One of our most recent corporate branding photoshoots was with Canada Career Counselling.
When they approached us, their current website photos had been taken outdoors. They didn’t mind them, but weren’t wow’d by them.
They hadn’t received guidance beforehand or during the shoot about what to wear, how to pose, etc. and more importantly, we found, they simply didn’t feel confident about the photographs as a solid portrayal of their brand as a team.
They wanted to see themselves operating together cohesively and see themselves as a unit.
In addition to wanting to present a cohesive/unified team unit and solid on-point branding for website images, one of the biggest challenges we faced was that Canada Career Counselling is made up of 17 remote team members, half of which do not live in the same city.
How to create a cohesive branding photoshoot that includes members who all work from different physical locations?
In our last branding case study, we stressed the importance of the photoshoot location – being in your work environment for a personal branding shoot in order to offer potential clients an inside glance into the world of your business.
But what happens when a remote or hybrid team set up doesn’t accommodate a photoshoot in the same consistent on-site work environment?
Well, we took on the challenge.
After a consultation [book your discovery call here] Canada Career Counselling was ready to up-level their brand with us.
Here’s how we strategized with them to make for the most successful branding photoshoot, considering their unique situation.
EASY REPLICATION:
The team members are located across Canada. To achieve a seamless look, we decided to photograph the core team from Toronto in a way that could be easily replicated.
We went for neutral backgrounds with simple curtains and plants — these details aren’t hard to find, and blend seamlessly with other teammates’ well-lit photographs with a white/neutral backdrop.
PRE-SHOOT GUIDANCE & PREP Checklist
We suggested wardrobe/attire that photographs well in well-lit spaces and against neutral backgrounds and that would combine well among each other.
We recommended they bring marketing material — swag, something that shows their logo, so we could capture it.
Canada Career Counselling Went all in!
BEYOND HEADSHOTS: TEAM SYNERGY
The most basic of team photos are generally easy to take: line everybody up, tweak a few people’s positions, and snap.
But Canada Career Counselling reached out to us because they wanted to see themselves as a unit, and have photos to reflect and communicate a tight-knit team operation that catapults any career.
They didn’t want to take the easy approach, that often ends in corporate branding that looks cold and stiff.
Instead, this group wanted to highlight the human elements of the client experience they offer.
The photoshoot sequence – individual headshots first – was a crucial element before beginning the group shots.
By the time we began photographing the group, they were warmed up already, and could relax together, and really let loose as a group.
It worked out great his way, because they organically had fun with it, rather than awkwardly and nervously anticipate an individual headshot.
Getting the one-on-one with the camera out of the way first was key.
The team had a blast, and you can feel the synergy of the group.
We created different physical levels for interest; we also knew that staggering them this way would allow for a team photo where each member of the team clearly stands out as an individual.
We rotated poses and people to provide options from the final collection of images.
ROLE PLAY
For the “in action” portion of the photoshoot, we went to a different studio from the Mint Room.
These photos would show how the team interacted with clients and provide an array of web-ready photos to use across their website.
We covered the initial meet and greet handshake, and got them to rotate role playing — client and counsellor — to cover images for mock meetings, and mock interviews, and whatever else they had in mind.
In the end, the photos tell the story of a tight-knit career counselling team that prides itself in its mission, derives deep satisfaction helping clients, and has a lot of fun in the process.
We look forward to seeing the rest of the team update their photos, when they’re ready, to match the vibe that the core Toronto team brings!
Finally some Client love. Canada Career Counselling LOVED the photos. Here is their review. 
