Corporate Brand Photography in Buckhead: A Merrill Office Session
How This Session Came Together
Some brand sessions introduce a business to new clients. This one had a different goal. It reminded people that a company they already know is still here, and stronger than ever.
That message shaped this corporate brand photography session at the Merrill office in Buckhead, Atlanta. The goal wasn’t to reinvent how the team looks. It was to show, through real meetings and real people, that the office is active, confident, and thriving.
Corporate teams often reach out with a similar goal: they want images that feel real, not posed. Here’s how this one started:
“Hi! We’re interested in booking a photographer to visit our office and capture candid shots of our team during a few meetings. The photos will be used for marketing purposes, so we’re looking for natural, engaging moments that reflect our team dynamic. Is this something that you offer?”
That request — natural, engaging, true to the team’s actual dynamic — became the blueprint for the entire session. We didn’t want to pull people away from their day for a handful of posed portraits. Instead, we built the shoot around the meetings and moments already happening.
“Hi! We’re interested in booking a photographer to visit our office and capture candid shots of our team during a few meetings. The photos will be used for marketing purposes, so we’re looking for natural, engaging moments that reflect our team dynamic. Is this something that you offer?”
That request — natural, engaging, true to the team’s actual dynamic — became the blueprint for the entire session. We didn’t want to pull people away from their day for a handful of posed portraits. Instead, we built the shoot around the meetings and moments already happening.
Starting at the Top: The Partners’ Meeting
Every strong company culture starts with leadership, so we began there. The session opened with the partners’ meeting. It captured the collaboration, discussion, and decision-making that happens at the highest level of the office.
These images do a lot of quiet work for a brand. They show clients and prospective advisors that the people steering the business stay engaged, present, and working together.
Staged Group Meetings That Tell the Whole Team Story
From there, we moved through a series of meetings that represent every layer of the office. A financial services brand isn’t just its advisors — it’s every person who keeps the business running.
We photographed:
Photographing each of these separately gave every part of the team real representation in the final image library. One group photo could never stand in for everyone.
We photographed:
- A large team meeting — the full office together, showing scale and unity
- A support staff meeting — the behind-the-scenes team that keeps operations running smoothly
- A trainee advisor meeting — the next generation of the firm, learning and growing
Photographing each of these separately gave every part of the team real representation in the final image library. One group photo could never stand in for everyone.
Candid Moments Around the Office
Once the meetings wrapped, the real magic happened. I walked through the office and captured the team in their natural element. They answered calls, worked through emails, and talked with each other. No direction, no posing. Just the day-to-day work that actually defines the brand.
These candid, in-action shots are often the most valuable images from a corporate brand session. They’re the ones that make a viewer feel like they’re getting an honest look inside the company. It feels real, not like a curated highlight reel.
These candid, in-action shots are often the most valuable images from a corporate brand session. They’re the ones that make a viewer feel like they’re getting an honest look inside the company. It feels real, not like a curated highlight reel.
Why This Approach Works for Corporate Marketing
For a company like Merrill, the message wasn’t “look at something new.” It was “we’re still here, and we’re stronger than ever.” That kind of message doesn’t come from stock photography or a single polished portrait. It comes from images that show real people doing real work in a real office.
A well-planned corporate brand photography session gives a marketing team a full library to pull from. That includes leadership photos for investor materials, team photos for recruiting, and candid shots for social media and the website. All of it comes from a single visit that barely interrupts the workday.
A well-planned corporate brand photography session gives a marketing team a full library to pull from. That includes leadership photos for investor materials, team photos for recruiting, and candid shots for social media and the website. All of it comes from a single visit that barely interrupts the workday.
What is corporate brand photography? Corporate brand photography documents a company’s real people, meetings, and day-to-day work, instead of stock images or outdated headshots. The result: marketing materials that feel authentic and current.
How long does a corporate office session take? It depends on how many meetings and team moments you want covered. This session included a partners’ meeting, three additional staged group meetings, and a candid walkthrough of the office. It took a full day, building a complete image library instead of just a handful of shots.
Will a session like this disrupt our workday? Not if you plan it well. We built the shoot around meetings that were already on the calendar, instead of pulling people away for separate portrait time. That choice kept the session efficient and let the team stay focused on their actual work.
Can this work for a large office or multiple departments? Yes. We photographed each department and meeting type separately here — leadership, the large team, support staff, and trainees. That approach represents every part of the team, instead of relying on one all-hands photo.
What if we just want natural, candid shots and not posed portraits? That’s exactly the approach I used for this session. After the scheduled meetings wrapped, I walked the office and captured calls, emails, and conversations already in progress. Those shots produced the most natural, engaging images of the day.
How long does a corporate office session take? It depends on how many meetings and team moments you want covered. This session included a partners’ meeting, three additional staged group meetings, and a candid walkthrough of the office. It took a full day, building a complete image library instead of just a handful of shots.
Will a session like this disrupt our workday? Not if you plan it well. We built the shoot around meetings that were already on the calendar, instead of pulling people away for separate portrait time. That choice kept the session efficient and let the team stay focused on their actual work.
Can this work for a large office or multiple departments? Yes. We photographed each department and meeting type separately here — leadership, the large team, support staff, and trainees. That approach represents every part of the team, instead of relying on one all-hands photo.
What if we just want natural, candid shots and not posed portraits? That’s exactly the approach I used for this session. After the scheduled meetings wrapped, I walked the office and captured calls, emails, and conversations already in progress. Those shots produced the most natural, engaging images of the day.
Corporate Brand Photography: Quick FAQ
Why This Approach Works for Corporate Marketing
Whether you’re a large financial firm or a growing local business, the same principle applies. Your marketing should show the people and moments that make your company real. If your team is ready to move past stock photography and outdated headshots, a corporate brand photography session can capture exactly that.
Let’s talk about your office and what a session built around your real team could do for your marketing.
Let’s talk about your office and what a session built around your real team could do for your marketing.
Planning a Brand Session for Your Office?
People often ask me what are the differences between headshots and branding pictures. So let’s dedicate a full blog to it!
Headshots and branding photo sessions are very different, in terms of preparation, content, duration and price! They have one common thing tough. Headshots are included in a personal branding session but your personal brand session will include so much more than that.
You are going to get a lot lot of information here under but don’t worry, I have resources to help you through both your headshots and branding journeys!
HEADSHOTS PICTURES
I usually deliver 3 to 5 high resolution edited images after a headshots session. The pictures will mostly be taken from the waist up. You can select two outfits, combine standing and sitting poses, in one location. I will dedicate another blog to the different headshot backgrounds options!
BRANDING OR PERSONAL BRANDING PICTURES ARE VERY DIFFERENT
A personal branding session is 100% customized to your needs. Each element, such as the outfits you will wear, the locations we will select and your brand colors, will be carefully studied. They will help showcase the uniqueness of your brand and personality.
It will include headshots, your work environment, your business vibe, some lifestyle shots, pictures showing your personality, your creative process, details… and so MUCH more!
As your session is unique, planning is crucial. It helps me understand what you need, your business, your brand, your goals and the messages you want to share. I will also get a better view on how you will use the images, what makes you unique, who your ideal client is.
On the session day, my goal is to understand your brand so well that I can articulate everything as if it was my own.
Personal Brand session typically last half a day or a full day and include different outfits and locations.
It also includes a commercial right to the images. It means that you can use all the high and web resolution edited images for any business communication without restriction.
LEARN MORE!
As you can see, the differences between headshots and a branding pictures are huge! If you feel overwhelmed, this is totally normal. I have create, for my headshots and branding clients, two dedicated 15 pages Welcome Guide to explain the specificities, the process and what to expect. It will answer all your questions!
You can also go and check the dedicated sections on my website for more information: Branding / Headshots
And read this blog to know more about Laure Photography!
