Preparing for Your Corporate Headshot Session: 5 Essential Tips to Ensure Success

Tara Flannery is a  Certified Professional Photographer (CPP), Photographic Craftsman, and Master of Photography based in Houston, TX.  Tara Flannery Photography specializes in corporate headshots.  See more headshots in the gallery.  Contact me to book your professional headshot today!

PREPARING FOR YOUR CORPORATE HEADSHOT SESSION

In the realm of professional advancement, a compelling corporate headshot is your first step toward making a memorable impression. Preparing for your corporate headshot session is crucial to ensure that this impression is a positive and powerful one. This guide offers five essential tips to help you and your team present yourselves in the best light, making the process seamless and the outcome impressive.

1. Choosing the Perfect Location and Space

The setting for your corporate headshots plays a pivotal role in conveying your brand’s essence. With Tara Flannery Photography, have two main options: a studio or an on-location setup. For on-location sessions, a spacious room is ideal. Conference rooms or lobby areas, provided they offer sufficient space once the furniture is rearranged, often serve as excellent choices. It’s important to pay attention to the “small” details by ensuring the location is accessible, as equipment is typically transported on a rolling cart. Communicate any specific directions or parking instructions in advance; the photography team will arrive 30 minutes before the session starts to set up.

corporate headshot studio

2. Selecting a Complementary Headshot Background

Your headshot background should resonate with your brand and website aesthetic. Whether you opt for a solid color, a virtual environment, or your office setting, the background choice should enhance, not distract from, your professional image. This decision impacts how your brand is perceived and should align with your industry’s norms—formal sectors benefit from studio backgrounds, while a more relaxed vibe can be captured outdoors or with virtual backdrops.

3. Dressing for Success

The attire for your headshot session should reflect your industry’s culture. Formal sectors embrace business attire against a studio backdrop, while creative or less formal industries might lean towards casual clothing in an outdoor or virtual setting. The key is to wear what feels authentic to your professional persona, ensuring you look and feel confident.

outdoor headshot - Houston

4. Understanding Composition and Poses

Consider where your headshots will be featured—on your website, marketing materials, or social media. The intended use influences whether a vertical (portrait) or horizontal (landscape) orientation is more appropriate. Nowadays, social media often favors horizontal images. Additionally, think beyond the standard headshot; incorporating full-body or 3/4 length poses can add variety and meet diverse needs.

5. Managing Group and Team Photos

While standard group photos enhance websites and marketing collateral, team changes can cause these images to become quickly outdated. Corporate Group Composites, where each member is photographed separately and then combined through post-production, offer flexibility. As team compositions evolve, so can your group photo, without the need for a complete reshoot.

Preparing for Your Session

Now that you’re familiar with the essentials of preparing for your corporate headshot session, you can approach it with confidence. Remember, these headshots are more than just photographs; they are a key component of your brand identity and can significantly impact how your business is perceived. By carefully selecting your location, background, attire, and understanding the nuances of composition and team photos, you’ll ensure that your corporate headshots truly reflect the professionalism and unique character of your team.

Preparing for your corporate headshot session doesn’t have to be daunting. With the right planning and consideration of these five tips, you can create lasting, positive impressions on all who come across your business online. Let your corporate headshots be a testament to your professionalism, attention to detail, and brand values.

RECENT CORPORATE HEADSHOTS

Corporate headshot session

preparing for your Corporate Headshot session - Houston

Corporate Headshots Houston

Tara Flannery is a  Certified Professional Photographer (CPP), Photographic Craftsman, and Master of Photography based in Houston, TX.  Tara Flannery Photography specializes in corporate headshots.  See more headshots in the gallery.  Contact me to book your professional headshot today!

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@taraflanneryphotography

Not sure how formal your headshot should be? Start here. 👇

Your outfit plays a huge role in the story your headshot tells — and choosing the right look helps you show up with clarity and confidence.

Here are 5 levels of formality for men’s headshots and when to use each one:

1️⃣ Very Formal
Suit jacket + button-down shirt + tie
This look builds instant trust and authority.

2️⃣ Semi-formal (No Tie)
Suit jacket + button-down (no tie)
Polished, approachable, and confident.

3️⃣ Business Casual
Button-down shirt, no jacket
Comfortable and true to your everyday brand.

4️⃣ Branded Apparel
Button-down or polo with company logo
Keeps things clean, professional, and consistent — especially for team headshots.

5️⃣ Casual
Fitted t-shirt or polo (no branding)
Still professional — just more relaxed and innovative.

✨ BONUS TIPS:
– Stick to solid colors
– Make sure clothes are clean, pressed & well-fitted
– Avoid loud patterns or busy logos (unless branded)
– Bring a backup shirt or jacket to your session

🎯 The goal? Choose the level that fits your industry, role, and personality — and Tara will help you photograph it perfectly.

📆 DM to book TODAY!
📸 Express Headshot Special — Just $150 (Reg. $190)

Dads are impossible to shop for… but this year, we’ve got you covered.

Instead of another gadget or grill tool, give him something that actually works for him — a professional headshot that looks sharp, confident, and completely him.

✅ 15-minute in-studio session
✅ 1 fully retouched image
✅ Fast, easy, and giftable

Offer ends June 15, so don’t wait!
📩 DM to schedule or email tara@taraflannery.com with CODE: DADSDAY150

This year, skip the stress and give Dad a gift he’ll actually use (and love). 🙌

#fathersdaygift #professionalheadshots #giftfordad
Let's talk about it 👇🏻

Whether it’s your LinkedIn profile, website bio, or social media presence—your photo is often the first impression people get of you.

And if it’s outdated, poorly lit, overly casual, or just not aligned with who you are now… it’s doing more harm than good.

Here’s what a great headshot can do:
✅ Build instant trust with clients
✅ Attract job offers, press, or speaking gigs
✅ Help you show up confidently in a crowded market
✅ Make your personal brand feel polished and professional

It’s more than just a photo—it’s your reputation in pixels.

📸 I create relaxed, guided headshot sessions that reflect your style, your energy, and your goals. Let’s make sure your image is working for you, not against you.

Contact me to book your session or visit the link in my bio to schedule your free consultation.

Your future self will thank you. 👏
Goldfish have longer attention spans than most people online. If your visuals don’t speak fast, they’re not being seen.

And more often than not, it’s your photos doing the talking before you ever say a word.

High-quality, professional visuals do more than “look good.” They ⤵️

✅ Build Trust Instantly

People want to feel like they know you before they work with you. Clear, polished images of you (not stock photography) help potential clients connect with the face behind the business.

✅ Showcase Professionalism

From your website to your Instagram grid, cohesive brand photography tells the world you’re serious, credible, and ready for business.

✅ Create Brand Clarity

What do you want people to feel when they land on your page? Confident? Warm? Innovative? Your visuals should reflect that vibe—because clarity creates confidence.

✅ Set You Apart

In a saturated market, people are buying you as much as your product or service. Brand photography gives you a chance to stand out with personality, story, and style.

If you’re still using a mix of selfies, old photos, or generic images, you might be confusing your audience—or worse, losing them.

Let’s fix that. Let’s create visuals that stop the scroll and start the connection.

📸 DM me to learn more about a brand session or click the link in bio for details.

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Serving the Greater Houston, Texas Area

tara@taraflannery.com

713-412-5437

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Tara is a member of the Professional Photographers of America PPA.
Tara is a Certified Professional Photographer.
Tara is a member of TPPA Texas Professional Photographer's Association.
Tara has earned her Master of Photography degree.
Tara has earned her Photographic Craftsman certification.
Tara is a member of the Professional Photographers Guild of Houston PPGH.