Staff Photos, and why yours suck!

 I guess you could classify this post as a mini-rant, because that is how I feel whenever I see a "Meet the Staff/Team" web page and almost wretch at the images posted.
Granted, on rare occasions the images are acceptable and on even more rare occasions they are exceptional.

Here's my 10 tips for putting together a cohesive and professional set of staff/team headshots.

1. Use a decent camera, not your cell phone
2. Bring lighting equipment to properly and consistently illuminate your subject. Know how to use it to produce the best result.
3. Have each person pose in the same way. Usually at a 3/4 angle to the camera with their head turned back towards the light. The light should be at either camera left or right and aiming at a 45 deg. angle to the subject.
4. Pay attention to clothing, hair, glasses and all those little details that people will groan about later on.
5. If possible, have the sitter review the images on a larger screen than the one on your camera. If anything catches your attention or theirs, fix it immediately.
6. Use the same camera settings consistently. Nothing looks worse in a set of portraits when the background is soft on some and sharp in others.
7. Make sure that the team knows the photos will be done before the day of the shoot. They need to have a chance to prepare and be presentable.
8. Shoot ALL portraits in the exact same spot every time. It looks weird and makes the viewer subconsciously uneasy if the location changes from one portrait to the next. This could be omitted if a moveable backdrop is used.
9. Make sure the white balance is consistent and correct in all pictures. Your subjects should not be green. Ever.
10. Try to have the sitter emote a genuine, but not overly energetic emotion. A casual smile is much better than a forced one. Again, have them review the images and together with the photographer, pick the best one.

Using these 10 tips will improve staff photos immensely and help to present a professional sensibility to the viewer. If every office did this, I would probably sleep better. PS: read more about this concept on the blog of William Petruzzo.