Professional Photography Business Headshots: Match Production’s NYC Executive Portrait Process
Key Takeaways
Professional business headshots typically require 10–15 minutes of camera time per executive at our Times Square studio or on-location in Manhattan.
Match Production offers same-day headshots in NYC, with 24–48 hour turnaround for final retouched images and polished professional photos.
Corporate headshot sessions range from Individual Standard Sessions at USD 600 to Corporate Mini Sessions at USD 1449.
Executive portraits can be created in studio, on location across NYC boroughs, or remotely with our mobile setup, delivering cohesive imagery for your company website and broader brand presence.
Traditional professional photography for corporate clients has often meant blocking off several hours and hoping for one good head shot at the end. At Match, we’ve refined that experience so your professional photography business headshots feel strategic, not stressful.
Every person who steps in front of our camera gets a streamlined, repeatable process guided by a professional photographer and portrait photographer who works with executives every day. Each booking includes:
A pre-shoot consultation
Wardrobe and grooming guidance
A clear instruction page to share with your team, which helps subjects prepare for their headshot session, reducing confusion and ensuring they feel confident
Thoughtful retouching and post-production that respects how you truly look
We recommend solid colors, neat hair and makeup that look like you on a good day, and a quick mirror check right before we start. Ensure your hair is neat and styled before your headshot session. Practice smiling naturally before your headshot session to achieve a genuine expression. The idea is simple: professional business headshots that help you walk into the business world with more confidence and a good first impression—without adding chaos to your calendar.
What Professional Business Headshots Deliver for NYC Executives
In Manhattan’s competitive business world, professional business headshots aren’t “nice to have” any more—they’re part of your communication strategy. High-quality headshots can enhance your visibility and credibility in professional networks like LinkedIn.
Your photos need to work across:
LinkedIn and every major profile photo
Press releases, features, and conference materials
Your company website, team page, and investor decks
A skilled headshot photographer understands how to create a setting, pose, and background that line up with your goals. For most corporate headshots, a clean, neutral backdrop keeps the focus on the person, not the wall. This type of background ensures that the subject remains the center of attention, enhancing the professional quality of the image. The best background for corporate headshots is often a solid, neutral color that doesn't distract from the subject. That’s how professional headshots help you stand out in a crowded online world while clearly signaling that you’re a professional.
We also see a big difference between executive portraits and standard team headshots:
Team headshots focus on visual consistency—same lighting, same style, cohesive grid on the site.
Executive portraits pay closer attention to leadership presence and personal brand: how you show up as the face of the company, whether you’re a Fortune 500 CEO, a law firm partner, or a small business founder.
Executives tend to underestimate how much their profile photo and headshots speak before they do. One thing we hear often is, “I’ve been using a few selfies from events for years, and they never quite felt right.” Not everyone loves being photographed, but the right professional photographer can make the process feel more like a conversation and less like a spotlight.
The impact is very real:
Lawyers building a practice
Consultants pitching new business
Executives presenting to a board or investors
All tell us that updated professional photos gave them extra confidence and helped shape a strong first impression before any meeting or Zoom started.
We’re also realistic about real-life offices. People get pulled into calls, Slack pings, and last-minute fires. We stay flexible during headshot sessions, sliding people in and out as needed and keeping things moving so the work environment—and your team—can keep doing their job.
Match Production’s Times Square Studio Process
Our Times Square studio makes professional photography business headshots feel predictable, fast, and calm—even if it’s your first time in front of the camera in years.
We usually book 30-minute or 1-hour slots, with 15–20 minutes of actual camera time per person once the lights and framing are set. Some executives warm up in 4–5 minutes; some prefer a bit longer. We build breathing room in either direction.
Before You Arrive
The process starts before you walk in the door. We’ll talk through:
How your business headshots will be used (LinkedIn, company site, press, conference materials)
Preferred style and background (neutral, textured, brighter, more dramatic)
Any visual standards or brand guidelines your company already follows
This pre-shoot planning helps us create lighting, posing, and angles that make sense for your role and your brand. It’s also helpful if you share any existing imagery or internal guidelines ahead of time—more context lets us dial in the look more precisely.
You’ll receive a prep guide that includes wardrobe options, hair and makeup tips, and a few simple reminders about posture and facial expression. For some people, even reading this article before they arrive makes the whole experience feel more familiar.
Behind the scenes, we keep refining our headshot sessions and photography workflows, maintaining our Google Business Profile, and sharing selected images in this blog so clients can see how we work long before they book.
During the Shoot
Once you’re in the studio, our job is to let you stop thinking about the camera. We create a comfortable environment during shoots to help clients relax and achieve natural expressions.
We’ll help adjust jackets, smooth shirts, and align tie knots so the details don’t distract. Then we guide small changes in pose and head position—turn a little, drop the shoulder, tilt the head slightly, relax the jaw—so the photos feel natural rather than stiff.
We shoot in short bursts to catch authentic expressions rather than forced smiles. We’ll ask you to smile with and without teeth, and we’ll watch how your expression changes when you’re talking about something you care about. Those micro-moments are often where your best images and shots live.
One technique you’ll probably hear from us is the “turtle trick”: gently reaching your head toward the camera while keeping your shoulders back. It quietly defines the jawline and minimizes a double chin without looking strange.
Our lighting setups combine soft key light and subtle accent light to flatter your features. We keep the technical part invisible so you can focus on showing up as yourself. Think of us as a guide rather than a director giving orders—direction is there, but we keep it light. Lighting setup is crucial for corporate headshots, with a focus on key and kicker lights to enhance the subject's features.
We encourage natural, polished grooming—hair that you recognize, not a completely new person—and a level of makeup that looks like you on your best workday. Throughout the shoot, we check in and adjust so the whole experience feels collaborative and human.
A Real Example
Recently, we photographed a VP at a financial services company who needed updated executive portraits for a board presentation and a feature on the company website.
Total time in the studio: 18 minutes
Color-corrected proofs: delivered within two hours
Retouched final image set: delivered by the next morning
She later told us the pictures made her feel more at home in the deck, and she did receive the promotion she’d been working toward. We hear even more comments like, “I finally have headshots I actually like,” which is our favorite kind of feedback.
Real-Time Review
We shoot tethered to a large monitor so you can see the photos as we go. This allows clients to provide immediate feedback and ensures that the final images align with their expectations. Together, we refine:
Pose and angle
Expression and smile
Cropping and background
If something doesn’t feel like you, we change it on the spot. This live review means you don’t leave hoping there’s one great professional headshot in the card somewhere—you leave knowing we captured the final image you need for your business.
It also makes the whole process feel more like a collaborative studio visit and less like being “photographed at.” For many people who don’t love the camera, that sense of control and partnership matters.
On-Location Headshots Across Manhattan and NYC Boroughs
For leadership groups and larger teams, it’s often easier if we bring the studio to your office.
Our on-location corporate headshots use a mobile setup with:
Professional lighting
Backdrop systems
Full camera and tethering gear
We regularly travel to Manhattan offices, Brooklyn headquarters, and other NYC boroughs when clients prefer to stay in their own space. A conference room, open hallway, or lobby corner with around 8x10 feet of space is usually enough to build a clean, polished setup.
We handle the logistics—coordinating with building security, timing load-in with elevators, and planning around busy periods—to minimize disruption. If the building needs an early check-in, we adjust.
Beyond neutral backdrops, we can also create environmental portraits that feature your real space: a law firm boardroom, a tech startup’s collaborative workspace, or even a production floor. In those pictures, the office becomes part of the story.
Because on-location work includes travel and setup, rates typically run 30–50% above studio bookings. For many executives and leadership groups, the ability to stay on-site and keep meetings moving makes that tradeoff worth it.
Remote and Hybrid Headshot Solutions
Not every team works in the same building—or even the same city.
Our remote and hybrid headshot sessions are built for executives working from home offices or distributed teams who still need consistent professional headshots and corporate headshots.
We bring studio-style lighting and portable backdrops to locations across NYC boroughs and nearby areas, recreating the same look we use at the Times Square studio. That way:
Remote images match your existing business headshots
Website grids feel cohesive instead of pieced together
Hybrid teams look like one unified organization instead of three different “worlds”
In practical terms, we simply need enough room for lights, background, and a bit of breathing space, plus access to power. We handle transport, setup, and breakdown, typically completing a remote session in 45–60 minutes including travel inside Manhattan.
For companies managing ongoing hybrid work, we can also design recurring headshot sessions for new hires so everyone—from C-suite to new manager—has professional photos that make sense on the company website and internal platforms.
Corporate Team Headshots and Group Sessions
Corporate headshots for a larger group require a slightly different rhythm than one-on-one executive portraits.
Once the lighting and framing are set, a typical on-site booking can comfortably photograph 5–10 people per hour, depending on wardrobe changes and how much variety you want in each person’s shots. Each person still receives:
Individual pose coaching
Attention to facial expression and posture
Multiple images to choose from
We usually organize sign-up slots via a shared calendar so people can pick a time that fits around their meetings. That keeps the day moving and makes sure no one spends their morning sitting in a hallway waiting to be photographed.
For larger groups, we may split the work across multiple days or bring extra crew to run parallel setups. Our Corporate Mini Session at USD 1449 is ideal for up to five people in leadership or a specific department. Bigger groups often shift into Corporate Standard or Enhanced options so we can maintain quality without rushing anyone.
Whether we’re working with a board of directors, a founding group, or a new leadership team, the goal is the same: consistent, elevated headshots that feel like they belong together.
Investment and Package Options
Professional photography business headshots are an investment in both your personal presence and your company’s long-term brand. These services typically include options for customized backdrops and wardrobe selections, ensuring the final images align with your professional goals.
Our Individual Standard Session at USD 600 is designed around most executive needs:
About an hour in the studio
Time for multiple outfits and looks
Four fully retouched images ready for LinkedIn, press, your company website, and more
For corporate groups, our tiered headshot sessions keep things clear:
Corporate Mini Session (USD 1449) – for up to five people
Corporate Standard and Enhanced – for larger groups, custom schedules, or more extensive retouching and usage
Clear, tiered pricing packages (basic, standard, premium) cater to varying budgets and increase sales opportunities
We often work with both large organizations and growing small business owners who want their visual presence to feel as considered as the rest of their business.
Every package includes:
Unlimited usage rights for business applications—no licensing math later
High-resolution files for print and web
Subtle but effective retouching that smooths skin, balances color, and corrects minor distractions while preserving the real person in front of the camera
Delivery is built for NYC timing:
Color-corrected proofs: within 24 hours
Final images with retouching: within 48 hours for standard bookings
Same-day delivery options: available at premium rates for time-sensitive press or announcements
For companies with regular hiring or frequent promotions, annual retainers can make everything easier: consistent pricing, priority scheduling, and one point of contact for every future headshot need.
Booking Your Executive Portrait Session
To book professional photography business headshots with us, email hello@match-production.com with:
Your preferred dates and times
Whether you’re booking for one person or a group
Location preference (Times Square, on-site office, or remote)
Any urgent deadlines or upcoming announcements
From there, we recommend the best option—individual, corporate headshots, or a hybrid plan—and outline timelines that make sense.
Typical lead times:
About one week for individual executives
2–3 weeks for corporate groups
3–4 weeks during peak seasons (annual reports, big conferences, end-of-year planning)
We know calendars shift, so when we can, we do our best to fit in last-minute head shot bookings for urgent needs.
Once everything is confirmed, we’ll send:
Wardrobe and grooming advice
Arrival details for the Times Square studio
Logistics for on-location or hybrid sessions
We use a clear, legally binding agreement that outlines services, fees, timelines, and usage rights. Our job is to remove friction so you can focus on your actual job.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far in advance should I book my corporate headshot session in NYC?
For an individual professional headshot, we suggest booking 1–2 weeks ahead. For team or department headshot sessions, 2–3 weeks is ideal. During busy times (quarterly reporting, conference season), 3–4 weeks gives more flexibility. We keep a few last-minute spots open for urgent media or internal announcements.
What should executives wear for professional headshots at your Times Square studio?
Choose outfits that reflect your role and the business context where the photos will live. Solid colors are key—they photograph cleaner than heavy patterns and keep attention on your face. Bring 2–3 options if you can: for example, one darker jacket, one lighter top, and a variation in neckline. Avoid all-white or all-black without any contrast, as it can flatten detail on camera. If you normally wear glasses, wear them, just make sure they’re clean.
After booking, we send a wardrobe guide with color suggestions and simple notes on hair, neckline, and accessories. We also share a few examples of how a great professional headshot can feature your personality while still feeling very professional.
Can you accommodate same-day headshot requests for press or urgent business needs?
Yes. We maintain limited same-day headshot availability for urgent press, internal announcements, and key leadership changes. These bookings are priced at a premium, but you still receive the same studio experience, careful lighting, and delivery timeline we’re known for. If a journalist calls and you suddenly need professional headshots or executive portraits, we’re used to that pace.
Do you travel outside Manhattan for on-location corporate headshots?
We regularly photograph corporate headshots across all five NYC boroughs and nearby areas. Travel, setup, and breakdown are included in the on-location rates. Share your address, timing, and approximate head count, and we’ll confirm what’s possible. Whether your team sits in Midtown, DUMBO, Long Island City, or an outer-borough office, we can build a mobile setup that feels like a compact version of the studio.
What file formats and sizes do you deliver for business headshots?
We deliver high-resolution JPEG files optimized for print, website use, and social platforms. Typically you’ll receive:
Full-resolution files for press and print
Cropped images optimized for LinkedIn and similar platforms
Web-ready versions sized for your site and company website
All packages include unlimited usage rights for your organization, so you can post, print, and update as needed without revisiting licensing or paying per use.
How do your photos compare to doing it ourselves?
We know it’s tempting to rely on that one decent phone shot, a few selfies, or a quick snapshot from a company event. But in the corporate and business world, a consistent set of professional business headshots sends a very different message than a mixed grid of casual pictures. A skilled photographer can shape lighting, pose, and facial expression in a way that other photographers—or DIY attempts—simply don’t always match. In the long run, professional headshots tend to feel more timeless and make more sense for the way you want people to see you.
I hope this article gives you a clearer sense of how we approach professional photography business headshots in New York. If you’d like to see more examples or read more comments from recent clients, you’ll find plenty throughout this blog and on our Match Production site—and of course, we’re always happy to answer additional questions before you book.
By Lisa,
making Manhattan executives look camera-ready since our first Times Square studio setup.
