Headshots, be it for business or social media, are an important feature that completes your online or offline profile. These versatile photos can be used just about anywhere and can make a huge impact on the way you’re perceived.
Since most of every business relationship or connection is impacted by first impressions, having a good headshot can prove helpful for many. We’ve all heard about the age-old adage, that a picture speaks a thousand words and that’s true and relevant for a reason.
With several photography techniques becoming increasingly popular like 360-degree product photography in Milton Keynes and several other places, headshots, too, have a power of their own.
Whenever we come across ads or campaigns prominent businesses have, headshots are a common feature that is utilized by many. The impact they have can influence people into forming an opinion on what they can expect by working with you, that’s how impactful they can be.
With this in mind, if you’re looking to take a business headshot photograph, you’ve come to the right place.
Since headshots can be a little tricky to get right, we’ve put together a shortlist of business headshot do’s and don’ts. With these, you can make the most of the headshot and create an impressive profile for yourself.
So without further ado, let’s take a look!
Why Are Business Headshots Important
For those of you wondering about how impactful headshots can be, let’s consider a LinkedIn profile. Whenever you visit a potential employer or employee’s profile, the first thing that catches your eye is their profile picture and more people want to connect with you on LinkedIn.
Whether we agree to it or not, many of us form an impression of a particular person based on their image and form our overall opinion of what they would be like based on one picture.
That’s just how powerful a picture is.
When it comes to business headshots, while they’re usually used by professionals and executives, they need not necessarily be limited to people of higher designations. Whether it is to create a professional image or to strengthen it, a business headshot is a great medium to showcase who you are as a person.
This means that before getting your headshot, you’ll need to find an experienced photographer like DW Images who will be able to capture the real you.
The Do’s And Don’ts Of Headshot Photography
While there may be many tips and tricks available online, finding ones that work for you is essential in capturing a good business headshot. Since everybody is different, one particular method may not work out the same way for everyone.
This means that you need to stick to the basics, the tried and tested methods that are guaranteed to bring you results. With this in mind, here are a few things that you need to keep in mind for a good business headshot.
1. Do – Practice Your Pose But Be Open To Suggestions
We all have angles that we prefer or know that work for us. Making the most of this will help you get a quality business headshot.
However, at the same time, you must also keep in mind that a particular angle or pose that you think works for you may not be what’s best for your headshot. This means that you’ll need to keep an open mind and take suggestions from the photographer to ensure you get a quality headshot taken.
2. Do – Dress Appropriately And Be Natural
Another important thing you need to keep in mind is that you need to dress appropriately. Based on the type of image you want to create for yourself, you need to make sure your clothes further reflect that.
Formal clothing, like what you’d wear for an interview, is what you should ideally wear. In some context, you can use luxury items like cashmere scarves that add both sophistication and professionalism on your headshot photos. Additionally, you should try to be as natural as you can. While this may sound cliched, you should ensure that you don’t look too awkward and end up with a funny pose.
3. Don’t – Use Outdated Photos
Recycling photos and using outdated photos is probably not the smartest idea. Many people think that using older pictures works out and tend to use those repeatedly for everything.
This is something that you must avoid at all times. The latest representation of you is necessary because we all change over time and to accurately reflect that, you need to have pictures that have been recently clicked.
4. Don’t – Have Any Distracting Elements Present
One thing you need to keep in mind is that you should avoid wearing anything too distracting. Anything that distracts or disturbs the image should not be present and must be avoided at all costs.
This means that minimizing accessories and related items is something that you must consider. Moreover, also make sure your clothes are simple and don’t have any distracting patterns.
To Sum Up
Headshots may seem like simple photographs but they can be very impactful. This makes knowing the basic tips to nail your headshot photos important as this will only work in your favor. However, one thing you need to remember is that whoever you work with, needs to be experienced enough to capture the real you in your headshot.
Once this is done, you’ll have a great versatile tool for your business that you can use in a number of ways!
