Dressing to impress for corporate photos

(Posted on 29/01/24)

A picture paints a thousand words and nowhere is that more true than when it comes to your corporate head shots or team photos. If your website is your company’s virtual ‘shop front’, then photos of your staff are undoubtedly some of the most important items on display!

Corporate photos can be useful for all sorts of purposes, from illustrating ‘our team’ on your website, to your corporate literature, presentations and more.

It’s essential to give careful consideration to these photos to ensure that they are conveying the right brand values to the outside world. Obviously, in order to ensure high quality, it’s crucial to have professional photos taken, by a photographer you know and trust. However, what staff wear for their photo, and how they wear it, is really important too.

Just as there are no longer any really hard and fast rules when it comes to what to wear to work, there are no absolute rules about what to wear for your corporate photo either. However, there are some simple guidelines to follow to make sure that the photos look as good as they should. Here are our top tips:

• Decide the ‘look’ you are going for. Is it very formal or smart casual? You should choose whichever you feel projects the image that’s right for your organisation. Consistency is important in a group photo too.

• Encourage staff to discuss what they are going to wear beforehand so that there is some variety (two members of staff wearing identical outfits might look a little odd) but also no colour clashes either.

• It’s worth giving someone responsibility for checking details before photos are taken. For example, check that ties are straight and buttons done up correctly. It’s very easy for one overlooked detail to spoil the entire look of the final photos.

• Long sleeve tops or jackets generally look preferable to short sleeves.

• Solid colours usually come across better than patterns, and shiny fabrics are best avoided altogether.

• If anyone wants to wear a pattern, avoid checks or herringbone as they can blur easily in a picture.

• Avoid very high or very low necklines, as this may look strange when photos are cropped.

• When it comes to colour, too much black can appear rather severe – other dark colours such as navy, dark brown or dark green may work better.
• Avoid wearing colours that might be too close to the subject’s skin tone, as these clothes can disappear against the skin in photos.

• Keep jewellery to a minimum – and nothing too chunky or shiny as that will distract attention from the face.

 

To find out how we can provide assistance with your marketing, from photography and video content to writing award entries, get in touch with the Zebra team today.