Employer branding photography empowers your marketing team to tell the story of what it is like working for your company. The goal is to capture your company culture in images. You want to develop a catalogue of images that reflect all aspects of your company (environmental portraits of your people, the vibe, the environment, the working styles, location, office look and anything else that is unique to your company). You want to do this in a way that appears natural and organic, not forced and over-produced. The easiest way to do this is to follow the natural rhythmns and flows of a normal working day in the office, perhaps with a little extra attention paid to presenting a clean and idealized version of the day.

Begin by mapping the organic rhythm of a workday. Rather than staging every shot, look for natural moments that highlight your workplace culture:

• Early morning: Capture the gentle buzz of employees arriving, gathering at the coffee bar
• Mid-morning: Document collaborative meetings and mentoring sessions
• Lunch hour: Showcase social connections and informal interactions
• Afternoon: Focus on deep work and team collaboration
• End of day: Highlight work-life balance and workplace flexibility

The top three narrative elements your employer branding needs to convey are reputation, employer value proposition (EVP) and experience, according to this Harvard Business Review article. In the story you are telling with these images you want to leverage your reputation so that prospective employees can see a future for themselves working for you; you want to also find ways to illustrate. the "give and get", what added value employees benefit from by chosing to work for your company; and finally you want future employee (and current ones) to see themselves at your company and to get a strong feeling for what the experience of working for you is like.

Use the photo sessions you are planning to help convey the key points around reputation, proposition and experience for your target audience. Here are some ideas for what to focus on.

• Capture informal coaching moments at desks or breakout areas
• Document scheduled mentoring sessions, showing active listening and engagement
• Photograph knowledge-sharing workshops or lunch-and-learn sessions
• Show both formal and impromptu learning opportunities

• Traditional meeting rooms: Focus on engaged discussion and dynamic interaction
• Informal areas: Capture spontaneous brainstorming sessions
• Coffee bar conversations: Show organic knowledge sharing
• Open workspace discussions: Document team problem-solving
• Virtual collaboration: Showcase modern hybrid work culture

What design or architectural features standout for your company? Does your office feature prototypes or models of products? Showcase whatever you have that provides your unique perspective.

• Reception area logo: Photograph during golden hour or with employees passing by
• Company values wall: Capture employees engaging with or presenting near it
• Brand colors: Look for ways to subtly incorporate corporate colors naturally
• Awards and recognition: Document both the displays and celebration moments

• Prototypes or product models: Use as interesting foreground or background elements
• Architectural features: Incorporate staircases for dynamic movement shots
• Design elements: Highlight unique furniture or workspace design
• Green spaces: Capture outdoor meetings or break times

Now let's turn our attention on the details of getting your people - who are not trained actors and models - to act naturally yet to a purpose. It's harder than it looks and requires some good direction and mood-setting by your photographer to ensure success. Here are some ideas and practical tips.

• Scout locations during different times of day
• Identify natural gathering spots
• Map out common walking paths
• Note where natural light is best
• Plan shots around peak activity times

• Give general activity guidance rather than specific poses
• Allow natural conversation to flow
• Capture genuine reactions and interactions
• Let people work normally while photographing
• Encourage natural movement through spaces

• Brief participants on the photo shoot's purpose
• Make people comfortable by explaining the process
• Give clear but natural direction
• Allow for authentic moments to develop
• Respect personal boundaries and preferences

• Plan around key meetings and events
• Consider typical workflow patterns
• Allow flexibility for spontaneous moments
• Schedule breaks to review and adjust
• Build in buffer time for unexpected opportunities

To get the best return on investment (ROI) when hiring a photographer to help you build up your image bank think carefully about the images you need to align with your branding, marketing, upcoming or ongoing recruitment campaigns, and other critical pieces of content you will be publishing in the year ahead. Well-conceived, custom stock photos like these have a long shelf life and can save you thousands on stock photo fees and give your company a unique appeal since no one else can get photos from within your own company. Think through any and all scenarios you might want to highlight. Here are a few starting points for your brainstorming:

• One-on-one feedback sessions
• Team training workshops
• Presentation preparation
• Skills sharing between colleagues
• Professional certification celebrations

• Cross-departmental collaboration
• Problem-solving sessions
• Project celebrations
• Team building activities
• Informal social interactions

• Flexible workspace usage
• Quiet focus areas
• Collaborative zones
• Social spaces
• Outdoor work areas

• Community service activities
• Employee resource group meetings
• Wellness program participation
• Cultural celebrations
• Team traditions

Next, build the shot list. This will help save time on the day of the shoot, and is a good focusing tool for making sure you haven't forgotten anything important. Below are some key set ups you want to include if you can.

• Morning arrival and setup
• Team stand-up meetings
• Collaborative work sessions
• Mentoring interactions
• Social breaks and informal gatherings
• Focused individual work
• End-of-day wrap-up

• Leadership in natural settings
• Teams in their usual spaces
• New employees being onboarded
• Long-term employees mentoring others
• Cross-functional teams collaborating

• Workspace personalization
• Technology in use
• Project planning materials
• Collaborative tools
• Company culture artifacts

Finally, consider where, how and when you will deploy these images.

• Recruitment materials
• Internal communications
• Social media content
• Website imagery
• Marketing collateral

• Tag photos by activity type
• Sort by location and setting
• Categorize by intended use
• Label with featured departments
• Note any required permissions

The most compelling employer branding photography goes beyond simply documenting a workplace – it captures the essence of what makes your organization unique. When done well, these images tell the story of your company's culture, values, and people in a way that resonates with both current employees and potential candidates. Authenticity is your greatest ally; those small, genuine moments often speak louder than any staged photo could. A good photographer will be alert to looks and interactions that happen spontaneously throughout the day of planned activities. As you photograph your workplace, focus on capturing the energy, relationships, and daily rhythms that make your company culture special. The resulting images should make current employees proud to see their workplace represented and leave potential candidates thinking, "I can see myself there." By balancing technical excellence with emotional intelligence, you'll create a visual narrative that not only showcases your workplace but brings your employer brand to life in a way that truly connects with your audience. After all, every workplace has its own unique story – your role is to tell it through images that inspire, engage, and invite others to become part of that continuing narrative.

*Disclaimer: this written post is a blend of Ai-generated content co-created and original creative content produced by a human writer / professional photographer using prompts derived from real world experience. The photos are all taken by Julian Haber and used under copyright permissions granted. They are not digitally altered or transformed.