A colleague gave me this article on the power of appearance in the workplace. The article mentions about taking pride in looking well groomed and healthy within the workplace. But even before we enter potential workplaces, one of the first things people see nowadays would be our photo on LinkedIn or the company website (if applicable). Hiring managers even print out LinkedIn profiles of potential candidates.
Specific to the LinkedIn profile photo, a friend referred us to someone he met over coffee because the person he met was a vibrant, outgoing personality but his LinkedIn photo communicated a completely different man. How do we, as headshot photographers, get to that 'money shot' we call it, which means we have a powerful photo that does justice to our client's skills and personality? We have a process to our shoot.
The start of the shoot is always an interesting one - in a good way. This is the time when we explore the different sides of the client. Sometimes they will tell us that they know their good side. At times they are right, at times they are wrong. It really depends on what we capture in front of the camera and how it comes across to people. This is where the exciting bits of information come in because it becomes a period of discovery for us and our clients in finding out their good side or sides.
Take our client below for example. The photo below is one of our first shots, without coaching the client.
But he possesses a positively strong bearing and confident personality. So with direction and careful analysis of which side depicts these traits, coupled with the appropriate lighting for his face, the photo below is our final photo.
Why would we consider that a powerful photo? Because it shows his best side with the best expression that communicates confidence (not arrogance) and talent. There is nothing forced nor artificial about it.
Whatever side you show on your photo can affect the way it is perceived. It can work for you or against you. It is best to work with people who will be honest enough to tell you which is which.
2 Comments
Jan 12, 2016, 9:57:21 PM
Bernie Gojar - Thanks for your comment, Amber. We do try to give justice to the personal brand our customers represent and the quality of work that they do.
Jan 12, 2016, 9:50:13 PM
Amber - I just came across your blog post as researching professional photographers for a Linkedin profile picture. What a powerful difference you made to this profile picture. It really shows you what an expert in headshots can do for your personal branding. Great job!