Portraits that speak: corporate headshots for Penguin Random House
Promoting and unifying the IT team across UK locations with clean, professional headshots.
The Brief
Company headshots for
a large IT department
Penguin Random House approached me to refresh corporate headshots for their IT department, covering three different offices across the UK. They wanted consistent, high-quality images for their internal communication and employee profiles, reflecting their team’s cohesive yet friendly work environment, especially following a recent restructuring. These images were needed in both colour and black and white, and had to work for various formats including intranet profiles, internal emails, and thumbnails.
High-quality colour headshots
Black and white versions for alternative branding
Thumbnail versions for intranet and chat systems
The Approach
To meet Penguin Random House’s requirements, I focused on creating formal yet approachable headshots that could easily be integrated into different digital formats. We aimed for consistency across all offices while still capturing the individuality of each staff member.
01.
CONSULTATION
Working with the head of IT, I organised shoots across multiple UK locations over two days. I collaborated closely with the company to ensure the look—plain white shirts, relaxed collars, and no ties—was consistent and professional. Planning multiple shoot dates across different offices required flexibility and pre-shoot logistics like sourcing the right rooms and lighting equipment. I also managed risk assessments and other corporate requirements, such as providing insurance and meeting SAP accounting guidelines.
02.
PHOTOGRAPHY
On the shoot days, I set up my own lighting in various office locations. Shooting tethered meant we could review each headshot on-site, ensuring every staff member was happy with their image before moving on. I paid special attention to lighting adjustments for different skin tones, heights, and glasses wearers to ensure each person looked their best.
I aimed for a natural and informal vibe without losing the professional edge. No forced smiles—just authenticity, letting each person’s personality shine through, which added warmth to the overall presentation.
03.
POST-PRODUCION
Once the shoots were completed, I selected and retouched the best images for each staff member. These headshots were polished to fit the branding requirements, with additional adjustments made for black and white versions. The images were resized and formatted for use across the company’s intranet, chat systems, and email directories.
The Outcome
The final headshots captured the professionalism, individuality and diversity of the Penguin Random House IT team.
The final set of headshots reflected Penguin Random House’s vision of a cohesive, flexible team spread across multiple locations. The clean, professional look enhanced their internal communications and helped the company present a friendly yet professional image.
The images were used effectively for staff profiles, intranet pages, and thumbnails in company systems, and were met with positive feedback from the department.
As you can see, you can shoot with different coloured backdrops, with blurred backgrounds, and with different poses. or maybe you’d like environmental portraits (my favourite!) in the office or within the premises itself to give a truly authentic and approachable look. It can be particularly effective if you do skilled and specialised work.
For a more informal look you may prefer to use different backdrops—you can use your company brand colour or colours as well. this can look amateurish, but not if it’s done with great studio lighting.
