Last month, I got the incredible opportunity to work with Google and run their employee headshot photography refresh! As a special thank you for all the hard work they do, Google brought their various Cloud team members located throughout the nation onsite to their Chicago headquarters. It was a few fun-filled days of bonding, collaboration, and strategic planning this summer. And, of course, lots of headshots! 

Google’s Offsite Sessions

With so many remote employees, Google held three separate Offsite Sessions. Everyone got together in-person for the first time since the pandemic (a nice change from seeing each other on Google Meet)! 

The Cloud team members who traveled in from all over the country got to experience our Chicago summer (the best time of year, in my opinion)! They were gifted an Architectural Boat Tour, patio happy hours, and fabulous dinners out in the West Loop. 

During the daytime, Google held inspiring keynotes, synergetic working sessions, and a Headshot Refresh Station for their colleagues. I had the exciting opportunity to host the Headshot Refresh Station for all three Offsite Sessions! 

Headshot Refresh Setup

Each Offsite had two full days of headshots since there were so many employees attending each event. I invited my wonderful friend and talented photographer Kambua Chema to join me so we could capture double the number of headshots per day! We set up the Headshot Refresh Station on the first level of the Google Chicago Fulton Market office, an impeccably-designed coworking space with lots of window light. 

Every employee was given two lifestyle headshots cropped from the waist up – one traditional and a second that was a bit more relaxed/casual. The headshots were a gift for employees to use however they’d like! Many of them used the portraits to update their internal and LinkedIn profiles.

To make things fun, I brought a speaker with me and played music throughout the day.  Google supplied all the picture-day essentials – a mirror, hairspray and mini combs (just like we would get in grade school!) – to help everyone look their best. It was a fantastic six days of headshots, and the energy brought by each Googler truly lit me up! 

The Headshot Refresh Station was a very well-received gift to employees, and we heard such wonderful feedback from the teams. It’s such a great idea for other companies to provide for their employees! I loved having the opportunity to come in and run the Offsite Sessions; it’s a wonderful option for any company who doesn’t have an in-house photographer. 

If you’re in need of new headshot photography, let’s chat! I would be so happy to work with you, your company, and your employees. Follow me on Instagram for posts, announcements, and updates!