Company photos and corporate photography rarely become outdated overnight. But there are always subtle signs. The good news: There are clear moments when updating your company photos is truly worthwhile.
The problem: In everyday life, outdated company photos hardly stand out, because you rarely see your own website through someone else’s eyes. But for your customers and job applicants, a photo is often the first impression they get of your company.
At Pathfinder Studios, we have spent 18 years supporting industrial companies, mid-sized companies and public-sector organisations with corporate films and corporate photography. With 450+ clients, we have repeatedly observed the same eight moments when images suddenly no longer reflect reality. Number 8 happens more often than you might think!
Table of Contents
- When Corporate Photography Becomes Outdated – 8 Signs
- 1. Your corporate design has changed
- 2. There has been a change in management
- 3. The team on your “About Us” page no longer exists
- 4. New machines, new products – old presentation
- 5. The website is getting a relaunch, but the images aren’t
- 6. An anniversary is coming up
- 7. The job postings depict a work environment that no longer exists
- 8. The company has a new location
- Case Study: How the Hoesch Group Updated Its Corporate Film and Company Photos Instead of Replacing Them
- Self-Check: How up-to-date are your company photos?
- Conclusion: Small Updates, Big Impact
- Frequently Asked Questions About Corporate Photography
When Corporate Photography Becomes Outdated – 8 Signs
1. Your corporate design has changed
A new logo, new corporate colours, a new font – or simply a website relaunch. The result: The new website looks fresh, but the photos on it still show workwear, vehicles and signs in the old style. It looks as if the relaunch were only half finished.
Signs you need an update: The old logo appears in your photos – for example on polo shirts, company cars or the building.
What you can do: In most cases, we recommend shooting new photos and footage for your corporate film or recruitment video. In some cases, it’s also worth digitally replacing the logo.
Tip: It’s best to schedule the photo shoot right after the new corporate identity is rolled out, once workwear, signage and vehicles have been updated.
2. There has been a change in management
A new management team is the signal for a new direction. If images of the previous leadership are still circulating on the website, in press releases and on LinkedIn, it creates a contradictory impression. Journalists and business partners, in particular, often rely on existing material.
Signs you need an update:
- The press is asking for photos, but all you have are mobile phone snapshots or the passport photo from your personnel file.
- You upload the portrait photos of the new management team to the website and notice a discrepancy between the “old” and “new” photos.
Tip: In addition to the classic business portrait, have photos taken of you in work situations: in conversation, on the production floor, with the team. These photos look the most natural and are used most often.
3. The team on your “About Us” page no longer exists
The sales representative is long gone. Three new colleagues don’t have any photos at all. A placeholder avatar sits next to real portraits. For customers, this is a small detail with a big impact: it suggests standstill – or a company that has let its public image slide.
Signs you need an update:
- When responding to inquiries, you have to explain that the person listed on the website is no longer responsible.
- Your team page appears inconsistent or incomplete.
What you can do: Decide which employees you want to feature on the website. Gather all the new employees and schedule a group photo session instead of having each person photographed individually.
Tip: Work with the photographer or video production team to establish a consistent visual style for your employee photos (background, lighting, framing). That way, you can add new colleagues later with a quick follow-up shoot without the photos looking thrown together.
4. New machines, new products – old presentation
You’ve made investments: in a new production line, a lab, a showroom. These investments, in particular, demonstrate just how innovative and capable your company is today. Often, none of this is visible in the photos.
Signs you need an update: During a sales meeting, you proudly talk about the new equipment, but the presentation shows a photo of the old one.
What you can do: Make a list of the investments made in recent years: equipment, facilities and products. Check whether they appear on your website, in sales presentations and on your trade fair stand. Anything missing goes on your shot list.
Tip: Industrial photography requires preparation: safety guidelines, production planning, lighting in large production halls. Coordinate the schedule with production management well in advance.
5. The website is getting a relaunch, but the images aren’t
A new design with old photos is like a new suit with worn-out shoes. Modern websites use large image areas, banners and landscape formats. Old photos are often too small, in the wrong format or simply too dark for this.
Signs you need an update: Your agency asks for higher-resolution images or resorts to stock photos.
What you can do: Take stock before the relaunch. Which images will be carried over, which are stock photos and which subjects are missing entirely? The result is a shot list for the web designer and photographer to agree on together.
Tip: Plan the photo shoot at the same time as the web design. Once the layout is finalised, the photographer and designer will know exactly what formats are needed.
6. An anniversary is coming up
10, 25, 50 or 100 years is a milestone you work toward for a long time. Anniversaries are the perfect opportunity to showcase the past and the present: old archival photos alongside current shots of the same places and people.
Signs you need an update: You’re planning a commemorative publication or anniversary website, and you’re missing up-to-date images.
What you can do: Go through your archives early on. Look for scenes that can be recreated today: the same hall, the same angle, today’s team. Such side-by-side comparisons bring history to life.
Tip: Combine the anniversary photo shoot with employee portraits and scenes from the workplace. This will provide material you can use for years to come, even after the celebration is over.
7. The job postings depict a work environment that no longer exists
Job seekers look closely. They want to know where they’ll be working and with whom. If the careers page shows open-plan offices that were converted long ago, or colleagues who have since left, everyone will notice this by the time they get to the interview, if not sooner.
Signs you need an update: Candidates will say during the interview, “I had imagined it differently.”
What you can do: Look at your careers page through an applicant’s eyes. Ask new employees if the photos reflected their first day on the job. Their answers will reveal which images are missing.
Tip: Show real employees in real workplaces. Authentic employer branding photos are more convincing in recruiting than any stock photo.
8. The company has a new location
A new location gives a company a whole new look. Employees look forward to the new office every day, perhaps with brighter rooms, better coworking areas or more space for deep focus. A new location is THE perfect time for new company photos, because it allows you to capture the space, the employees and the work atmosphere in the best possible light.
Production facilities and warehouses will never be this clean again, the whole team is motivated and the spaces still feel new and exciting – exactly how customers and job applicants will experience your company when they first come into contact with it.
Our long-standing client, the Hoesch Group, took this opportunity to update both the photos for the website and the corporate film for Hoesch Metallurgie GmbH.
Case Study: How the Hoesch Group Updated Its Corporate Film and Company Photos Instead of Replacing Them
Our long-standing client, the Hoesch Group, did not have its existing corporate film remade from scratch but had it updated selectively: with new photos and new footage from the new building.
The background: The Hoesch Group has been our client since 2020, and the corporate film we produced back then is still proudly in use worldwide six years later. Now the company has moved. The content of the existing corporate film remained relevant. Only the setting no longer matched reality: exterior shots, the reception area, and the offices still showed the old location.
Our solution: Instead of shooting an entirely new film, we specifically filmed and photographed individual scenes at the new location. We also featured a few new employees in the footage. The new scenes replace the old footage in the existing film, while the voice-over and overall concept remain the same. At the same time, we created a fresh photo library for the website, press and social media. You can find a selection of these images here:
The result: The new “old” film shows the company as it is today. The work already invested in the concept, interviews and editing remains intact. Only the exterior shots and aerial views of the company’s location, as well as the logistics and warehouse areas, have been replaced, and new scenes featuring the team have been added. Can you spot all the changes? 😉
Bonus – Multilingualism: The corporate film was already multilingual back then, as the Hoesch Group operates worldwide as a hidden champion. Over the years, we have expanded the corporate film step by step as needed – German, English, Portuguese (Brazilian). We have now also created a Chinese version with burnt-in subtitles so that the film can be shown to Chinese business partners at on-site meetings.
What you can take away from this: A good corporate film doesn’t have to be completely remade every time something changes. Often, it’s enough to simply replace individual scenes. This saves budget and keeps proven content alive.
Self-Check: How up-to-date are your company photos?
If you check two or more items, it’s worth taking a look at your image library.
- At least one photo still shows the old logo or the old corporate colour.
- The management team does not have a current, professional portrait.
- The team page is missing some colleagues, or it features former employees.
- New facilities, spaces or products are not pictured anywhere.
- Your website uses stock photos in key areas.
- An anniversary or major event is coming up in the next 12 months.
- Your careers page shows spaces or teams that no longer exist.
- Your company has moved, but the images and videos still show the old location.
Conclusion: Small Updates, Big Impact
Your corporate imagery doesn’t have to be constantly reinvented. It just needs to reflect reality. By keeping these eight moments in mind, you can refresh your imagery in a targeted way and preserve what’s already working well. The example of the Hoesch Group shows that often, a single photo shoot and a few new video clips are all it takes.
Our offer: the free image check. In 15 minutes, we’ll work with you to review your website, your careers page, and your LinkedIn profile. You’ll learn which images are still working for you and where an update would be worthwhile. No obligation – and as equal partners.
Frequently Asked Questions About Corporate Photography
Corporate photography, also known as business photography, includes all images a company uses to present itself both internally and externally. Pathfinder Studios photographs the following, among other things:
Business portraits of executives and management
Employee and team photos for websites and career pages
Industrial and production photography in production halls, laboratories and workshops
Architectural photography of buildings, reception areas and offices
Product photography as well as event and trade show photography
Aerial views of locations and facilities
Companies should update their corporate photos as soon as there is a visible change – whether in corporate identity, leadership, team, location, facilities or website. At Pathfinder Studios, we recommend reviewing your image library whenever any of these changes occur, rather than waiting for a set schedule.
No, a corporate film or recruitment video usually does not need to be remade after a relocation. In such cases, Pathfinder Studios selectively replaces the scenes showing the old location while retaining the concept, interviews and editing. This is how Pathfinder Studios updated the Hoesch Group’s corporate film following its relocation.
A corporate photo shoot at Pathfinder Studios follows six steps:
Preliminary consultation on goals, intended use and visual style
List of shots and schedule, coordinated with your contacts
On-site shoot
Pre-selection of the best shots together with you
Professional image editing
Delivery in the required formats for web, print and social media
The cost depends on the scope of the project: the number of subjects, the number of people, the locations and the usage rights. Pathfinder Studios lists shooting time, editing and usage rights transparently and separately in every quote.
No. Pathfinder Studios is a limited liability company (GmbH), so clients do not pay the artists’ social security levy. With freelance photographers, however, this levy may apply.
