As a professional photographer who has done THOUSANDS of headshots in her lifetime it seems odd to me that many people still can't see the difference between a good one and a bad one. I realize that using light properly is my business and so it should be more obvious to me than to others, but I sometimes think people believe that ANY photo of their face will work. I log in to my LinkedIn page and pull up my contacts (you know that screen that asks you if you want to connect with anyone who ever knew anyone that you knew?) and I see every type of bad business portrait imaginable. Try it. They may not all be as bad as the WORST REALTOR HEADSHOTS shown here but they are every level of blurry, dark, and distracting you can imagine.
And small business owners seem to be the biggest victims. As a small business owner I understand how tempting it is to stretch every dollar and avoid every unnecessary expense but trust me, a good business headshot is the last place you want to scrimp. And compared to paying the accountant and the tax bill, good headshots are not even that expensive!
Here are a couple of things to look for in a good business portrait:
1. Light in the eyes. Photographers call them catchlights, and you need them. Without catchlights eyes look flat and dead. And we're not talking about the neon green glow from your cellphone flash, we're talking about a tiny reflection that shows the direction the light is coming from.
2. A neutral or non-distracting background. Not the Christmas tree. Not the sports bar where your friend whipped out a cell phone and kind of got you in focus. Not your cubicle with post it notes all over the walls. A neutral background draws attention to your face. And depending on the industry you're in, this can change. Light bright backgrounds work great for the tech industry, for example.
3. Relaxed, confident body language. This is actually as important to a good headshot as your smile. Making eye contact with the camera, leaning in instead of leaning back and keeping your chin down will help you look confident. Your shoulders tell a story, too. You want to look yourself on your very best day, so pay attention to your body language.
For a little more than $200 you can let us worry about all the details. We'll even have a hair and makeup artist available to give you the perfect finishing touch (additional fee) and then of course, there's Photoshop.
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