The founder’s photo kit: every image you need for press, investors and social

Most founders discover they need better photographs at the worst moment. A journalist wants a picture by four o’clock. A conference needs a speaker image, or the investor deck goes out tomorrow. What gets sent is a cropped holiday snap or a five-year-old headshot that doesn’t look like you any more.

One well-planned founder photoshoot heads all of that off. Here’s the set of images to aim for, and how to get them in a single session.

Why does a founder need more than a headshot?

A headshot answers one question: what does this person look like? Founders get asked for far more. Editors want a picture that fits their layout. Event organisers want one that works on a banner. Your website needs images that show how you work, and your social channels need something different week after week.

That’s the gap between headshots and personal branding photography, which we cover properly in personal branding photography vs headshots. If you’re a founder, the sensible move is to plan the shoot around every place the pictures will end up.

What photos does a founder need?

Treat this as a checklist. You won’t need all of it. Still, dropping an item is much easier than booking a reshoot.

For press

Journalists generally want a clean, well-lit, high-resolution portrait with no heavy filters, ideally in both orientations. Have a serious version and a friendlier one ready, because stories vary in tone. Keep a short caption and a photo credit with every file.

For investors and partners

Pitch decks and data rooms need consistent, professional pictures of the founding team. When everyone has the same background and lighting, even a small team looks organised. Add a couple of working shots so investors see a real operation behind the slides.

For your website

Your home and about pages do the heavy lifting. Plan the images with your web designer so you shoot the right shapes and leave space for text where it’s needed. A personal brand website is only as good as its photographs, so plan the two side by side.

For social

Variety beats perfection here. Twenty or thirty distinct images across a few outfits and settings can carry months of posts, mixed in with your everyday phone pictures. On LinkedIn, the help page gives profile photo dimensions of between 400 x 400 and 7680 x 4320 pixels, with a maximum file size of 8MB (LinkedIn Help). Shoot well above the minimum and crop down.

How do you plan a founder photoshoot?

Planning counts for more than the camera does. You’ll find detailed advice on outfits and locations, and on image counts, in planning a brand photoshoot. For founders, these are the basics.

1. List every use. Website, press, LinkedIn, events, deck, ads. Each one suggests a shape and a mood.
2. Write a shot list. Agree it with the photographer beforehand so nothing slips through on the day.
3. Choose locations that mean something. For working shots your own workplace usually beats a hired studio, while a studio is often better for clean portraits. Lots of shoots use both.
4. Bring two or three outfits: one formal, one everyday, one in between. Solid colours tend to date more slowly than bold patterns.
5. Book the team. If you want team pictures, get everyone’s diary sorted early and tell them what to wear.
6. Give it enough time. Most people need a while to relax in front of a camera, and a half day leaves room for the good pictures to turn up.

Planning video too? Filming on the same day with the same styling can save time and keeps your stills and footage matching. Brand videography and photography often share a location and a plan.

Who owns the photos after a founder photoshoot?

This trips up a lot of people. Under UK law the creator of an image is generally the first owner of the copyright. For commissioned photographs, copyright will usually stay with the photographer unless you’ve agreed otherwise (GOV.UK: IPO copyright notice). What you’re paying for is usually a licence to use the images.

Before you book, get these points in writing:

• which uses are covered: website, social, press, print, advertising;
• whether you can share images with journalists and event organisers;
• whether the licence has a time limit or a territory;
• how the photographer wants to be credited;
• what happens if you want to use the images in paid ads.

This is general information, not legal advice. If ownership is a big deal for you, say because the images will run heavily in advertising, ask for clear terms or take advice.

How often should a founder update their photos?

Update them whenever you look noticeably different or the business changes direction. Do it, too, once your pictures start to feel dated. Plenty of founders find that a fresh shoot every year or two keeps the library current, with a smaller top-up session for new working shots to fill the gaps in between.

Can you do a founder photoshoot yourself?

For informal social pictures, yes. A recent phone, good window light and a willing colleague will get you lots of usable shots. Professional brand photography earns its fee in four places: flattering light, direction that helps you relax, consistency across the whole set and files that hold up in print. If your pictures are going to sit in the press, on stage or on your home page for years, you’ll see that difference straight away.

How we can help

Our brand photography covers portraits and studio or location work, as well as full brand image libraries, all planned around where the pictures will be used. We agree the brief, scope and fee with you before the shoot. If you need moving pictures as well, we also offer brand videography.

Sources

• GOV.UK (Intellectual Property Office): Copyright notice: digital images, photographs and the internet
• LinkedIn Help: Photo won’t upload to your profile