Does your headshot promote you as the successful professional you are?
First impressions are very important, and let’s face it- for as much as we tell each other not to judge a book by its cover, we still find ourselves drawing conclusions from the surface. Consider the following photos of Noel Thomas Patton, Founder and CEO of TA Sciences at www.tasciences.com.
Notice, while all three photos are of the same man, they each tell a different story. The first one portrays him as a business man who is confident and serious, prepared to get the work done. The second is very lighthearted. Here, Mr. Patton is wearing business casual attire while having a good time (and a good laugh!). This photograph conveys a space in which he is completely comfortable to have fun and be himself. The third photo shows him again in a different light. As Noel stands gleefully beside his beautiful car, we can safely assume that he is a positive, successful, and affluent man who enjoys having nice things.
So again I ask, what is your headshot saying about you? Are you coming across as friendly and approachable, or is the photo so forcibly posed that it looks like you’re being held against your will? Is your personality shining, or do you look uncomfortable in your own skin? Is it an accurate reflection of who you are currently, or does it look like who you were a decade ago? Take a look at these beautiful photographs of accomplished author and nutritionist, Elisa Zied of http://www.elisazied.com
This photo (left) is the perfect display of a confident professional with expertise in her field, yet it also conveys that she is a strong, kind, and intelligent woman.
This photograph (right) shows Elisa in a relaxed state. The smile on her face as she lounges in her chair lets us know that she is comfortable in this setting, and it doesn't feel posed.
People always ask me how often they should be updating their headshot, and usually they expect me to give them an exact time frame. The answer really depends on how honest the depiction your current headshot is of you. Maybe you consistently update your headshot, and you maintain a recent profile picture on LinkedIn. Good for you! You are already a step ahead of most others. Some people are hanging onto headshots that are 20+ years old, and as a photographer I can understand the significance of preserving a good memory, however, that’s just what it is - a memory. Imagine how someone in business would feel if they met you and you looked nothing like the headshot they saw on your page. They would be disappointed. As we age, we all still want to feel younger, and that’s where I (The Portrait Specialist) put my expertise to work.
These days, when we think about looking younger in photos, our first thought is usually to apply retouching, however, this is where things can easily go very wrong. It is so obvious when people apply too much retouching to a photograph, and it makes me sad to see how the quality of the photo is so greatly diminished. This happens too often. When your photo looks like it’s been airbrushed a million times over, it makes it pretty hard to recognize the real you. At our studio, we help our clients put their best foot forward, and make sure their headshot is an honest reflection of who they currently are.
So, here we are again. What is your headshot really saying about you? Does it show someone who is positive, skilled, focused, determined? Does it convey an even measure of experience and youthful exuberance? Maybe it’s been a while since your most recent headshot was taken, and you’re worried that you’ve aged too much and don’t feel comfortable standing before the lens. As model-turned-professional photographer, I understand what it’s like to be on both sides of the camera. I also understand what it’s like to want to feel younger as I age -trust me, I feel the same way. So here at the Lucille Khornak Studio, we do our best to make sure you feel comfortable, beautiful, and confident. We soften lines and fix skin texture, however I promise we will make you look beautiful and real. When was the last time you updated your headshot?