Creating Custom Authentic Brand Imagery (Part 3 of 4: Company Culture)

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Now that you’ve read Part 1 and Part 2, you’re ready to start thinking about conveying the company culture. This can be the most elusive of all photos to gather because these moments happen so naturally in a company - but not in front of a camera! These are the water cooler moments…the conversations that move people from 9-5 co-workers to out-of-the-office friends.

Here are four tips to capture the company culture:

  1. Keep it small: Aside from a big team picture (affectionately known in the industry as the “Grab-and-Grin”), you’ll want to pull aside a small group (2-3 employees at a time) to try and nail the culture. The most surefire way to get a subject to freeze is to ask them to “act” in front of their co-workers, so keep it small and find a common ground subject to chat about with them.

  2. Create the environment: Trying to capture natural relaxation and laughter while sitting at a desk can be a challenge. Get 2-3 employees away from their laptops and utilize the office space in a different way. Do they have an area where there are beanbags or a pool table? Those can be prime spots to showcase the laid back atmosphere of a company culture. Most offices have a kitchen these days, so even having a couple of co-workers chatting while making a coffee can do the trick to showcase the camaraderie.

  3. Shoot and shoot again: Don’t pull all your eggs in one basket with employees. As I rotate through employees, I’ll often take the same “scene” with different people (i.e. chatting at a desk or making tea in the kitchen). I find that by changing out the subjects, we can get completely different reactions that lead to a broader depth of images for their stock library.

  4. Wait it out: After I finish all of the “must get shots” on our shot list, I typically start packing up my gear very slowly. I always leave my camera out and ready so I can do one more walk through the office and see what I capture. Once employees know the shoot is over and the pressure is off, that is typically where I can capture some final gems to round out the shoot from the day. They are comfortable with me by that point and they know their duty is done so they can truly be themselves - and that is all any of us really want!

These are some of my surefire tips to capture the company culture at a brand photoshoot. This is part three of a four-part series on how to create authentic brand imagery for your company.

Brooke BryandDIY, BrandingComment