Company Headshots for Startups & Growing Companies
Your brand is growing. Your people need a clear, consistent Image
When a team scales fast, brand images fall behind. Old photos mix with new ones. Styles clash across the site, pitch decks, and LinkedIn. That drift hurts trust and makes your brand feel messy. You can fix it with a simple, shared plan.
Here is the quick answer: A set of consistent, authentic company headshots helps people trust your brand, recognize your team on sight, and say yes to meetings and deals.
Why company headshots matter to a growing business
People scan first and read later according to Psychological Science (Willis & Todorov). Headshots do a lot of work in those first seconds. Clean, current headshots make your team look real, ready, and aligned. They support hiring, sales, press, and funding.
Strong team photos:
Help new clients or customers put a face to the promise you make
Build trust on your About page, pitch deck, and email signatures
Keep your brand steady across product, sales, and recruiting
I like simple yet creative setups that keep attention on the eyes. They feel honest and work well across formats.
Set a standard your whole team can follow
Standards keep images from drifting as you hire. I can help you define plain rules that work for your company’s brand.
Your headshot spec might include:
Crop and layout: chest-up, centered, with safe space for tight crops
Framing and lens: natural perspective; avoid wide-angle warp
Light: soft, even light that shows true skin tone
Backdrop and tone: one look for all teams, with space for exec variations
Refresh cycle: review yearly; update when someone’s look changes a lot
Style choices that fit startups and growing companies
Your style should fit your product and culture without feeling stiff. Keep the look clean, creative, and modern, not trendy.
Options that work well:
Neutral background with gentle falloff
True color with natural contrast; black and white for special use
Subtle direction on posture and expression to keep it natural.
Tight crops for small UI; wider crops for speaker bios and press kits
I beleive a small move in chin or shoulder can change how open someone feels. Little cues matter.
A simple workflow that scales as you hire
Growth means new faces each month. Build a workflow that makes headshots fast and repeatable.
Core steps:
Intake: pick dates, list people, confirm roles and deadlines
Prep: share the one-page spec and calendar invites
Capture: short, focused sessions with live review on set
Edit: light, natural retouching that keeps skin texture
Deliver: web and print resolution
Maintain: track who is missing and plan quarterly catch-ups
Tip: give new hires a slot in their first week so profiles launch complete.
Rollouts for remote and hybrid teams
Many teams hire across time zones. Keep the look unified with a clear plan for people who are not on site.
Ways to stay consistent:
Offer set days at HQ for local staff and pop-up days for satellite teams
For remote workers, use the same light and lens spec
Centralize edits and crops so outputs match
In the San Francisco Bay Area, many startups split time between office and home. A steady plan keeps your site and LinkedIn clean through that mix.
Authentic images beat AI look-alikes
Real faces carry small cues that help people read mood and intent. AI often smooths away those cues or adds tiny flaws. The result can feel off. For a brand that values trust, real company headshots are still the best path.
What to avoid:
Heavy blur that hides skin detail
Fake backdrops that don’t match your brand
A different style for each team, which weakens your story
How S72 guides your team
My job is to make this easy so your team looks like one brand.
Here is the simple plan:
Plan: a short call to learn your goals, roles, and key uses
Align: confirm your spec and share it with your team
Shoot: focused sessions with live review so people feel in control
Finish: natural edits and clean crops
Roll out: a library you can use across site, product, press, and decks
You leave with a set of images that match and work everywhere.
ARTICLE FAQ
How often should a company refresh team headshots?
Aim for a yearly review. Update sooner if someone’s look changes a lot or you shift your brand style. Fast-growing teams often add quarterly sessions to keep pages current.
How long does each person need?
Plan 5-10 minutes per person for capture and quick review. Small, focused sessions keep energy up and help people relax. You get more real expressions in less time.
Can we keep a consistent look as new hires join?
Yes. Use one shared spec, a simple workflow, and the same light and lens choices. Keep edits and crops in one place so outputs match.
What file sizes and crops do we need?
Keep a master at 3000–4000 px on the long side. Export web JPGs around 1500–2000 px. Keep sRGB for the web and name files with role and year.
