Headshots for CuspAI During Their Company Off-site at Crossbasket Castle
CuspAI, a Cambridge-based AI startup, were holding a week long company off-site at Crossbasket Castle near Glasgow. I was there for one of the days to photograph professional headshots for a team in buoyant mood!
Headshots at a company off-site is a great opportunity. Everyone is already gathered in one place, away from the usual distractions and pace of normal day to day office life. Rather than trying to coordinate separate appointments across different diaries and locations, the photography can be fitted around the shape of the day.
For this shoot, I set up in a side space close to the main event area. People were able to drop in throughout the day, have their headshot taken, and then return to the main programme without the photos becoming too much of an interruption.
Headshots that fit around the event
When I photograph headshots as part of a company event or off-site, the setup includes tethered shooting so people can see their pictures as we go.
Good lighting and a consistent backgrounds are important, but so is the human side of the session: giving clear direction, keeping the pace moving, and helping each person to relax quickly.
People are not at the event specifically for a headshot session. Their heads may be firmly occupied with other matters when they arrive. They may be coming straight from a meeting, a presentation or a group discussion.
Natalie Jones, who organised the shoot and was my liaison on the day, very kindly said afterwards:
“On a personal note, I found you to be incredibly friendly and patient. You made everyone feel at ease, including those who are typically uncomfortable in front of the camera, and the photos are amazing.”
That is always one of the most satisfying pieces of feedback to receive, because the success of a headshot session depends on more than the technical setup. A good portrait needs the person in front of the camera to feel comfortable enough to look like themselves.
Photographing a fast-growing team
I do not always have the chance to find out much more about a company than what’s on their website. Often, I am just there for a few hours, working to a tight schedule, without getting under the skin of the place. But even in a short time, I invariably pick up on the atmosphere through the people I meet.
With CuspAI, there was a real sense of energy. They are a new business working in a fast-moving sector, and there was a real sense of momentum among the team. I was not there to document the whole event, but the headshot sessions gave me a glimpse of a company with a lot of confidence and excitement around what they are building.
Company off-sites often have a slightly lighter mood from a normal day in the office. There is usually a mix of business planning, presentations, informal conversations and some element of fun or team-building. People are together, but away from their usual day-to-day pressures.
That can be a real advantage for headshots. People often arrive in a more buoyant frame of mind, with a little more energy and openness than they might have during a normal working day. It can help the portraits feel more connected to the character of the team.
That energy matters in a headshot session like this. The aim is not to make everyone look the same or too formal. It is to create professional portraits that feel consistent, credible and relaxed, while still allowing people’s individuality to shine out.
Branded clothing or personal clothing?
For this shoot, people were free to decide whether to wear a company branded T-shirt or their own clothes.
That can work well, especially for a startup or growing company. Not every team needs to look completely uniform. Consistency can come from the photography itself: the lighting, background, crop and direction.
Some people may feel most comfortable in branded clothing because it connects them clearly with the company. Others may prefer to wear something more personal. As long as there is a shared visual approach to the portraits, the finished set can still feel coherent.
The key is to think about how the images will be used. If the headshots are for a website team page, speaker bios, press announcements, LinkedIn profiles or investor material, the clothing choices should support the impression the company wants to make.
Choosing the right crop before the shoot
Vertical or Horizontal
One practical decision that came up on the day was the orientation of the pictures – vertical or horizontal.
A vertical half-body portrait was decided on rather than my usual horizontal head-and-shoulders headshot. That may sound like a small change, but it affects quite a lot about how the portrait is made.
This format shows more of the person. That means hands, arms, posture and clothing all become much more visible. With a traditional horizontal headshot, the emphasis is very strongly on the face, eyes and expression. The arms barely feature. With a vertical crop, people often become more aware of what to do with their hands, whether their clothes are sitting properly, and how their body position looks in the frame.
That can take a little longer to direct.
It also changes the lighting
When I know I am shooting a horizontal head-and-shoulders portrait, I position a reflector close underneath the subject, just out of frame. That gives a lovely lift to the face, adds shape to the light and brings life into the eyes.
With a vertical half-body portrait, that same reflector position is no longer possible because it would appear in the shot. The lighting has to cover more of the subject, and it often needs additional adjustment from person to person.
A vertical half-body portrait can usually be cropped into a more traditional horizontal headshot, which gives the client useful flexibility. But there is a trade-off.
If I know from the start that the final image is going to be horizontal, I can light and compose the portrait specifically for that shape. I can bring the reflector closer, keep the emphasis tightly on the face and eyes, and remove most of the distractions around arms, hands and clothing.
A horizontal crop taken from a vertical setup will still work. But in a side-by-side comparison it will not always have quite the same refinement as a headshot created for that format from the beginning.
That does not mean one format is right and the other is wrong. It simply means it is worth making the decision ahead of the shoot with a good understanding of how it will affect the process and the result.
Things to think about before a team headshot session
If you are planning headshots during a company off-site, conference, team gathering or internal event, it helps to decide a few things in advance.
Where will the images be used?
A website team page may need a different crop from LinkedIn, press releases, conference speaker bios or internal systems.
Do you need vertical or horizontal images?
It is usually possible to create flexibility, but the strongest result comes when the shoot is planned around the most important final use.
Should clothing be branded, personal or guided by a loose dress code?
A company T-shirt can create a strong team identity, but individual clothing can give people more personality and confidence. Either approach can work if the overall photographic style is consistent.
How much time is available for each person?
A simple head-and-shoulders setup can be very efficient. A wider vertical portrait may need slightly more time because posture, hands, clothing and lighting all need a more attention.
The best team headshot sessions feel simple on the day, but small decisions made in advance can make a big difference to the finished portraits.
Headshots during a company off-site
A company off-site is often one of the easiest times to update team headshots. Everyone is already together, the schedule has already been planned, and there is usually enough flexibility for people to drop in throughout the day.
For CuspAI at Crossbasket Castle, the aim was to create a relaxed, professional set of headshots without disrupting the rest of the event. People could pop in briefly, have their portrait taken, and return to the main programme.
That kind of setup works particularly well for companies with staff spread across different locations.
If your company is planning an off-site, conference or team event in Scotland, it can be a good opportunity to update everyone’s headshots in one efficient session.
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