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RUDENKO PHOTOGRAPHYBOOK
STORY | AMSTERDAM

An Office Headshot Day, Then a Full-House Talk

By Aleksandria Rudenko | Published 1 November 2026

Office headshot of a woman with long black hair and round glasses, arms crossed and smiling in a gray turtleneck against a warm backdrop

At a quarter past ten, the first colleague sat down in front of my camera. In all, around fifty people from a software company’s Amsterdam office came by, one after another. Their office headshot day ended with a talk in front of a full room.

Days like this are what my business photography in Amsterdam is made for: one place, one light and one look for the whole team.

One Warm Backdrop for Everyone

We worked against one warm, sand-colored backdrop all day, with a stool for anyone who preferred to sit. Among the first that morning were a man in a plaid shirt and a woman in a teal blazer. After that, the rhythm hardly changed: a short chat, a few frames, then the next person.

Bald man with a dark beard laughing on a stool in a blue plaid shirt, one of the first headshots of the day against a sand-colored backdrop
Woman with long dark waves and glasses in a teal blazer over a pink top, seated with her hands folded and a gentle smile
The first hour, around 10:20

Headshots Through the Day

On an office headshot day, many people dread their turn. So I keep each one short and light. While I work, I talk about their weekend, their team or the coffee. Somewhere in that chat the real smile appears, and that is the headshot I keep. One colleague with long hair simply raised two peace signs, and of course I kept that one too.

Man with long dark hair grinning and flashing two peace signs in a gray sweatshirt, a playful moment on the office headshot day
Two peace signs, 10:35

Everyone looks different on the same backdrop, and that is the point. Glasses, gray curls, an orange sweater: the clothes of an ordinary Wednesday made each portrait personal.

Woman with curly graying hair, round glasses and red lipstick, a black V-neck sweater over a rust-red top, smiling warmly in a headshot
Man with dark hair and stubble laughing on a stool in a beige crew-neck sweater, hands on his knees, during the office headshot day
Man in clear-framed glasses and a bright orange sweater, seated with his hands clasped, smiling calmly against a soft backdrop

Arms Crossed, Hands on Hips

For variety, I ask for small changes: sitting, then standing, then arms crossed or hands on the hips. Some people relax right away. Others need a joke first, and that is fine, because the joke shows in their eyes. After a short break around one, the line of colleagues kept coming until three.

Woman with long brown hair in a burgundy corduroy dress with white buttons, arms crossed and a quiet smile in an office headshot
Bearded man in a green sweatshirt laughing with his arms crossed, leaning toward the camera from his stool against a warm wall
Young woman in a black bouclé jacket with gold buttons over a burgundy turtleneck, one hand in her pocket, a standing headshot at the office
Bald man with a gray beard in a small-check pink shirt, hands on his hips and a warm smile, an afternoon headshot at the office
Man in thin glasses and a blue and white floral shirt, hands on his hips and grinning at the camera in front of a light backdrop

One backdrop and one light give a team page that looks calm and consistent, however different the people are.

Woman with a dark wavy bob laughing on a stool in a brown sleeveless top and jeans, hands on her knees and a watch on her wrist
Man with salt-and-pepper hair in a gray turtleneck and dark blazer with an elbow patch, arms crossed in a calm office headshot
Woman with long auburn hair and red earrings in a gray sweater, arms loosely crossed and a slight smile against the warm backdrop

From the Backdrop to a Full Room

Just after three, the office changed character. Rows of blue chairs filled the event space, two big screens lit up, and soon the rows were full. Some people even stood by the stairs. For this part, I switched from portraits to reportage: speakers mid-sentence, listeners leaning in, laughter in the back rows.

Speaker in a gray sweater talking with his hands beside a lectern, rows of colleagues listening on a parquet floor in a bright office
The event space, 15:18

Meanwhile, the winter sun came straight through the tall windows. I worked with it: a bright floor, soft shadows and a glow around the speakers.

Two speakers in front of a big screen, one listening with a hand on his chin while the other explains with both hands raised
A full room of colleagues on blue chairs, framed posters on the walls and a screen above, some laughing as the talk goes on

The Last Headshot of the Day

After the talk, people stayed to chat by the windows. Three colleagues laughed into the low sun, and two others stood together for one more frame.

Three colleagues grinning by a sunny window after the talk, one in heart-shaped red glasses, low winter sun flaring into the lens
Two colleagues side by side by the windows, one in a colorful knit cardigan and one in a red sweater, both smiling at the camera

Then one more colleague stepped in front of a plain white wall at twenty to four, first in a fleece jacket and then in the plaid shirt underneath. He was the last of around fifty.

Man with a short beard in a plaid shirt over a white T-shirt, smiling against a plain white wall, the last headshot of the day
A plain white wall, 15:41

Planning fresh portraits for your own team? Discover how my business photography in Amsterdam works.