Team photos at your office: how do you organise the session?

Start with the images you need

Individual portraits and a group photo serve different purposes. Before including both in the same session, note what you want to show and where the images will be used.

For your team page, you may want portraits with consistent framing. To introduce your business, you might also want to show people in their surroundings, a workspace or an exchange between colleagues. If these images are part of the project, let's include them in the programme from the start.

Send me your website link, brand guidelines and any instructions from your communications team. If you are keeping some existing portraits, attach them to your message. We can discuss how the new images will fit alongside them.

Identify a space before booking the room

Before choosing a room, send me some photos taken from different positions. Add its approximate dimensions and let me know whether any furniture can be moved.

A meeting room may be an option if it can accommodate the photography setup. Think about what else will happen there during the session: will people need to walk through it? Is a meeting scheduled? Can it be reserved for setup, portraits and packing away?

I suggest finding a place where each person can have their portrait taken without all their colleagues gathered around them. If the room cannot be fully reserved, let me know before we plan the session.

For photographs that show your office, take a moment to look at the surroundings. Put away anything you do not want in the images, remove confidential documents and check the information displayed on screens. Keep the elements you want associated with your business.

Plan portrait appointments with the people involved

I recommend appointing a contact person to coordinate the session. They can gather availability, share instructions and let me know about any constraints.

Then prepare a list of colleagues to photograph. Note any meetings, early departures or working hours that require a particular appointment. Let's organise appointments around these constraints instead of asking everyone to wait in the same room.

The programme also needs to include setup and packing away. My arrival time should therefore not automatically be announced as the first portrait appointment. We will clarify these stages together before sharing the schedule.

Allow some flexibility between the main stages and tell me about any fixed deadlines. If someone may be absent, it is better to discuss this beforehand and decide how to arrange their portrait.

In the message to colleagues, include the location, their appointment time, the planned images and clothing guidance. You can also invite them to send me any questions or concerns before the session.

Set a shared time for the group photo

The group photo needs its own appointment. Ask when everyone involved can be present, then block that time in their diaries.

Also specify who should be in it: the whole business, a team, the partners or several departments? If you want different versions, list them before the session. This gives us a shared programme without deciding on the day who should join each image.

For clothing, I suggest giving clear guidance. You can propose a level of formality or some colours while letting everyone choose clothes they feel comfortable in. If you have a uniform or workwear, let's make the expectations clear.

Before choosing the location for this photo, send me an image of the space you have in mind and the number of participants. We will check its suitability for the group. If you want to be photographed outdoors, let's also plan an indoor alternative.

Decide who will select the images

Before the session, agree on how the image selection will be approved. Will each colleague choose their own portrait? Will someone from communications then review the whole set? Who will choose the group photo?

I recommend explaining this process to participants and appointing a contact person to gather feedback. Also specify when the images need to be available, especially if they will accompany a new website or an announcement.

For a team, the quote specifies the photographs to deliver, formats, permitted uses and delivery date.¹ This is when we clarify what you will need after the photographs have been taken.

What to send me to prepare a quote

You can start with these details:

• Your office address and proposed dates.
• The number of people to photograph and their availability constraints.
• The images you need: portraits, a group photo, office spaces or other photographs.
• The channels and materials where you plan to use them.
• Some photos of the available spaces and any access constraints.
• The date you need the images by.

Time and budget are not specified here: they depend on the programme we develop for your team. The quote will clarify the time on site and deliverables before the session is confirmed.

If you do not have every answer yet, send me what you already know. We can work out the rest together.

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