Team Brand Photos: What To Expect When You Include Your Biz Partners + Employees
It’s the era of the personal brand, so it makes sense that most of my branding sessions have one face in front of the camera.
You may be the face of your brand. Your brand may even bear your name. (Mine does.)
And it makes sense. When you started out, it was likely just you:
doing all the things
making all the decisions
taking all the steps toward success.
But then, somewhere along your journey, you found your team—the people who make handling your growing business easier on a daily basis.
Now, you’re considering adding them to your next branding photoshoot. You recognize their contributions and want them to feel included and valued. (You also want to show off their faces and show your audience that you are a serious business composed of friendly faces!)
But you’re unsure where to go from here. How should you wrangle a group shoot, and what can you expect from it?
You’re in luck, my friend. From the benefits to the risks to YOUR next steps, this post covers everything you need to know to have a successful shoot with your team that will best serve and elevate your business.
The 3 Biggest Benefits of Team Photo Shoots
Whether you want to include your whole team, the leadership team, or just your new biz partner in your brand images, some intrinsic benefits will come from doing so:
1. Your gallery of images will create a cohesive look.
In other words, you’ll match! When you come into the studio together, the resulting photos will seamlessly complement each other in style, lighting, decor, and overall aesthetic. Then, as you add perfectly matched team headshots to the website or the feed, you get that satisfying feeling.
2. Booking a team shoot relieves the burden of multiple photoshoots.
Getting everyone’s headshot and all the group shots taken at the same time is much more productive. There is no more waiting around for Janie to take headshots or having to tell her why that selfie she sent you won’t work. You get what you need—in the look you're going for—AND in a timely manner. With a team photoshoot, you can save time and energy, allowing you to focus on other important aspects of your business.
3. Your images will build trust with your audience.
Incorporating more than one person is an effective way to communicate your team's personality. These pictures can provide a behind-the-scenes look into your business's culture, further building your credibility and likeability with your dream customers and clients. And isn’t that what this is all for?
3 Potential Risks of Team Photoshoots
By now, you know the benefits, but I would be remiss if I didn’t take a little time to warn you of some of the potential risks. There are some inherent challenges and risks with team photoshoots that you simply don’t have with personal branding shoots.
Here are three you will need to weigh as you make your decision:
1. More people means more to manage.
That means it can feel like a lot! Photographing a team is a lot of work—for you, me, and the team. There are so many different things to handle. You've got to coordinate your team's whereabouts when they're there and let them know what they should bring, what they should wear, and what you expect from them.
2. The focus of the session could end up feeling split.
Including everyone else means you could leave the session feeling like they “stole your thunder.” Of course, this experience depends on the type of shoot and your unique situation, but I’ve seen it enough times that it bears mentioning: Having other people there can take the focus off of you.
3. Your session runs the risk of decreased efficiency.
We must stay on task and focused to make good use of time. When other people are present at a shoot, it quickly becomes a "hangout," and it can be hard to rein everyone in. You should also expect to devote energy toward managing people and sometimes their egos. Photo sessions can be a difficult time for some people.
However, with the proper preparation and understanding, you’ll have fewer problems than the unprepared.
How To Navigate Your Next Photoshoot With Your Team
Decide WHO absolutely needs to be included.
Deciding who belongs in the team photoshoot can feel like choosing a favorite child, but it is nothing like that. It all comes back to deciding how you want your brand to be portrayed, letting people know what they can expect, and connecting with your audience in the same way you connect with your clients/customers.
To decide if someone belongs in a team photoshoot, reflect on the hard questions:
Is this person going to represent your brand accordingly?
Are they going to contribute to the shoot in a productive manner?
Will they be comfortable and willing to try in front of the camera – or are they reluctant and potentially going to drag your shoot down?
How long might they be on your team?
Equal: If you are equal partners in business, then you should be equal partners in the shoot.
Partial: If the team members are an extension of you (for instance, the agents on a realtor team), then everyone needs to be reflected, but the shoot should be built around the brand-name person.
Headshot or skip: If a team member isn’t client-facing, or your clients don't even really know they're on the team—as in, they're only in a supporting role, then a headshot for the website may suffice. Including them in a few behind-the-scenes images is an option, but you'd probably be okay with skipping them.
*A GOOD RULE OF THUMB*
The more client-facing a team member is, the more clients need to see their face.
2. Decide WHEN they need to be included.
When your team comprises the brand, you’ll need a balance of images among team members, and they’ll probably need to stay in the studio the entire time.
But if you're a personal brand and YOU are the name of your business, your team likely should only be there for part of the session. Having everyone else there just takes the focus off of you – the true face of your brand!
If you don't need much team-heavy imagery, reserve a separate shoot for yourself or let your team head out after completing their part in the shoot.
3. Block out an entire day.Pick a day to get everyone out of the office and add it to everyone’s calendars. You can take a whole day to do your shoot or book a half-day shoot and get the team together for lunch or dinner. Reserving a single day for all the images will make the process easier and give you an invaluable opportunity to build rapport with your team. Get ready to rep that “Best Boss” coffee mug.
4. Provide your team with creative guidance ahead of the shoot.
Remember: This photo shoot is for your brand, so they need your help. Your team members will need help with style choices so that they know what to wear and with the shoot's overall goals. By putting on your creative director hat or finding a photographer who provides high-level support, you can ensure that all of your images come out the way you want and that all the bases are covered.
Are you ready to capture your team in their best light?
As an Austin, Texas-based brand photographer, I’ve guided hundreds of creatives + entrepreneurs like you through every step, from strategizing a session to meet your goals to providing style guides that will coordinate your team.
Check out my story-driven, results-getting experience to learn how you can book your stress-free experience where you can relax and create photos that put your team in the best light.