Dani Corbett captures feelings, not furniture

Dani Corbett's relationship with coworking started when she needed somewhere to shoot headshots. As a photographer working with businesses from solo entrepreneurs to thousand-employee companies, she couldn't afford to rent a studio every time. She didn't have her own studio either.

Then she walked into Kiln in Utah and saw immediately what most coworking operators miss when photographing their own spaces: personality. Natural light. Uniqueness. Spaces that made her feel inspired the moment she stepped inside.

"Coming from a solopreneur kind of business to being able to be in coworking and have these beautiful spaces at my fingertips was life changing for my business," Dani told the Coworking Creators Summit audience.

That membership quickly turned into a partnership. Kiln now offers headshots from Lake City Photos as a member perk at multiple locations across Utah. But Dani wasn't at the summit to talk about member perks. She came to address a problem she sees constantly when looking at coworking websites: operators are showing their spaces instead of showing what it feels like to be in those spaces.

The difference matters more than most people realize.

The problem with pretty room photos

Dani got straight to the point about what she sees on most business websites, not just coworking but across industries. You see pictures of the space being empty. Or you see everyone standing there in a clearly staged group shot, faces forced into happy expressions.

"It's super posed, and it's not really showing the authenticity of your space," Dani said. "These pictures don't sell your space because they're not selling the experience."

These photos don't make people feel anything beyond maybe thinking that's a cool room or they wouldn't mind working there. But they're not seeing themselves in these spaces. They're not imagining their workday unfolding there.

If your photos aren't helping someone picture themselves in your space, you're missing the entire point.

The goal of your photos isn't just showing what the space looks like. They should show what it feels like to work there.

Your photos should help someone picture themselves in the space. They should communicate that you're building a community, that productivity happens here, and that even when people are interacting in the common area, work is getting done.

Show the comfort. Remember, many prospects are deciding between getting an office somewhere, renting a desk, or just continuing to work from home. You're competing with that home comfort, and you need to demonstrate how your space affects them directly.

Dani believes this wholeheartedly: "Photos are the first handshake with a potential member."

She focuses primarily on headshots in her work, but the same principle applies to space photography. The first time someone sees a photo, you have less than a second—significantly less than a second—to make a first impression based solely on that image.

Is that handshake, that first digital impression, going to make someone immediately want to check you out? Or will they move on to the next space without a second thought?

How photos can shape decisions

People buy with their eyes. Emotion comes first.

We all know this instinctively. You immediately either want something or don't want something. The rational process of working through that decision comes afterward.

If you have good photos showcasing what it's like to work in your space and they're bringing emotion into play, several things happen. You'll see an increase in tour bookings. People will want to check out the space in person. You'll immediately elevate your brand perception—people will look and think this is a place that's going to elevate what they're doing.

You'll attract the right members. Having someone come once, leave, and never engage deeply isn't ideal. Word of mouth drives so much growth in coworking that getting those right members becomes critical.

Your photos also give credibility to your pricing. If you're using stock photos—and Dani hopes no one is—you're undermining everything. You're selling your space and your services. Your photos need to reflect that. They need to support your pricing, or prospects will move on to the next option.

Dani stated it plainly: "If I was looking at a coworking space and I went online and there was no visuals, or very few or it looked like stock photos, I truly would just move on to the next place."

Good visuals equal more conversions. Your visuals may attract people to come in more than any words you write. Making sure you have strong visuals is critical.

What type of photos really work for coworking?

Dani has had the privilege of working extensively with Kiln—not just for headshots but shooting events for them and shooting events in their spaces that other clients hired her to photograph. She's gotten to see many different activities and moments worth highlighting.

People working: You can capture actual people working if you have members who are okay appearing in your photos. At the Kiln location where Dani works, employees will sit down for posed photos if needed. But the real gold is in the authentic moments.

Micro-moments: Focus on small things that make your space unique. Get close and personal. Coffee being poured. Someone working at their desk, their laptop slightly open. Show that natural light. Show what makes your space creative and what makes it stand out.

Community in action: Get those real interactions, not posed groups. There's a difference between quickly taking advantage of a moment when people are already gathered versus walking around tapping people on the shoulder asking them to be in a picture to show how great this part of the facility is.

Dani gave a specific example from a Kiln Thanksgiving event last year. "If you're putting time into planning an event, there is something in that event that deserves to be photographed." Make sure someone on your team is tasked with taking photos that day. You've put tons of work into creating an event. Use that instead of having to fake one later. The authenticity really helps when you're capturing real interactions.

Show your amenities: Show the value of the podcast studio, the stage, the atrium with plants, the quiet places to work. Dani still recommends putting people in those shots when possible. But even getting a close-up of the podcast mic helps people understand these amenities exist and imagine using them.

Show your team: Kiln does this exceptionally well, according to Dani. She's constantly photographing team members, and those images cycle through screens throughout the facility on slideshows. Seeing those people makes the team approachable. It makes them feel like part of your workday.

For Dani as a solopreneur who's been shooting photos for twenty years, it wasn't until she joined Kiln that she felt like she had coworkers. A huge reason for that was the actual team at her location.

Then Dani created a slide she specifically told attendees to screenshot and come back to later. The dos and don'ts of photographing your coworking space.

What you should do:

Show real people, not just backgrounds or empty rooms. Capture real emotions—natural smiles, laughter, energy, or even someone in deep work. That happens easiest when it's already at an event.

Use amenities in action. Use images to tell a story. Shoot moments that help people feel what it's like to be there.

Always remember: authenticity sells. If someone can go to your site and literally walk through your facility visually, seeing what it would look like for them to work there for the day, you're selling them a version of their workday that's most likely better than what they're currently experiencing.

What you should stop doing:

Don't showcase empty spaces. Don't show a room without people—it doesn't show anything about your community.

Don't create forced group shots. There's a time for quickly gathering people who are already together for a photo that's not a forced shot. But walking around tapping people to be in a picture to show how great your party or facility is? That's too forced.

Avoid all wide shots from the corner of a room. One thing Dani does differently than many corporate photographers is she gets in there, up close and personal. She gets to know people. It allows her to capture really intimate, emotional pictures when she's in the middle of the action.

Don't fake the vibe. Avoid overly staged setups that feel inauthentic and forgettable.

Tips for better photos when you're not a pro

Dani acknowledged that not everyone at the summit is a professional photographer. She offered practical tips that make an immediate difference.

Use natural light: This is the biggest one, hands down. If you can shoot by a window, do that. Especially if you're using a phone or equipment that's not great in low light, natural light will be your best friend.

With that, turn off overhead lights if you can. One exception: Kiln's aesthetic is the lighting. There are fifteen different light bulbs everywhere you go, and for them specifically, Dani doesn't turn off the lights because it really sells the space. Keep in mind the vibe your space brings and try to capture that.

Shoot from eye level or slightly lower for warmth: This works better for wide shots. If you're capturing a whole party, shooting from slightly lower makes it fun. If you're shooting just a person, shoot from a little higher—people tend to like pictures of themselves better that way.

Focus on moments, not perfection: Dani always struggles with this because she knows no one wants a picture of themselves talking or not smiling or looking imperfect. But when you're getting candid moments of things actually happening, you won't get perfect smiles.

The solution? Shoot ten pictures of the same interaction and pick the best one. If you're looking for a perfectly posed candid shot, you're defeating the purpose of showing authenticity.

Clean your lens: Especially if you're using your phone. We've all had moments where a photo doesn't look bold or bright, then we clean the lens and realize that was the problem.

Don't zoom in, especially on your phone: It reduces image quality. Just walk closer.

Try portrait mode: Especially for those close-up pictures like coffee being poured or keyboard details. Take whatever you're shooting over by a window and use portrait mode. You might surprise yourself with the results.

A strategy for building your photo library

Dani emphasized that you just need a plan. Lauren had talked about creating routines for content, and this applies hugely to photo shoots.

Create a schedule for how often you'll shoot. Start with one shoot per quarter if you're not doing anything yet. Four shoots a year. Capture four storylines. The first might focus on coworking itself, the second on community, then events. Don't overwhelm yourself trying to capture everything at once. Slowly build your content.

Dani tells all her clients this: the more you shoot, the more you can recycle old content. If you focus on coworking the first quarter, you'll feel like you've used all those pictures. You'll think you need another shoot. It will feel that way until you build up a portfolio of images.

Once you do, you can go back and reuse. The easiest example is a holiday shoot. Do one in November, and next November you can use those same pictures. That's the benefit of having continual content.

Use those photos everywhere—your website, social media, emails, print materials, everything. Keep them organized. Dani organizes by month and names everything by month too. Keeping things organized makes it easy to go back and draw from that content.

Dani concluded with three essential points.

First, your photos aren't just marketing. They're invitations for people to come check you out, to belong, to collaborate, and to believe in the power of the space and the people coming together.

"People don't buy desks. If they just wanted a desk, they would go to a co working space that has zero character and no community events or anything like that. They are buying the feeling of working in your space, and so you need to sell that."

Second, great photos don't need big budgets. They just need intention. Set your intention for what you're shooting, focus on that, and go from there.

Third, and most important: if your photos tell a story, they will sell your space for you.