The Perfect Headshot: What You Need to Know
Are you a business owner or freelancer marketing your services or products online? Having a stunning headshot that represents you and your business, in the best way possible, WILL attract more clients than simply posting about your product/service online. First things first, here’s Why You Need a Professional Headshot and today I’m going to share with you what makes the perfect headshot.
Ingredients of the perfect professional headshot:
Authenticity.
Be you – 100% real, true, and authentic you. Do not try to pretend to be something that you’re not – it will read in your images.
Connection.
It’s all about the eyes. Look at the camera lens instead of far in the distance (a typical thinking pose). The beautiful thing about having an eye contact in your headshots is connection. When someone is looking at your image, they want to get to know you and connect with you, so the first thing they look at is your eyes.
Body language.
We often see people posing for their headshots with arms crossed. It’s probably one of the most common executive poses for headshots. While this is a great power pose that will make you look bigger, it might also come across as closeness or defensiveness. According to Psychology Today it’s only a myth in our everyday life. Though when it comes to photography, headshots and portraits in particular, your body language is crucial aspect of communicating your personality.
The best practice for professional headshots and business portraits is to be open and welcoming in your body language – face towards the camera, don’t cross your arms or hide them in your pockets. If you feel like you need to do something with those hands, get a prop! Something related to your work would be ideal.
Confidence.
Many people don’t like to be photographed, I get it. It feels awkward standing in front of the camera, cringy when looking at images of yourself… So with this unwillingness, often theres no confidence. Confidence is one of the most attractive traits; it’s imperative to come across as confident in your headshot images.
Let’s stop for a second and realise that It’s not about you, it’s about your business/career. It’s been proven that clients trust you and more likely to buy from you if they know you. In this digital age, your headshot is the equivalent to meeting you in person.
Make an effort to look your very best and get that perfect headshot image of you. I’ve seen this many times – we don’t feel confident in our pyjamas/messy bun/tracksuit/no makeup, but EVERYTHING changes when we put effort in. Put on your best clothes, fix your makeup and hair, put on your favourite perfume – confidence boost guaranteed.
Right outfit choice.
As I mentioned earlier, outfit choice helps with confidence, but also helps to send the right message. It’s your business image so as a common sense you want to look smart, or depending on what you do, dress like you would for a typical work day. Feel free to check out a more in-depth guide on What to wear For Business Portraits and Headshots.
Make sure your outfit choice is not only appropriate, but also comfortable. If it’s too tight and you’re not comfortable – your images will show it (minus points for confidence).
Invest.
You professional headshot is the first thing people see before meeting you in person. Whether it’s a CV photo, LinkedIn profile image, or any freelancers’ directory website – you want your image to represent your professionalism and experience.
You don’t want your image to look cheap. (Check out Will a cheap headshot hold you back?) It’ll send a message that you either don’t care about your image or don’t want to invest in your business/career. Either way it’s not a good first impression. A bathroom selfie or an iPhone photoshoot by your friend will compromise your chance of getting hired. Do your research and hire the best professional headshot photographer in your area to get the perfect headshot that will get you work.
If you are looking for a headshot photographer in Birmingham, West Midlands, feel free to drop me a message.
