Why Headshots are so important

Headshots are simple right?

It’s not quite as simple as it looks and it really is a true reflection of who you are and what your business is all about.

It’s not 1990 anymore and the power pose with your arms crossed with a simple white or black background will actually push your clientele away from you instead of towards you.

Subconscious thoughts

You probably don’t give much attention to other people’s headshots, but your subconscious is making notes and either making connections from the picture to what they do or not making the connection at all (which is NOT good if you want to truly show an accurate representation of yourself and your business).

Here’s an example: I recently saw a headshot of someone who was sitting on the floor in their kitchen, this person is a professional, in a professional world and does well for themselves but I immediately was turned away by it because to me, it didn’t say professional. That would be appropriate for someone maybe who is a blogger or an influencer of sorts. Not for someone who is working in a professional industry. This isn’t something you might think aloud, especially if you aren’t a photographer, but these thoughts happen in your subconscious and will either prompt you to click, or not to click on their profile or business page.

WHAT HEADSHOTS SHOULD INCLUDE

1. Do you know how important clothes play a role in telling your personal/ brand? Think Coca Cola, they have their branding, their branding colors, those colors together along with the font of Coca Cola make you think of the pop immediately (and also polar bears). Your clothes can do the same for you. Think of your clothes an extension of your brand. Who you are when you show up for work is extremely important and you want to show that in your photos. Another example of this is how companies have uniforms, it’s a representation of their brand.
2. Hair and makeup / Hairstyle (for men). This plays a huge role in photographs. It might seem minor but makeup is like photography styles (like how the power pose isn’t in style anymore) makeup trends come and go. If you are unsure of how to do your makeup, it’s important that you get a makeup artist that can accent your natural features without making you into someone else. This is about showing your best self, putting your best foot forward and the makeup not being distracting. All these points also apply to hair! The other part of this is that makeup too, on camera can look extremely different, be sure check that your makeup artist knows to use the products that look best on camera.
3. Posing specific for your business persona. This is probably the most important point here. Posing used to be 50% of photography (think hollywood glamour) but it’s almost non existent except for in the fashion world. Yet, it is incredibly important to know that you look your best in photographs and posing plays a big part in this. You want a photographer who knows how to pose you, your body type and is aware of the physical features you want to accent or downplay. That’s it!

Headshots shouldn't take 10 minutes.

If your headshots are taken in about 10-20 minutes or less, there's a very good chance they aren't accurately representing you or giving you the value you need for your business. Would you want these images printed out on a huge banner for a presentation, talk or conference you’re hosting?

Your headshots shouldn’t look dated in one year. If you haven’t changed much physically. Your head shots should last you approximately 1-2 years. Even longer if your physical body doesn’t change much, or your business hasn’t changed their branding. However, that being said, you should rotate your headshots approximately once a year. It brings attention to your business when people see something different, even if it’s the same clothes on a different backdrop or a change in pose.

I hope that the above information helps your business grow. I absolutely love offering personal branding sessions because I want to help other business’s grow and to give business owners images that they really love and are professional, but not dated!

If you are in need of head shots for your business, all of my sessions include professional hair, makeup, wardrobe styling as well as posing specific to your body type. Contact me today to to set up your session! www.miriambulcher.com

[email protected] | 608-622-722