Out of all the headshots I’ve seen over the years, there is one mistake I see photographers make EVERY SINGLE DAY. This one mistake is costing their clients more than just the cost for the photos and the session.
I am going to show you three examples how having one of these three headshots will both hurt your personal brand AND cost you and your business money.
This is important for you to understand so you make sure you don’t make these same mistakes.
1). The Professional Headshot – There is a fine line between the two “types” of professional headshots. While we always go into a session saying we want to “look professional”. That word is so vague and if the photographer doesn’t do it properly, they can actually cross this line. While the RIGHT professional shot will allow you to look competent, strategic and the right person for the job, it can also mistakingly make you look dry, aloof, and stand offish. Not knowing the differences between the two WILL cost you opportunities. And the scary thing is, you’ll never know what those missed opportunities are since you use your headshots on your social media and website which will be seen by thousands of people every single day.
2). The Empathetic Headshot – Once again, the empathetic headshot is important for leaders and managers when they have teams that look up to them. Any type of industry where you are working with people is important that you look not just approachable, but you you need the viewer to understand that you care about them. However, just like the first example, there is a fine line which can be crossed. You don’t want to appear as a push over or that you aren’t confident/knowledgable. The differences between versions of empathy are HUGE, but only need subtle tweaks to transform them from one type of empathy that says “i’m approachable” versus another empathy that says “i’m a pushover”.
3). The Assertive Headshots – Have you seen the arms crossed across your chest images? i’m not sure which “expert” decided this was a great pose, but am very greatful that this pose is dying out. While most clients that request this image are trying to convey confidence and being assertive, what they are actually saying is I am not confident, I have no idea what to do with my hands AND I have lost touch with my team and my clients that support me. Whew! All that from a simple headshot? YES! You want an assertive headshot to say I am confident and will guarantee that job will get done properly.
How do you feel when you look at her headshot? Would you trust her to lead your team? Does she look like a pushover or does she look competent? Is she “too” professional, or does she look approachable? Is she a leader or a follower?
Do you think you can see the differences from one to another? AND can you see how important the little changes are so that your image is saying the RIGHT things about you?
The last thing you want to do is hire a photographer to create headshots of you JUST so you can damage your brand.
This is exactly why we take a strategic approach to planning and capturing your images. We don’t believe headshots should be treated like cookie cutters where we are simply churning out the exact same images for every single person who comes through our studio.
Learn more about how we create our headshots by going to www.alimondstudio.com
Great article. Love the example pix. Very helpful!