Yes, that time of year is creeping upon us, and before you know it you’ll soon be entering offices around the country to take the all-important festive photo. It’s the season where employees will be thrown in front of the camera and requested to give their cheesiest smiles so that all of their customers and clients can get a personal thank you, rather than a shop bought card of yet another winter landscape. But instead of lining up the team and letting them dive into the dressing-up box, we’ve come up with alternatives that will ensure your corporate Christmas portfolio brings out the true spirit of the season.
Pull in the pets
If there’s an office dog, cat or even goldfish; pulling in the pets can bring a smile to everyone’s face when they receive their personalised card. Pets can soften even the coldest of hearts, so if there’s any particular baa-humbugs on the Christmas list, even they may be thawed enough to break a smile. Besides, it will cause a huge sigh of relief from the staff that they don’t have to have their mug shot sent out to all of their customers.
As animals are tricky customers, just ensure you’ve prepared yourself with our tips and tricks on animal photography.
Bring out the Elf on the Shelf
For a shy team sometimes it’s best to leave the photos to the toys.
Whether it’s the classic Elf on the Shelf or another suitably festive toy; placing them in different scenarios around the office can be the cause of much laughter and fun. Eating all the Christmas chocolates, hanging the baubles on the tree, or taking part in an office meeting – there’s so many scenarios to choose from, you’ll probably have the most fun! Plus, toys are often much easier to coax into poses than a rowdy team of office workers.
Share a moment
Rather than those awkwardly posed photos of tinsels around necks and novelty hats, encourage the team to take part in an activity. From decorating the tree, sitting down for a big Christmas feast, or playing a game.
Getting everyone to be at ease during the process can make for some truly natural photos, that give a better impression than a forced smile that looks as fake as last years tree.
Creative Cardboard cut-outs
For camera shy team’s cardboard cut-outs can help to disguise their embarrassment at being put in the spotlight once again.
But these creative cover-ups can also enable them to add a theme into their photos without looking overly naff. Covering their faces with famous faces from festive film classics will certainly bring an element of Christmas joy to the shoot, and create some fantastic snaps that are sure to make it onto social media.
