(and why it’s important yours are up to date)
Headshots and profile photographs are one of those things in life that you love to hate. Whether you’re a self employed entrepreneur or you work in a corporate job, you need pictures of yourself, but the process of having them taken can be painful, so we tend to put if off.
Up to date headshots are however, very important. When my partner and I were buying our house, we were shocked by the difference in how the estate agents we met looked in person as opposed to their photographs on the bins and bus stops in the area that were clearly taken in the late 90s. Having people meet you and be flawed by the difference in how you actually look as compared to your out of date photos is not a great selling point.
Profile pictures have all manner of uses, including: your website ‘about’ page, your whatsapp profile, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, to accompany magazine articles, on speaker line up announcements, CV’s, annual reports, business cards and, if you’re a real estate agent, on bus stops and roadside adverts.
I’ve often had meetings with people I’ve not actually met before. To be able to pick out that person in a crowded coffee shop because you’ve seen a great profile picture of them as opposed to tentatively asking each person who’s sitting alone if they are they are there to meet with you is very helpful (and saves embarrassment on all sides).
If you’re on the hunt for a new job, prospective employers want to see what you look like. We’re a judgemental lot and being able to see if a prospective employee looks like they’ll fit in with the company vibe is important. If you’re clever about this, you can do some research and make sure you get shots taken that do exactly this ;).
Your headshots don’t have to be boring and passport picture-esque. It goes without saying that your images should reflect your personality, I make sure the images I take do just that. They will be best on a plain background though so you are the focus of the image. (You can see more images from this shoot here).
If you have a vocation that can be brought across with the addition of props, then by all means include said items. The lady in the image above is a comedienne and this photograph was used for a poster to promote her one woman show. (You can see more images from this shoot here).
If you’re using your profile pictures to advertise events or online training, it’s very useful to have images taken with space to one side to add text. Studio portraits with a plain background are ideal for this sort of thing and make adding the text in yourself very easy.
Up to date, professionally shot headshots speak volumes to your prospective clients and employers. They let the people you work with (and might work with in future) know that you care about what you do and how you are perceived. Your online profile picture might be the first point of contact someone has with you or your brand. The first impression someone has of you could influence whether that person takes the next step to work with you, or not.
If you’re in need of some new studio headshots, my shoot fees start from R1500. Get in touch with me here and we can chat further.
If a location shoot with more variety would suit you better, you can find out more about personal branding shoots here.