Here’s All You Need To Know About Professional Headshots!
A headshot is a professional photograph that you use to develop your personal brand, and it’s becoming increasingly popular on job networking sites like LinkedIn. A headshot for business usually focuses on your upper body, such as your head and shoulders. The photographer places you in an interesting location, facing the camera.
Who needs a Professional Headshot?
Actors and Actresses
For an actor or actress, there is no substitute for a great headshot. They help to represent you as an individual and establish your identity. The good news is that actors and actresses typically don’t need a professional headshot as often as, say a business person would since they don’t need to use them very often. That being said, it’s still important for an actor or actress to have at least one headshot that accurately represents their look and feels confident about the way they look.
Business People:
For a business person, especially someone who is in the public eye such as a politician, actor, actress, model or anyone who is required to do TV and radio interviews, having quality headshots is essential. They keep you looking fresh and up to date.
The truth is that it doesn’t matter if you’re an actor or not, everyone needs to consider professional photography Toronto, Canada for good headshots. The headshots help define who you are and help you create a great first impression. However, most business people only need them once or twice a year which makes it much easier to manage.
Regular people
You might be wondering, what about the rest of us? What about regular people like teachers, consultants, small business owners, etc.? Well if that’s you then having headshots is nice to have. Having a good headshot doesn’t hurt but is not as essential as for an actor or actress. It’s important nonetheless and I do recommend having them done for everyone.
Benefits Of Professional Headshots
They help you look your best without makeup
Headshots are wonderful because they take the guesswork out of looking great! No more wondering what you would look like with makeup or what type of color clothing you should wear. With headshots, you no longer have to worry about any of this because it’s all captured in the photo making your job much easier.
They give your character away
Your character is revealed through photos which makes them very powerful. It’s the equivalent of having a superpower. How does this work? Here’s an example: Let’s say you’re interviewing for a new job and your potential employer has seen you in the hallway at their office before but never met you yet.
You go into their office expecting to impress them with all of your accomplishments and skills, but what happens when they look up and see you as you are? Instead of the business professional that they expected to meet, all they see is a sloppy mess. With headshots, your image and personality will always shine through and reflect who you truly are.
What do I wear for my Professional Headshot Session?
Dress in solid colors that match your skin tone. Avoid things like stripes, polka dots, and plaids. They can compete with your face for attention and it’s a good idea to wear only one thing in the photo at a time.
To have a great headshot session, avoid bold patterns, complicated textures, or busy patterns since they can distract from you and your great personality. The goal of having a professional headshot is to make it obvious who the photo is of and what they do for a living. They should leave little room for questions such as “What does this person do?” or “Who’s the girl in this photo?”.
Remember, less is more!
So be aware of what you wear in your headshot and try to keep it simple. Does everything in the photo have to be perfect? No! Your photos should look like you. You don’t want to appear stiff or unnatural looking, remember that these are professional photos which means you get a chance to show off your personality.
You don’t want your photo session to go like this: “Smile! No. Not like that. Look over here… Smile….okay now I need a serious face”. All of it feels forced and unnatural and we wouldn’t be doing our jobs properly if the photographer didn’t capture you as you really are.
What about the background?
The background of your photo should be simple and plain. If it’s distracting, then we need to do some rearranging. professional photographers take multiple looks at the background and decide which one is best for you. These take into consideration what you do, where you work, or if specific colors would look best for your complexion.
The goal is to keep the photo simple and clean so that the photographer can focus on you and nothing more. It’s about creating a classic, timeless look so choose something basic such as a gray wall or a plain doorway. The simpler the background, the easier it will be for you to use it in future projects.
Remember that headshots are all about YOU! Your face is the number one priority and it’s what people will look at first. Make sure to choose your clothing wisely so that it doesn’t take attention away from you or what you do!
