Headshot photography gives you a professional image to use online and in the office. Your image portrays your level of expertise, experience, and character, all in a single image. Indeed, a photo is worth 1000 words, so what does yours say about you?
The Importance of Online Profile Headshots
Most people will “meet” you online before they see you face to face. Your online image is critical to making a good first impression. From your LinkedIn profile to your company web page, your image is often shown next to your qualifications – does the quality of your photo match the quality of your credentials?
Chances are, your most recent selfie doesn’t really show you’re career-driven, professional side. It is too easy for someone to click away and move on if they aren’t impressed.
Corporate headshot photography shows that you take yourself and your career seriously, and it shows a level of commitment and proficiency that you just can’t achieve with a selfie stick. To be treated like a professional, you need to look like a professional.
Why Use a Corporate Photographer?
Companies often spend a lot of time and marketing dollars on their brand logo, stationary, style guides, corporate events, and website, but what about your staff?
As the owner of a business, the face of your staff creates a visual brand. Whether intentional or not, the face of your company makes an impact on your brand in the Louisville, KY area and beyond.
Photographs of your company show what type of business you are, the type of friend you’ll be, and what customers can expect from you.
Where Can I Use My Business Portraits?
Your business headshot will pay for itself over and over again. You can use it everywhere you have an online presence. Of course, this includes your social profiles and your company website, but it’s so much more than that.
You can use your company headshot as your email signature, your caller ID photograph, on your blog, on your online resume, and even on your business card and paper materials.
Tips for Making a Great Professional Headshot
1. Use an Experienced Photographer
You cannot create a professional photograph with a point and shoot or a smartphone. It is worth the expense to use an expert who is trained and understands lighting, angles, technique, and who takes corporate headshots for a living.
A professional image can only be created by a professional photographer.
2. Be Yourself
Headshot photography should show your best side without making you look like someone else. A professional headshot is not a glamor shot, and it’s not the time to airbrush off ten years.
It’s about representing the real you, wrinkles and all. Of course, it can be touched up a little to bring out your natural features, but it should be as realistic as possible, showing who you are, not who you wish you were.
You don’t want customers or clients surprised when they meet the real you.
3. Clothing Choices
Choosing clothing for your headshot is a big deal. Some individuals and companies actually use stylists to help them look their best. This can be a smart investment, but it’s not crucial to achieving a great photo.
For Men: Choose a classic look that fits you well. Dark colors tend to look best, but don’t just stick with black and white.
Choose a suit that doesn’t bunch up when you sit, and a shirt and tie that match each other and the suit. The best combination is a dark suit, light shirt, and a tie that is somewhere in between.
Stay away from reflective, shiny ties, and if you aren’t a tie guy, choose a non-white shirt with some type of detail, or layered with a jacket or sweater.
For Women: Find an outfit that is classic and avoid trends. You should not be able to tell what decade the picture was taken in.
Avoid stark white, bright colors, and bold patterns unless they are layered with a jacket, cardigan, or sweater. V-necks look best on women, but keep is high enough to avoid cleavage and no turtlenecks or tank tops.
Keep jewelry small and classic, or eliminate it completely. You want to have everyday makeup, not overdone.
When you are in the hands of an experienced commercial photographer, we can make you look and feel your best, even if you’re not particularly photogenic or you’re no longer as young as you’d like to be.
We help you show off your best side to give your clients and customers a face and a name they can trust. Enjoy the boost and see the difference you can gain only with professional headshot photography from Fusion Photography in Louisville, KY.
