It's time for a new business portrait...
A headshot is an important part of your business branding. It’s quite often the first point of contact someone has, whether it be in an email signature, LinkedIn profile or on your website. So it’s a good idea to plan for this photo, so that it can create the right impression for your ideal client. You’re not taking the photo for yourself to have on display at home, that’s what family portraits are for. This is a photo selling you to your next prospect. If you're targeting some different clients, then maybe you need a different profile shots for each. Here’s some tips on what to think about.
Location
OK, this might not be relevant for you if you’ve been given a brief where you need to provide an image on a white background – so if this is the case concentrate on your pose and clothing to tell your story.
If you have an open brief, then options are in studio or outdoors for a lifestyle or environmental portrait (we have packages that provide both too!). A studio shoot works well for corporate environment, when it's a more formal headshot you need. We can also change the lighting to give it a natural feel, and then you stand out from the plain backdrop.
Outdoors could be a location that's important to your business - for example a real estate agent would use the area they focus on. For others, it depends on the industry. Would architecture be a nice backdrop, is some greenery good to soften the look? A couple of examples below show the park across the road from our studio for a softer feel, and one down at the harbour for our client in the luxury yacht industry.
Clothing
Yes, we have all been there. What on earth do I wear?! You are dressing for your target audience. Are they going to respond to someone who is wearing formal business attire? Or will that turn them off and think you’re not for them. This can depend on your industry as well. Accounting, legal and financial services etc are industries where you expect more formality. But if I am looking for someone creative, or a life coach or a tradie then I’d connect better seeing them dressed differently to that. If you have a company uniform great, that adds strength to the brand.
Colour is also important. You need a colour that works with your tones, as well as your branding. Strong colour, especially reds are going to jump out. So if bright, creative, strong etc is the branding idea for your business, then big colours and patterns can work well. But if the focus is more on you and your expression, then it's best to stick to some softer tones. Blues are always a winner, layering with a lighter top and darker jacket works nicely to frame the face. You don't need to be afraid of patterns, they can work really well - just keep them subtle with a smaller pattern. We usually suggest having sleeved clothing, that will bring the focus to your face being the main area of skin tone on show.
Also think about your jewelry. Chunky earrings/necklaces are going to stand out, so if they're part of your overall identity then great use them, otherwise stick to more subtle pieces, much like the rule for colour and pattern.
Hair and Makeup
If you can fit it into your budget, professional hair and makeup is great. But you need to know what you want the final look to be and communicate this to your stylist/s. But make sure you still look like you! You want to embellish on your natural, every day look so that you still look similar when people meet you in real life. A couple of local makeup artists we recommend who are fantastic at corporate/branding photography makeup are Makeup by Salena, Makeup Art and Direction and Narelle Glossop.
Don’t worry if you are doing a DIY, we suggest to apply your makeup a bit heavier than you would day to day, if you have some spare powder with you that will be great to take away any shine. If you are having your portrait taken outdoors, take this into account too. A windy day, or windy location will mean hair can get a little unruly if not restrained!
Posing
Once again, think about who you are wanting to reach out to. Do you want to look approachable? Serious? Laughing and engaging? This then gives us direction for the posing that will work best. A serious headshot works best with very strong posture, quite often facing straight to the camera. There would be a neutral expression, a big smile wouldn’t suit. Arms folded can work when done the right way, you might want to show you are a strong leader, but not too imposing that people are scared off! And if you are going to use a couple of different images, try one natural and not looking at the camera.
A few other posing tips – always find something to do with your hands. This may just be having one by your side, one resting on your leg, but then at least they have found a home! Once the hands are sorted, you’ll feel more relaxed. Also try to always have a bend in your limbs – so arms, hands, fingers. Legs we’d leave one straight, but then cross the other, or have it out to the side, depending on the overall pose we are going for. Ladies, it’s great to put one foot in front of the other, and the weight on your back foot. And whoever taught people back in the day to lift your chin for a photo has a lot to answer for. Quite often this is the worst thing to do for flattering your face, as the skin under your chin is lighter from less sun exposure, so it stands out more! We assist you in getting just the right angles for your poses.
Props (for Branding Sessions)
Props can be amazing for a photo, but not done well can also create something pretty cheesy. Make their use subtle. This could be something as simple as a notebook or iPad with a cup of coffee in a café setting. If you are a tradie, having a photo with your work car in the background with signage is enough of a prop. Quite often we would incorporate a tool of the trade into an action shot, or an image where you’re interacting with a client in a case study, so it’s complimentary to your main profile photo.
Here’s some examples of props adding to the story we are telling.
