Headshots More Important Than Ever
Please don't be offended but please no Headshot with a toilet in the backdrop... those make me cringe! The other ones that find me scratching my head are the one with a tree limb coming out of the ear... and lastly the wedding photo with the X cropped out. These don't work for headshots and especially if you're a business owner. You know what it silently says? It says several things and I will keep those to myself because none of it is good.
Now as a photographer you could say my opinion might be coming from a select point of view but to be honest if a potential client reaches out and I think they have a great picture I'll tell them there is no need to hire me. I only take jobs we can improve on and that's just a fact.
With online profiles the first contact your business has its more important than ever to having a professional and quality headshots. It is crucial and expected in the business world! There are many reasons to hire a professional and today here are the top 4 tips for a professional headshot.
1. Professionalism Everything we do is based on credibility and professionalism. Potential clients, investors and collaborators who find you online, either on LinkedIn or website or social media are more likely to take you seriously and see you as the professional. Don't let your competition have a better headshot than you!
2. First Impressions matter and you have only 6 seconds of meeting or being seen? Put your best foot forward. It's like that old saying we judge a book by it's cover. Think about the last magazine you picked up. Did you pick it up because of the words or the picture? Now unless you are the only one in your category of work then you have nothing to worry about. Go ahead and use that old high school photo or that 15 year wedding photo... but if your ideal client/customer can go to someone else, get them to come to you.
3. Personality and Confidence both of these will give your potential customer an idea of who you are. A great smile can go a long way and showing confidence says you have their best interest. We recommend a stylist to help with clothing because this can make or break your photo as well as a professional makeup and hair stylist. Both of these lend into your confidence and that we can't photoshop in! A great profile photo on your website, LinkedIn, social media will set you apart from the competition. How many people cut out a shot of them from a wedding with their arm around an ex. Usually it’s a grainy cropped photo of the person in a tux, this is not a good way to show who you are or what you are about. I’m also always shocked at how many people don’t even have a photo up on LinkedIn. Remember, it is your first line of introduction, make it great
4. Branding there is a lot of talk now about branding your image. Many people think of branding as something only for a large company but it is also applicable to individuals. I hear all of the time that someone works for a large company but the company won’t pay for their headshot. I am always shocked to go in and pull up a nationally branded company on LinkedIn and see their employees linked with headshots that are all over the place, inconsistent, non-existent or just terrible. When you use a terrible image you are saying many things to your potential customer.
The cut outs at weddings, no profile shot at all, some against a wall shot with a smartphone and the one I cringe the most is shot in the bathroom with a toilet tank in the background... Insert your own cringe.
Can you imagine pulling up a company profile, seeing the drop down of their employees and seeing them ALL look professional. Don’t you think this is a HUGE value for the company image? After all, a company is made up of its people, wouldn’t you want your company to show well on your website?
Your photographer should ask how your photo will be used and it’s for this very reason. You would hate to spend all of that time and effort to end up with a vertical photo that needed to be horizontal to fit your website. A professional photographer is going to ask a few key questions to make sure you are getting the most out for your photo. This is more than just an image. This type of image is going to work for you and a professional photographer is going to do their job and create an image to best serve your business.
Even top magazines like Forbes has great articles on why headshots are so important now more than ever! The Forbes tips has a great sample of some headshots I have seen... I bet you have too!