On-site corporate headshots: what your office needs ready before the photographer arrives

If your team is having corporate headshots done at your Cape Town office, the morning runs smoothly when a few specific things are ready. None of them are complicated. Most of them get forgotten by first-time hosts.

This is the checklist I send to office managers and HR teams in the week before an on-site shoot. If you're hosting corporate headshots for the first time, work through this once. By the second time, you'll have your own playbook.

The space

The single biggest determinant of how well a shoot goes is the room.

Minimum space. A 4-metre by 4-metre clear floor area. That's roughly the size of a small meeting room with the table pushed against the wall. The 4-metre width is for the backdrop. The 4-metre depth is for the camera distance and breathing room behind the photographer.

What works. A meeting room with the table pushed aside, a quiet open-plan corner, a board room, a wide reception area in the morning before clients arrive. Anything with a clear floor and good ambient quiet.

What doesn't work. Wide corridors that look right but have people walking through. Reception areas during business hours. Spaces with strong reflective surfaces that bounce coloured light onto the backdrop. Outdoor patios (wind moves the backdrop, sun changes light through the day).

One detail people miss. The room needs a door that closes. Even if you trust the team not to walk through, you don't want surprise interruptions during the shoot. A photographed face mid-laugh because someone opened the door looking for the meeting room is not the photo we wanted.

Power and tech

We bring our own cables and extension cords. What we need from you:

• A standard South African three-prong power outlet within 5 metres of the shooting position. Not a multi-plug already in use by other equipment. A clean, dedicated outlet on a stable circuit.
• If your office has had recent electrical issues (tripped circuits, surges from generators), let us know. We can arrange a UPS as backup, but only if we know in advance.
• WiFi is not required. We tether to a screen via cable.

If you're running on generator power because of load shedding, a heads-up before we arrive lets us plan around it. We can usually still shoot through scheduled load-shedding windows by adjusting the schedule, but the worst day to discover load shedding is the morning of the shoot.

Access and logistics

Three things to send to the photographer in the week before:

Door codes and parking. If your office has a security gate, an access PIN, a visitor parking system, or a buzzer-and-camera entrance, send the relevant codes and contact name. Photographers carrying lighting kits and backdrops can't easily fish for a phone while balancing equipment.

Building access window. If the building only opens at 8am and our setup needs to start at 7:30am to be ready for a 9am first slot, that's a problem. Confirm the access times before we plan the schedule.

Lift or stair access. Three Pelican cases of equipment plus a 3-metre backdrop tube doesn't go up four flights of stairs cleanly. If there's no service lift, let us know so we plan extra setup time and bring fewer cases.

The schedule

The schedule is where most on-site shoots succeed or fail.

The right format. A single-column call sheet listing: time slot (in 10 to 15 minute increments), team member name, role, any specific notes. Send it to the photographer 48 hours in advance and to the team 24 hours in advance.

Slot length. 10 minutes per person is the working pace. 15 minutes per person is the comfortable pace. 5 minutes per person is the rushed pace and produces noticeably worse portraits. Plan for 10 to 15 minute slots and you finish on time.

Buffer time. Add a 15-minute buffer for every 60 minutes of shooting. People run late. The buffer absorbs the lateness without cascading. If everyone is on time, you finish 15 minutes early. Nobody complains about that.

Lunch and breaks. For shoots over 4 hours, schedule a 30-minute mid-morning break and skip lunch. The photographer can shoot for 4 hours straight more easily than 8 hours with a one-hour lunch in the middle.

Latecomers and no-shows. Have a designated point person on your team who can grab a colleague at short notice if someone misses their slot. The person who didn't show today can usually be found within 10 minutes.

What the team needs to know in advance

Send this in a calendar invite with the shoot scheduled. Three days before is the right timing.

• The slot length (10 to 15 minutes).
• Where to be and at what time.
• The dress code: smart business attire, dark colours preferred, no busy patterns or logos.
• Bring a backup outfit option.
• No fresh haircuts the day of (5 to 7 days before is ideal).
• No major makeup or skincare changes the day of.
• Plan to arrive 5 minutes before your slot.

We send a one-page wardrobe guide once the shoot is booked, which you can forward to the team verbatim. The longer version is at What to wear for a corporate headshot on the main blog if you want to share that as well.

Small things that disproportionately matter

A few details that make a real difference on the day.

A waiting area. Even if it's just two chairs in the corner of a different room, give people somewhere to sit while waiting. Standing in a hallway for 15 minutes makes people tense, and tense people don't photograph well.

A mirror. A full-length mirror near the waiting area lets people check their wardrobe before stepping in front of the camera. The number of small adjustments people make when they catch themselves in a mirror (collar straightening, lapel flattening, hair tucked behind an ear) is significant.

Water. Provide water nearby. Photo sessions are mildly stressful for most people. Hydration helps with skin tone and posture more than people realise.

A dedicated point person. Someone on your team who's available throughout the shoot to answer questions, redirect latecomers, and manage the schedule. The photographer focuses on shooting, not on chasing people.

Power for laptops. If team members are working between slots, having a power outlet near the waiting area means they can stay productive. Reduces the "did I waste my morning" feeling.

What we don't need

To set expectations clearly:

• We don't need lighting. We bring our own.
• We don't need a backdrop. We bring our own.
• We don't need makeup support. People come to the shoot in their normal grooming.
• We don't need food. We pack and break for our own meals.
• We don't need a brand designer or marketing person on hand. The shoot is about the people, not the brand assets.

The total ask from your office is: a room, a power point, a contact person, and the schedule. Everything else we handle.

A printable checklist

If you want a one-page version to print and tick through:

Two weeks before:

• Book the room (4 by 4 metre minimum, door that closes)
• Confirm photographer's arrival time and access
• Send door codes, parking, and contact info to photographer

One week before:

• Build and send the call sheet (10 to 15 minute slots, with buffer)
• Send the team a calendar invite with dress code and prep notes
• Confirm power outlet and load-shedding plan

Two days before:

• Resend call sheet to photographer with any updates
• Confirm building access window
• Walk through the room and clear any last clutter

Day of:

• Designate a point person for the morning
• Set up waiting area with chairs, mirror, and water
• First slot starts on time

That's all of it.

Where to next

If you're planning an on-site shoot at your Cape Town office, the team headshots page has the full pricing and booking flow. Send us the team size, address, and ideal date and we come back within a working day with a quote and an arrival window.