I need a new head shot.

I need a new business portrait.

I need a new head shot.

Now what?

Whether you have decided that your business profile needs an upgrade or refreshment or the boss has said “You need to get a portrait done” you need to think about the next step.

Really! You do. I know, because I’m speaking from experience.

It was 1992 or 93 when I got the phone call; “Congratulations, you are one of the five finalists for the Ontario portrait photographer of the year. I need a black and white negative of you by tomorrow. Courier it to me!” In shock from cloud nine I got out the words “But, I don’t have one.” The answer – “You have 24 hours to get one.”

What did I do?

Like most people I contacted a photographer and said “I need a business portrait – quick.” In my case it was my friend Gerard and that night in my studio he made several exposures of me. Like most people I looked at the images and picked the one I liked best and that was the one that was used. (Side note: No, I didn’t win but it was an honour to see my portrait on the wall with the other finalists at the convention.)

But, isn’t that what most of us do – get a number of images and show them to family and friends saying what one should I use? From my experience as a photographer I know it is.

A few years ago I had another portrait done. This time was different. It began with the thought “This is my business image. What do I want that to be?” You are the face of your business. What does that face look like? Is it the image you want the public to see? I began with thinking of the kind of reputation I wanted. Then I considered comments from clients of their experience dealing with me.

So what did I consider? What is the message I want to send to perspective clients? What makes my creations different than most other photographers?

•       I’m an introvert.
•       I’m serious.
•       I don’t believe that big smiles are necessary in a portrait.
•       The eyes are the window to the soul.
•       The most important smile is the one on the viewer when they see the image.
•       Does the portrait create a mood or start a conversation?
•       I want the best for every client.
•       I care about every client.
•       Your portrait is as much a reflection of me as it is you.

I had clients tell me that I would “zone out” and they felt I wasn’t with them. I started explaining to people that if I seem to be “zoning out” I was creating their portrait in my mind because I first had to know what the finished portrait was going to look like so that I knew where to place the lights, the camera, and how to direct them in the session. I wanted my portrait to show that depth of thought.

With that in mind, this is the portrait I chose.

In the New Year I will be updating my portrait. In the past year I had to shave my beard off and I haven’t re-grown it. I have always loved paintings by the “Old Dutch Masters” as well as the black and white work of great photographers like Yousuf Karsh and Ansel Adams. In addition I have changed my “elevator speech” or tag line to just 3 words: “I illustrate personalities.” My goal is to get a new portrait that reflects and illustrates these changes. Stay tuned.

My advice; if you’re in the market for a new portrait I would suggest giving some serious thought to how this image is going to compliment your branding and business image. Will your image only show people what you look like or will it tell them what kind of person you are and give them a reason to want to do business with you?

I’m John Mitchell and I illustrate personalities.