Back to school, back to work: time to refresh your company headshots
The first proper week back has a strange energy to it. Half the office is a shade browner than usual, everyone's inbox has refilled while they were away and the calendar is suddenly full again.
If you've got kids, you'll know the feeling from the school run. New term, new shoes, sharpened pencils, a fresh start. Here's the thing: it's back to school for them, which means back to work for the rest of us. And a new term is a reset.
I'm a London corporate photographer and September is one of my busiest months for exactly that reason. Companies come back from the summer, take a proper look at how they show up and realise the team page could do with some attention. So if company headshots have been sitting on the list since spring, this is the moment. Here's why and how to sort it without losing anyone an afternoon.
September is the real new year for business
Forget January. For most companies the real reset is now. Everyone's back at full capacity, the final quarter is starting, proposals and pitches are going out and there's budget to spend before the year closes. The autumn events and conference season is kicking off on top of all that.
Offices are fuller than they've been in years, too. UK attendance has settled at a post-pandemic high, holding above 40% on Remit Consulting's national tracker, and fuller still on the busy midweek days.
Your clients are doing the same thing you are. They're back at their desks, catching up and taking a fresh look at who they work with. When one of them lands on your website, your LinkedIn or a proposal, the team looking back at them is part of the pitch. If the energy in the building is high, the image you show the world should match it.
Your team page has drifted over the summer
Here's the honest audit most firms need in September. There are new joiners who started in July and August still sitting as grey silhouettes. There's probably a leaver or two who never came off the page. The photos that do exist were taken on different days, in different places, on different phones, so no two of them match. And a few are old enough that the person no longer quite looks like their picture.
None of that is a disaster. It's just drift, and after a summer of holidays and hiring it's at its most obvious. September is when it's worth a proper look, the same way the first day of term is when you notice the school blazer no longer fits.
What a fresh set signals to clients and staff
A current, consistent set of headshots earns its keep. To a client weighing you up, a slick, matching team page reads as a firm that takes itself seriously and has its act together. It signals renewed energy and a high standard of work before they have read a single line about you.
And that first read happens fast. Researchers at Princeton found that people form an impression of a face in about a tenth of a second, and giving them longer barely changes it (Willis & Todorov, 2006). A prospect, a recruiter or a journalist clicking through your team is making those calls in a blink, one face after another. A professional set means every one of those blinks lands in your favour.
It matters inside the building too. A new starter who sees their own face on the team page in week two feels like part of the firm. And when twenty separate photos share the same lighting and background, twenty people start to look like one company.
Why now beats leaving it, and why the diary fills fast
There's a practical reason to move on this in the next few weeks and I'll be straight with you about it. September and October are the busiest stretch of my year. Company shoots, personal branding sessions and event work all land at once as everyone comes back from summer, and I've already had a noticeable jump in enquiries this week alone.
What that means for you is simple: the good dates go first. If you want a particular day, and especially a day when most of a hybrid team is actually in, booking ahead is how you lock it in. Leave it until November and you're fitting around a full diary instead of choosing your slot.
There's a deadline reason as well. Get the shoot done now and the images are ready for your Q4 pitches, a website refresh, LinkedIn and the year-end reports, well before the December scramble.
How a company shoot actually works
The first question every HR or marketing lead asks is how much time this is going to cost the team. The answer is very little.
As a London corporate photographer, I come to you. I bring a portable studio to your office, set up in a spare meeting room and photograph the whole team across an afternoon. Each person is away from their desk for a few minutes, sees their photos on a laptop there and then and picks their favourite before they head back. Nobody crosses London and nobody writes off half a day.
If you want to see that in practice, I recently photographed twenty lawyers at a Marylebone firm in a single afternoon, each away from their desk for under ten minutes. And if you are weighing up sending everyone to a studio against having someone come to you, I've written about why so many companies choose on-location.
A few tips for planning the shoot
If you're the one organising it, a handful of things make the day run smoothly:
Pick a day when most people are in. For a hybrid team, tie the shoot to an all-in day or a team meeting so you catch everyone in one go.
Send a light dress code ahead of time. A simple steer, like smart with a plain top, keeps the set consistent without anyone feeling fussed over.
Agree the look up front. Background, lighting and crop, so new photos sit alongside your existing set instead of clashing with it.
Round up the summer joiners and anyone who dodged the camera last time.
Make September your annual refresh
The firms with the best-looking team pages treat this as a yearly habit. Book the same slot every September and the directory stays consistent as people come and go, so it never drifts back into a patchwork by the following summer. One decision now and you've taken the whole thing off next year's list as well.
Start the new term looking the part
It's back to school, which means back to work, and a new term deserves a fresh start. Your people are back and firing on all cylinders. Give the outside world an image that matches, and get it in the diary while there's still choice.
If you're ready to sort your team's London corporate headshots, tell me roughly how many people and a rough date, and I'll send you a clear quote and a plan for the day. Just don't leave it too long. The autumn fills up fast.
FAQ
When is the best time of year for company headshots?
September and autumn are a natural reset, with everyone back and projects restarting, so it's a popular window. That said, new joiners can be photographed at any time of year. The real aim is to keep the set current.
How far ahead should we book a company shoot?
In September and October, my busiest months, a few weeks' notice helps you get the date you want, especially a high-attendance day for a hybrid team. New joiners can be slotted in whenever, but the popular autumn dates go first.
How long does a company headshot session take?
Shot on location, a full team is usually done in a single afternoon, with each person away from their desk for only a few minutes. A larger team just needs a longer window.
How much do corporate headshots cost in London?
It depends on team size and where you are. Tell me the headcount and your location and I'll send a clear quote, or you can see more on the corporate headshots page.
Can you match our existing headshots?
Yes. I'll shoot new joiners with the same lighting and background, so their photos sit alongside the current set instead of standing out. It keeps the team page looking like one company.
Do you come to our office?
Yes. I photograph company headshots on location right across London, so nobody has to travel. A spare meeting room is all it takes.
How often should we refresh company headshots?
Once a year is a good rhythm, plus new joiners as they arrive. Booking the same slot each September makes it an easy habit to keep.
