Corporate Headshots or Professional Portraits - Why and How

Corporate Headshots or Professional Portraits

Corporate headshots are important for anyone in business with a picture on their LinkedIn profile, Facebook page, Twitter Account etc. They are a quick glance at who you are as a business person, and are often the first time a person gets an opportunity to view you and your business.

That being said, this is not a time to fudge your picture by using a picture of you and your significant other from last summer with him or her cropped out. Additionally, this is not a time to take a "selfie" of yourself and use some crazy web filter to make it look cool. Google image search "corporate headshots" and you can find some shameful examples.

This is however a time to take it to a professional and let them work with you. We can give you guidelines on clothing, posing, etc. We also know how to use the correct lighting to avoid, "Rat eyes", double chins, and other taboos. Below are a few of the guidlines I give to my clients. 

TIPS: 

1) Dress professionally. This does not mean wear a business suit. This does mean dress as if you were seeing your best client. That may be a business suit, or it may just be a CLEAN and PRESSED workshirt or polo. 

2) If you are going to wear a business suit, here are a few guidelines:

Men: Wear a SOLID dark suit, with a light shirt and a dark tie. Make sure your suit is well pressed and your shirt is fitted.  Avoid crazy patterns on your tie. Don't go breaking out the iron for the first time, perhaps leave it to the dry cleaners. 

Women: Wear a SOLID dark suit, and a light colored shirt. Make sure the shoulders of your suit fit you well and that you   have a flattering neckline. Avoid too much jewelry, it can be very distracting. 

* Dark suits do not have to be black. Sometimes black is not the most flattering. You can try dark grey, navy blue, etc. 

3) If you are going to wear a more casual look, make sure it is well put together. Maybe add a blazer or sweater to make it look upscale and smart.

4) When choosing your colors, try to avoid skin toned colors. That means anything that approximates your skin tone. Beige, tan, peach, pink, yellow etc. 

5) Don't wear turtlenecks, unless your Steve Jobs. 

6) Avoid crazy patterns altogether. They can be distracting and don't photograph well. This means no bold stripes, dots, plaids etc. Patterns are OK, as long as they are not too distracting.

7) No short sleeves. Headshots are typically head and shoulders. Short sleeves do not look right when cropped in that fashion.

8) Women, if you are doing your own makeup, apply it as if you were going out for a formal evening. If you NEVER wear makeup, now might be a time for the "a little goes a long way" talk.

9) If you add product to your hair, make sure that you bring some to your shoot for any necessary touchups. 

10) PLEASE don't cut your hair the day before your shoot! If you need a haircut, do it about a week in advance. This way your hair has time to settle in to your cut.

11) Men: If you tend to get razor burn, schedule your shoot in the afternoon to allow the redness to dissapate. If you get a heavy five o'clock shadow, schedule your shoot in the morning.

12) If you wear glasses most of the time, I recommend that you wear them and or bring them to your shoot. I can avoid the "flash in the glass" look easily. 

13) Remember, wadrobe is important but it is NOT the only focus. Dressing poorly, brings the attention to your wardobe. Dressing well just helps direct the attention to your face.  

14) To that point, SMILE!!! This should not look like a DMV photo or a mugshot!

15) Update your headshot about every two years. There is nothing worse than meeting someone that you think is young based on their photo and finding out hey have recently applied to be a member of AARP. Furthermore, fashion trends fade, do you remember the big collars of the 70's? Or the large shoulder pads from the 80's?

Any questions, give us a call. We will be happy to help you find just the right thing!