Often a website photo of an attorney is the first impression a potential client has. If your legal website is text-dense and has no visuals, clients won’t be able to put a name to a face. They’ll also drown in complex information.

If you have pictures but they’re stiff and outdated, potential clients will find a different firm. Professional law firm headshots, portraits and other pictures are essential to marketing and promoting your legal business.

In this post, we’ll cover the basics of law firm photography including the different types, why it’s important to invest in a professional and tips for maximizing your shoot.

Types of Law Firm Photography

What comes to mind when you think of law firm photography? Likely stiff, staged headshots of lawyers. While they are important, a legal ad campaign needs much more than headshots. If you run a law firm, you’ll need a diverse library of images to maximize your marketing and promotional efforts.

Here are the different types of law firm photography that you should prepare for in a session: 

• Attorney Headshots: Headshots are like your attorneys’ profile pictures. They can be used for anything from bio pages on your website to personable content for social media marketing. Don’t be mistaken, these don’t have to be cookie-cutter, traditional lawyer headshots with uncomfortable positioning and bleak gray backdrops. As with the entire shoot, staging your headshots to be on-brand is key to setting yourself apart from competitor firms. 
• Staff Headshots: Your law firm is more than attorneys and it’s beneficial to showcase your entire staff. Paralegals, office managers, accounting, human resources and more. Each person plays a vital role in your firm’s success and it’s important for potential clients to know that. Staff headshots can be taken in the same setting as attorneys, or you may opt for a different setting that showcases their specific responsibilities and professional qualities 
• Group Portraits: Along with individual headshots, group portraits bring your team together as one cohesive unit. Whether you choose to take your portraits in the office or at a more creative location such as a landmark of the town you operate in, coordinate accordingly so your team’s outfits work together. Portraits are essential to your “About Us” page along with online and physical advertising materials. 
• “Action” Shots: Behind-the-scenes “action” shots bring out personality, relatability and trustworthiness in your staff. These include photos of larger meetings in conference rooms, individuals working at their desks and collaborating with each other, and any other general photos of the office in action. 

Depending on your photographer, your firm and your needs, there could be other types of photos to incorporate into your session.

Why Invest In Professional Lawyer Headshots?

What’s the purpose of hiring a professional to take pictures of your practice? Couldn’t you just have your paralegal’s niece take a few shots on their iPhone and save the money?

Sure, smartphones have professional-grade cameras and they could find a few tips or tricks to take adequate iPhone photos. But a professional photographer is much more than someone with a fancy camera. They come equipped with the technical skills and industry experience to capture images that resonate with your brand and engage with potential clients.

Here are a few other reasons why investing in a professional is a strong idea: 

• Professional photography improves your marketing efforts and can increase conversion rates by up to 161%
• Authentic images create a connection with potential clients, allowing your target audience to form a sense of trust and comfort
• A professional photographer can help create your firm’s visual brand 
• Regularly updating photos ensures that you keep up with staff changes and maintain a fresh brand 
• A diverse library of authentic images can be used for your website, third-party legal directories, social media and blog content, press releases and more

Attorney Headshot Tips for Your Photo Shoot

Whether it’s your headshots or any other types of law office pics, it’s important to capture the best image possible in a reasonable amount of time. Here are a few tips and tricks to maximize the time you’ve invested with your photographer:

• Conduct research: Look for quality reviews to find a professional photographer that’s experienced working with law firms
• Review the contract in advance: You should understand every part of your agreement and sign the dotted line before your scheduled session. That way there is time to make adjustments ahead of time and avoid any discontent after the photoshoot. 
• Schedule adequate time: A photoshoot will take time away from your daily work. A professional photographer will do their best to minimize that, but you should make sure to schedule more than enough time for the photoshoot. 
• Make sure your office is camera-ready: Clean and organize your office so that it fits the aesthetic you’re going for. You don’t want stacks of papers and messy desks on your website. Clients will second guess your professionalism and ability to handle their cases. 
• Identify any secondary locations: If you plan on conducting your shoot out of office or want a different vibe for part of your shoot, you can find a secondary location. Somewhere that adds to your brand image. If you’re a local law firm, you might choose an iconic landmark in your town that anyone from the area can identify with. 
• Provide wardrobe guidelines: Make sure that your staff is wearing attire that’s on-brand with your firm and appropriate. While you may not want overly formal photos, you shouldn’t wear t-shirts and jeans to a legal photoshoot. 
• Choose colors thoughtfully: Taking wardrobe guidelines to the next level, you can strategize your colors to match your firm. If you’re an environmental law firm, it’s smart to wear earth tones. A corporate law firm is more likely to wear blue and gray colors to appear more professional. 
• Be comfortable: This one is partially on you but also on the photographer. It’s important that the subject of every photo looks natural and comfortable. That makes your staff seem inviting and will make clients feel more comfortable choosing you to represent their needs. 

Hiring a Law Firm Photographer

Your website needs to stand out in order to win over the trust of clients. Not to mention, marketing extends to social media, blogging and more. To best promote your firm, you need the eye of a professional photographer. Authentic images are much more likely to win over clients than stock photos.

Casey Templeton is an experienced professional corporate and commercial photographer with years of experience in various industries, including legal settings. To learn more about our services or to get started on a project, fill out our contact form and we’ll get back to you.