How to Pose Employees for Authentic Brand Photos

Corporate photography doesn’t have to be boring. In fact, I find that the best branding photos with employees in them are the ones with the most organic poses.

Positioning employees in situations that showcase their natural abilities or the values of your company helps build your brand via authenticity.

Follow these tips that I’ve gathered from my own branding sessions and apply them to your firm or your clients’ firms. Get inspired to try something new and explore new ways to showcase your brand’s values via your people.

Corporate Branding Photo Basics

Every brand is different. With that in mind, these “basics” won’t apply to everyone.

Some companies will want polished, suit-wearing employees looking stern in their brand photos. That’s fine, but it doesn’t work for every brand.

Instead of reaching for this same formula over and over, consider the brand and what it stands for. The company’s values are a great starting point for how you want branded photos to look.

For example, if a company values trust, transparency, and authenticity, then artificial, over-staged photos will work against these values.

Instead, try to capture organic expressions that occur in the moment. Avoid “Power Poses” and other conventional corporate tricks, and lean into casual walking, laughter, and employees busy at work.

Props can help, especially if you’re trying to get employees to explore their silly side. Remember, though, that there are plenty of pre-existing props right there in the workplace.

Phones, desks, whiteboards, pens, paper, and office equipment can all easily become part of the shot. Conversations around the watercooler can be a great image, for example.

For small businesses and entrepreneurs, showcase mobile offices, working in cafes, or crafting in the workshop.

The harder you work to capture what differentiates the brand from others, the more impactful your employee poses will be.

1. Embrace Imperfection

Most brands can improve their engagement by showing the “warts and all” side of their business. Show employees making mistakes, getting their hands dirty, or struggling with a task.

A designer who can’t quite get the project right, but keeps trying, is inspirational. Don’t be afraid to capture frustration and determination as well as corporate smiles.

Avoid over-staging these photos as they won’t look authentic. Instead, get your employees to talk about challenges they have at work and see how their expressions change.

You could do a series of expression shots, ranging from frustration to satisfaction. I find this is a great way to add color to any branding story.

2. Share a Brand Story

Telling your company’s story is a great way to drive engagement with your followers. Showing employees doing what they do best is one way to do this.

Get your star employees to showcase their dedication at the office, perhaps in a presentation or by showing them hard at work in their everyday environment.

Avoid over-dressing the employee or over-setting the scene. You want these stories to look as natural and authentic as possible.

Consider subtly applying some of your branding to the image. Background colors, in-shot logos, and other items associated with your brand can all remind viewers of the source of this story.

Take several shots, showing the story in progress. For an ongoing project, for example, you could snap a designer at work, a product being made, and a customer using the product.

3. Go Behind the Scenes

This is a particularly good way to shoot branded photos if you or your client are creative types. Artists, potters, musicians, jewelry makers, and crafters can all improve brand loyalty by taking viewers behind the scenes.

The basic premise is that, as well as showcasing products, you’re showing what goes on to make the business work. You might show an artisan doing their accounts, or an artist shopping for their materials.

Posing is easy for these shots because you just let the person do what they do every day. Take plenty of shots so you can choose the most impactful at the end of the shoot.

4. Get Their Good Side

Most people believe that they have a “good side” that they think looks better in photos. When posing employees for corporate branding shots, ask which side they prefer, as they’ll be more relaxed and comfortable if you snap that side.

Establish which side is their good side and have them look at something off camera, showcasing that angle of their face.

Try to capture a range of poses, such as arms folded, one hand raised to the face, or stepping toward someone. Aim for natural smiles, taking the shot when the employee is smiling at something actually happening, rather than forcing a grin.

5. Take a Walking Shot

Taking a shot of someone walking can create a purposeful dynamic that shows off the motion and motivational qualities of a brand. For corporate photos, someone dressed smartly stepping toward the viewer can be a very eye-catching image.

Consider settings for this type of shot. You can just use a corridor in the workplace, but I find that taking these types of shots outside is also very effective.

If you do go outside, remember to take into account the lighting and, of course, the other people around. Don’t forget to get consent from passersby if their faces end up in the shot.

You can ask the employee to wear something extra smart if you’re trying to polish a brand image. A suit works well for these types of photos.

However, for more casual brands, get them to dress in what they wear every day. They’ll appear more relaxed, which will be more in line with the brand values.

More: How to Look Taller in Pictures: 6 Poses & Tips

6. The Meeting Pose

Showing people all together in a meeting is a great way to start conversations about what you do as a company. You can caption these with inspirational phrases on collaboration and teamwork to really drive social engagement.

There are so many ways to take the meeting shot. I like taking them from above, where you can see both the people and what they’re working on, in a quirky style that’s sure to make viewers pause mid-scroll.

But you can also take these shots from eye-level to capture specific team members’ faces. You could even focus on hands that are typing or writing things down, which is ideal if you have employees who want to be involved but are nervous about having their faces shown.

Posing isn’t super necessary for these types of shots. I find that once people get seated around the meeting table, natural chatter and interaction occur, which creates organic, picture-perfect moments.

7. Quirky Headshots

Corporate headshots are known for being all quite similar: Polished, posed, and professional.

If your brand is quirkier, let that show through your employee photos. Their personality can shine through while still maintaining your brand values and letting other team members know who they are.

A smartly dressed employee with their glasses slightly askew is one example. A funny way to shoot this is to get the employee to be completely straight-faced and not crack a smile at all.

If you’re not sure if that’s the way to go, take several shots, with and without smiles. You can compare them at the end of the shoot and choose which is best.

You could also have employees cuddling their favorite plushie toy, or with pets, or wearing silly clothes. A prop box could help here; have a whole session of “alternative headshots” where employees take it in turns to choose a prop and be ridiculous on camera.

More: How to Pose People With Glasses: A Photographer’s Guide

8. Embrace Bloopers

When your employees keep laughing, pull silly faces, or simply can’t hold the pose you’ve chosen for them, snap everything. You might find that some items from your blooper reel are better than the posed pics.

The advantage of bloopers is that they’re genuinely authentic. When you’re trying to capture the essence of why employees love to work for your brand, that authenticity is essential.

Don’t pose employees for fake bloopers, as these will look staged and fake, and have the opposite effect.

Instead, take photos when they’re not expecting it. Just remember to show them the pics and ensure they’re happy with them before sending them to the boss.

9. Caught in a Laugh

Another organic moment is when someone laughs. Nothing says “great workplace” better than laughing, smiling employees,

Posing workers for laugh shots is really tricky. I find the best way is to get several colleagues together who know each other well, and they’ll soon have each other in giggles.

Be patient and wait for a genuine, big laugh before taking your shots. A fake laugh or nervous titter won’t look convincing in the finished image.

You can also ask employees what makes them laugh. Show them a reel of their favorite comedian, or a #TryNotToLaugh video on TikTok or YouTube.

Snap them with heads thrown back, hands over their mouths, or clutching their stomachs. These are all unposed positions that show the genuine hilarity of a situation.

10. Out in the Community

If your company does community outreach work, take photos of everything you do. These are fantastic opportunities to catch employees in natural, unstaged poses, smiling with the satisfaction of a job well done.

Find out when these community events are taking place so you can arrive early and set up your gear surreptitiously. Stay on the sidelines so you don’t interfere with the organic nature of these images.

The type of event will determine the types of shots you get. Distributing food parcels, for example, should involve shots of the whole team working together to get food organized.

Litter clean-up shots can focus on individuals or groups, or shots of both. Focus closely on an individual litter picker, then zoom out to showcase the whole team working as a cohesive unit.

Of course, there are many types of community work. If your company heads into organizations to offer mentorship, take shots of handshakes, smiles, and people at work.

Similarly, for conventions and expos, try to capture an organic conversation between an employee and a guest who is genuinely interested in what’s on offer. Always snap the exhibition table and branded materials, as well as the people working those stalls.

Brands that work with children in the community should always get permission from parents or guardians before including children in their photos.

Top Tips for Successful Employee Poses

Great corporate photos are about organic, natural-seeming poses, even if they’re not. Stilted, stiff positions look forced and won’t be as effective at increasing engagement.

Talk to employees to find out what makes them tick. They probably have some great ideas about what shots will look best and be most authentic.

Consider which employees are best for branded shots. Disgruntled or nervous workers won’t enjoy the experience, and that will come across in the final images.

Some final tips for a successful branding photo shoot:

• Make sure employees know what to expect from the shoot beforehand.
• Set aside enough time to try different poses and compare.
• Create situations with humor and excitement to capture as many organic expressions as possible.
• Consider a props box to make the session even more fun.
• Where possible, do a mix of indoor and outdoor shots for added variety.

Let the brand and the employees themselves guide your shots for the most authentic results.

Final Thoughts

Branded photography can be exciting and inspiring as long as you get to know the brand and let the employees in the images have some input.

Their knowledge of the company and brand will help organically showcase the brand’s values, so lean into that for the most impactful corporate shots.

Consider brand colors, logos, and catchphrases, and incorporate those as appropriate. But above all, let the people and their personalities shine through.