Every year we photograph over 40+ corporate headshots on location. Based on many years of our experience here the 5 helpful tips on how to find the best corporate photoshoot locations without the stress!

Behind the scene WASIO photographing headshots in Florida

When planning your corporate photoshoot, a key part of the process is finding locations for photos that will work well.

Whether your company is hosting a conference, a company meeting in a hotel, or you simply want photos taken in your office, finding the best indoor spots for photo shoots can be challenging.

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Some ideas to help you choose the best locations for photo shoots are:

Find the perfect spot in your office or conference area that is more secluded and less heavy with foot traffic
If you are traveling out of town, take advantage of scouting initially via Google earth or other photo spotting apps
Doing the additional research and checking the locations on social media
Traveling to the locations in advance to see how the lighting is and what will work best for your setup

Staying organized and starting the planning process early for business or corporate headshots for larger groups will be beneficial for you and your team so that everything can be run smoothly.

Utilize an office in the building

Most larger companies prefer to have the headshot photographer come on location to their office to photograph the team. This makes sense if the company has a group of 5 or more people that will be needing their headshot taken.

If you are going to designate a space in your office building its important to communicate with the photographer ahead of time to find out the kind of footprint their portable studio has. We recommend designating a space that’s at the minimum 10x10 in size and has higher ceilings.

We’ve photographed in many different office location spaces of different sizes. Sometimes we must get creative. Carrying extra photo gear in case you need to improvise your setup in a smaller space is crucial.

When selecting a space in your office building, we always recommend the best corporate headshot spots are the ones that are in a more secluded area. We do not recommend choosing a space that has high foot traffic.

People do not want to be seen by their colleagues when they are being photographed.

It can make them feel uncomfortable.
high foot traffic areas tend to be noisier. It can be very difficult for the person being photographed to hear all the direction the photographer is providing.

It's important to understand the lighting conditions of the area.

If during the time of the scheduled photo session there is direct sunlight going into the space, it can interfere with the quality of the photo.
Having direct sunlight in the photo can create unwanted hotspots.

This is not something that can always be eliminated through photographers lighting. If you setup a photo backdrop against a window with beaming sunlight, it will affect how the backdrop looks and it can look unflattering. If you have the flexibility to select a space with controlled window light, this is ideal.

Considering hiring a photographer for headshots to be done in a conference room?

When selecting which room the photographer should utilize, make sure that whatever is in the room is removable. A lot of the time the conference tables are not movable in the rooms, and they take up a lot of space.
It could make the flow in the room more crowded than necessary.

Behind the scene of a headshot photo booth setup on location for school teachers.

Most venues require the photographer to show proof of certificate of insurance. If a photographer doesn’t have proper insurance, they will not be able to photograph at most venues.

Once you make the commitment to have consistent headshots for your team, to work with the photographer to use their services as part of the onboarding process.

There are some companies that we work with and travel nationwide to photograph their executive teams and partners.

Google earth

This is a very powerful tool. When the location of where the photo shoot will take place is not a driving distance, Google earth will be your best friend.

Google earth is very user friendly. Not only can you check the surrounding area, but you can also take advantage of the street view feature to virtually walk around the location as if you are physically there.

With Google earth you can easily show your employees which area you will be meeting at. This is very useful if you are meeting in a new location or need to explain to everyone where they will need to park.

We often use this tool to help us see some of the best options for where to meet with clients, deciding where to unload our gear and where to park our cars.

Photo spot apps

Besides Google earth, there are other powerful photo spot apps that can help you in your planning process of choosing the best locations for corporate headshots.

NoFilter – Photo Spots: This is an app created to share the best photo locations with you. It offers more than 13,000 photography locations in the map. It has a feature where you can upload photos into the app, and it will find the exact location the photo was taken it. This is beneficial of you are planning and outdoor location for photos.
Explorest: This is a website and an app. Like NoFilter, it helps you to discover some of the worlds coolest places to photograph. This platform has recommendations for the world’s greatest places by world-class photographers.
Spot: Another app that explores and recommends the most beautiful locations for photographs. You can read travelers reviews of different places and research their recommendations.

Besides utilizing the applications listed above, it is important to talk with the photographer to get their perspectives on locations and hear the input they share.

When our team travels on location, especially if it’s out of town, we get there at least one day before. This gives us time to scout the locations, test out our setups in different lighting conditions and if it’s available, we setup our gear the day before.

If you are choosing a location to photograph that is outdoors, it’s also important to track the sunrise and sunset times to make sure you allocate enough time to not lose too much light and photograph in the dark if it can be avoidable.

Social media

Take advantage of different social media platforms like Instagram or Facebook. You can look up specific locations where you are interested to have the photoshoot. You can see what photos other people have posted that have been to those locations.

Social media platforms are beneficial whether you are wanting to have the team be photographed indoor or outdoor. If you are photographing at a convention center, there are usually plenty of geo tags where you can see photos to get an idea of the space ahead of time.

There are many different Facebook groups dedicated to different topics that can be focused on location or photography oriented pages. Personally, for us, if we are going to be photographing at a new location, we turn to our Facebook photography groups to ask about any additional questions we may have about a new space or location.

Understand the locations light

Lighting is important whether you are planning for your photoshoots to be indoor or outdoor.

Planning an outdoor photoshoot?

Conducting research on when the sun will be rising, and setting is key. In the winter in most areas the sun is setting much earlier.
It’s not recommended to schedule your team headshots at sunset outdoors. The lighting will be constantly changing as the sun is setting. This will not allow for consistent headshot photos.

Another thought to consider If you are planning to do portraits outdoors is the different timing and lighting. The lighting around noon is very harsh. It can be very difficult for people to open their eyes in such harsh lighting. If you do not have a choice and the only time that works is noon for photos, we recommend looking for outdoor locations that have some shade to have more control of the lighting.

Planning a night event?

Make sure to communicate with the photographer that the event will happen during the sunset.
You cannot count on natural lighting at sunset. It’s important that the photographer has proper gear and lighting.

The key take-away notes for when planning on how to find the best corporate photo shoot locations are:

Plan out the details with the photographer ahead of time. If you are having an event at a new location for the first time, consider flying the photographer out to be part of the walk-throughs to get their input and perspectives.
Figure out the locations you want your team photographed. At some corporate events we setup our headshot studio in one room, have team members photographing the meetings and events, and are ready to go for any needed group shots with our own lighting.
Have a plan B for outdoor planned photographs or events. In case of bad weather, it’s always a good idea to have an indoor plan ready to go if the weather goes downhill on the day, you scheduled the photo session.