Do Team Headshots have to look “Corporate”?
Do Team Headshots Have to Look "Corporate"? Headshots for Casual and Creative Workplaces
"Corporate headshots" is the term most people search for, so it's the one we use most often. But it puts the wrong picture in a lot of people's heads: rows of navy suits against a grey backdrop, everyone looking slightly stiff.
That's not actually what most of the sessions we shoot look like.
Having photographed for businesses across London for 26+ years, plenty of the teams we work with don't wear suits to the office at all: tech startups, creative agencies, marketing teams, design studios, media companies. The photos still need to look professional and consistent. They just don't need to look formal.
"Professional" and "formal" aren't the same thing
A good headshot needs to look polished, well-lit and consistent with the rest of the team. None of that requires a suit, a tie, or a plain white shirt.
Smart-casual, a well-fitting jumper, a shirt with no tie, even a branded company t-shirt on a design or product team, can all photograph just as professionally as formal business wear, provided the lighting, background and framing are handled properly. The photography is doing the heavy lifting, not the outfit.
What actually matters, regardless of dress code
A few things make a headshot look professional no matter what someone's wearing:
Consistent lighting and background across the whole team, so everyone matches
Clean, well-fitting clothing, whatever the style, rather than anything crumpled, overly baggy, or covered in busy patterns
A natural, relaxed expression, rather than something stiff or overly posed
Good framing and focus, so the final image looks sharp and considered
A relaxed team in smart-casual clothing, shot properly, looks considerably more professional than a formally dressed team photographed badly. The dress code is a much smaller factor than people assume.
We work with your actual dress code, not an assumed one
Before a session, we'll usually ask what your team typically wears day to day, and shoot around that rather than pushing everyone into something more formal than they'd normally choose. If your office is genuinely smart-casual or casual, that's what the photos should reflect: it's a more honest representation of your business, and it tends to look better than everyone dressing up for a single day and looking slightly out of character.
For teams with a mix, some people client-facing and dressier, others more casual, that's fine too. The consistency comes from the lighting, background and style, not from forcing identical outfits.
Getting it right for your industry
Whether you're a law firm that wants a traditional, formal look, or a startup that wants something that actually looks like your team on a normal Tuesday, the process is the same: we shoot on-site anywhere within the M25, and build the session around how your business actually presents itself, not a generic template.
If you're not sure what to tell your team to wear, our guide to Professional Corporate Headshots in London covers preparation in more depth, including practical tips that apply regardless of dress code.
Frequently asked questions
Do we need to wear suits for corporate headshots?
No. Smart-casual, casual, or formal all work, provided the clothing is clean and well-fitting. The professionalism comes from the lighting, consistency and quality of the photography, not from a specific dress code.
Can we mix dress codes within the same team, for example client-facing staff dressing more formally?
Yes. It's common for different roles to naturally dress differently, and that doesn't disrupt the consistency of the set as long as the lighting, background and framing stay the same across everyone.
What if our office genuinely has no dress code at all?
Then we'd shoot however your team typically dresses. We'll usually check in advance so we know what to expect and can advise if anything's likely to look distracting on camera, like very busy patterns or logos.
Will casual clothing make the photos look less professional?
Not if the photography itself is handled properly. A relaxed, well-lit, consistent set in smart-casual clothing generally reads as more professional than a stiff, inconsistent set in formal wear.
Book a session that actually looks like your team
Whether your office is suits-and-ties or hoodies-and-trainers, we'll help you get a set of headshots that looks professional and genuinely like your business. Get in touch to talk through what would work for your team.