How I Photographed 55 Headshots in 2 Hours (And Everyone Walked Away Loving Their Photo)
I love a headshot day. There's something so satisfying about setting up my portable studio, watching a conference room turn into a mini photo studio, and getting to meet an entire team in one morning. Recently I photographed 55 people for a local Austin company in just two hours — about two minutes per person — and every single one of them left with two retouched images they were genuinely excited about.
If you've ever wondered what actually goes into a corporate headshot day (or you're an Austin company considering booking one), here's exactly how I pulled it off.
Scheduling Makes or Breaks the Day
Before I ever walked in the door, every person on the team had a specific time slot assigned to them. This is the single biggest reason the day ran so smoothly — everyone knew exactly when to show up, so there was no bottleneck, no waiting room full of people, and no wasted time. If you're planning a team headshot day, building a sign-up schedule ahead of time is non-negotiable.
The Get-Ready Kit
When each person arrived, I greeted them with my headshot get-ready kit: a mirror, oil blotting sheets, and a lint roller. It sounds small, but giving people sixty seconds to check their hair, blot any shine, and roll off stray lint makes a huge difference in how confident they feel stepping in front of the camera. A relaxed subject is always a better-looking subject.
The Setup
For this session, the company specifically requested a white backdrop, which I was happy to bring — though I actually carry a range of different colored and textured backdrops depending on what a company's brand or space calls for.
My lighting setup is built to make everyone look their best regardless of skin tone: I used my Profoto as the key light and my Godox as a fill light, giving me even, flattering light across the whole session without the harsh shadows you sometimes see in single-light setups. For camera and glass, I shot on my Sony A7R V with a 70-200mm lens, which gives me that soft compression and background separation that makes a headshot feel polished rather than flat.
The right gear paired with an efficient setup is what let me move quickly without ever making anyone feel rushed.
Directing Every Single Person
Two minutes per person doesn't leave room for a subject to stand there and freeze up — so I make sure to actively direct and guide everyone through their session. I tell people exactly where to put their hands, how to angle their shoulders, and how to stand, which takes the guesswork (and the nerves) completely out of the equation. Most people don't love having their photo taken, and a little direction goes a long way toward getting a natural, confident expression instead of a stiff one.
Same-Day Selections
As soon as I finished each person's session, they'd come around and look at their images right there on my camera, and we'd make their selections together on the spot. That meant by the time I left the office, I already had every single person's picks saved and ready to go. No chasing people down afterward for their choices, no waiting on replies — I went home that day, pulled up the selects, and got straight to editing and retouching.
Why This Matters for Your Team
A headshot day doesn't have to eat up your team's entire afternoon, and it doesn't have to feel awkward or rushed either. With the right prep, gear, and workflow, an entire company can get updated, professional headshots in the time it takes to run a single meeting.
If your Austin-based company is due for updated headshots — whether it's your whole team, your leadership group, or just a few new hires — I'd love to bring my portable studio to your office. Reach out and let's find a day that works.