Business headshots: the complete guide to team portraits that work (2026)

Your face is the first thing a client, candidate or journalist sees of your company. Often before your logo. Yet most team pages are a patchwork: a holiday snap, a cropped wedding photo, a selfie against a radiator. This guide covers what makes a strong business headshot, what it costs, what to wear and how to prepare a team photo shoot without the chaos.

Business headshots: the short answer

A business headshot is a professional portrait made for commercial use: your website, LinkedIn, proposals and press. A strong one combines consistent lighting and editing with an expression that fits your brand. Typical market rates run from €75 to €350 per person, with volume discounts for teams. Studio and on-location both work, as long as the style stays identical across everyone.

What makes a strong business headshot?

Corporate portrait photography is not about a pretty picture. It is about a working picture. The difference comes down to three things: direction, light and consistency. A photographer who knows the craft steers your posture and gaze so you come across as approachable and capable at once. Not the stiff passport look, not the forced grin.

Then there is consistency, the part almost everyone underestimates. One strong portrait is nice for that one colleague. Twelve portraits with the same background, lighting and retouching add up to a brand asset: a team page that signals professionalism at a glance. That is why business headshots are rarely a standalone product in practice; they are one piece of your business photography and your brand identity.

Studio or on location?

Both work, and the choice mostly depends on your brand and your logistics. Here is how the trade-off plays out in practice:

For teams, on location is usually the smarter call: nobody travels, the setting feels familiar and a good photographer builds a mini studio on the spot with the same lighting quality. We shoot on location across the Netherlands; in Amsterdam also around our own office on the Herengracht. More on that at business photography in Amsterdam.

What do business headshots cost? Typical rates

The price of professional headshots depends on three things: headcount, location and what the package includes (retouching, number of final images, usage rights). These are the going rates in the Dutch market:

When comparing quotes, look less at the per-person price and more at what is actually delivered. A €75 headshot without usage rights for advertising can end up costlier than a €150 one with everything settled. For the full breakdown of photography pricing, including half-day and full-day reportage rates, see our guide to business photography costs.

What should you wear for a business headshot?

The most-asked question before any shoot. The short answer: dress the way your clients see you on a good working day, one notch sharper. In practice:

• Solid colours photograph best. Mid-tones like navy, burgundy, green and grey read calm on camera. Avoid busy prints, fine pinstripes (they shimmer on screens) and large logos.
• Mind the background colour. Wear white against a white wall and there is not much left of you. A good photographer checks this with you beforehand.
• Fit beats brand. A well-fitting shirt looks better than an expensive blazer that pulls at the shoulders. Iron everything; wrinkles cost more in retouching than they do to press out.
• Layers give you options. Bring a blazer, cardigan or jacket. You get two looks from one session: formal for the proposal, approachable for LinkedIn.
• Stay close to yourself. Someone who never wears a suit looks uncomfortable in one. And that discomfort shows in the photo.

For teams, add one rule: agree on a clothing direction, not a uniform. For instance “solid colours, no white, blazer optional”. That creates cohesion without looking staged.

Preparing a team photo shoot: how to organise it

A photo shoot for ten or fifty people stands or falls with preparation. Not the photographer’s, but yours as the client. Here is how to run it without losing a day of productivity.

Plan the day practically

Work with a rotation schedule: every employee gets a 10 to 15 minute slot and goes straight back to work. Reserve one quiet room with space for lights and a tripod, and avoid Fridays (remote-work day) or deadline weeks. Appoint one internal contact to guard the schedule; that saves the photographer hunting for people and saves you overruns. Book a catch-up moment upfront for anyone ill or absent, so the last staff photo does not lag months behind the rest.

Send the clothing advice in advance

Circulate the wardrobe guidance from the previous section at least a week ahead, with two or three example photos of the intended style. Ask everyone to bring a second outfit option. And manage the nerves: most people do not enjoy being in front of a camera. A photographer who comes to your office, takes time and keeps people talking during the shoot gets relaxed images where a rushed studio session produces stiff ones.

Make sure the photos land where they need to work

This is where it usually goes wrong: the shoot succeeds, and then the images sit in a folder. Agree upfront how the files will be delivered and where they are going:

• Website: web-ready files (WebP or AVIF, scaled per use) with descriptive file names and alt text, so the team page loads fast and performs in Google.
• LinkedIn: a square crop per person as a profile photo, plus an optional team banner. Practical per-profile tips at getting a professional LinkedIn photo.
• Google Business Profile and socials: a selection of team and atmosphere shots in the right formats.
• Internal: email signatures, HR system and presentations, all from the same set.

Search for staff photos or team photography and you will mostly find solo photographers. Fine for the shoot itself, but this distribution layer, from file format to alt text, is what determines what the photos actually return. It is exactly why we plan photography together with the website and search visibility instead of treating it as a one-off job.

Consistent headshots as a brand asset

A single good photo ages; a system does not. Treat your business headshots as part of your brand identity, alongside your logo and colour palette. That means one documented style (background, light, editing, crop) so every future session matches exactly. New hires get the same photo in the same style within their first month. And when you rebrand, the portrait style moves with the design; how that works is covered in our guide to brand identity design.

We hold ourselves to the same bar. Our team has photographed for couturier Mart Visser and for the Meesteropleiding Coupeur, Amsterdam’s master-tailoring academy; we bring that same precision in light and style to every team page. The result is imagery that lasts for years and stays recognisable on every channel.

Frequently asked questions

How much do business headshots cost?

Typical rates in the Netherlands run from €150 to €350 for an individual session and €75 to €150 per person for team shoots on location. For large teams the per-person price drops further through volume discounts, sometimes to around €50 in the market. Always check whether retouching and usage rights are included.

What makes a good professional profile photo?

A good professional profile photo shows your face sharp and well lit, with direct eye contact and a calm background. You look approachable yet professional: a natural, light smile almost always beats a neutral stare. The photo is recent (no more than two to three years old) and matches your brand and your industry in style.

Can I take my own business headshot?

You can: side daylight, a calm background, camera at eye level and someone else pressing the shutter. For a temporary profile photo that is enough. For a team page or press kit it almost never is, because the value sits in consistency and direction: twelve self-made photos never become one visual style, and every visitor spots the difference instantly.

How often should you update business headshots?

Every two to three years, or sooner after a clear change in appearance or a rebrand. Outdated portraits undermine the very trust they are meant to build: when someone on a video call clearly differs from the team page, the conversation starts with a small letdown. Schedule a fixed annual session for new hires and refreshes.