience I have mastered the art of efficient authenticity. I shoot more that 50 individuals, several times per year - many of which were also posed as a group.

Putting people at ease in front of the camera is nothing more than empathy for me - I happen to prefer staying on my side of the camera, so I am sensitive to those who are like me!

If you’re not yet sure which service will work best for you, CLICK HERE to book a free consultation and we’ll talk about your goal, who you would like to appeal to, and what option will work best for you, your team and your marketing budget.

Headshots build trust and I look forward to becoming your marketing ally.

This group of 50+ Fire Dept employees was missing five people who were on vacation. Can you find which five I installed in post?.. No - not a drone, I was in a cherry picker for shot one, then standing on a ladder truck for those I added later.

“We want a warm, sunny vibe to feel more calming to our future patients…”