Making The Right Impression With Your Business Photo
Your business photo is nearly as important as your business cards these days. As businesses go online for everything; from recruitment, to research, marketing and sales, a professional business photograph is much more important now. So how do you ensure that you give the right impression and make an impact with your head shot?
Why Your Shot Must be Versatile
When you hire a professional photographer to shoot your portrait in Bakersfield, remember it will be used everywhere. That means it will need to work just as well on LinkedIn, your website and online business directories, as it does in offline media like newspapers or magazines. A good photographer will be well aware of this and will shoot a few different versions so you can choose the one that works best.
Dress Right
This is something a photographer can give you pointers on, but ultimately will be guided by your own discretion. Wearing the right attire can make you seem like you’re dressed for the job and invite trust from partners, clients and others.
It is best to keep it formal – always err on the side of dressing up too much rather than dressing down. A proper business suit in a pleasant tone – ideally a pleasing navy or charcoal gray always works well. Bakersfield pros recommend that women can opt for mid tone colors like wine, deep blue, forest green or even chocolate brown to create a portrait that isn’t stale but suitably formal. Jewelry should be subtle and elegant. Pearls and metals that don’t shine too much and earrings that sit close to the ear work best.
Make sure your hair is neatly brushed and get a haircut a few days before the shoot – ideally a week or so earlier so it has time to settle. Avoid experimenting with new styles before your portrait shoot at our Bakersfield studio.
Zero in on that Perfect Pose
Explore business portraits of people who are in positions of power – social media like LinkedIn is a good place to start for inspiration. Take cues from their stance and the way they hold their neck, head and what they do with their arms in the long shots. Tilting your head at angle allows the photographer to play with light and shadows to create a more flattering, slimmer looking portrait of you. Stick your chin out just before tipping it subtly downward, to prevent a double chin. Avoid posing with your hands resting on your face somewhere – that’s a look that went out of vogue a decade or two ago. Don’t take cues from photos taken by amateurs and cell phones. There are lots of poor portraits, but we believe you can recognize good ones.
Practice Your Smile
Not everyone is at ease in front of the camera. You may need to work on your smile. Do some trials at home in your mirror until you find the look you are happy with. Practice it until you have it down perfectly. Try and make it as genuine as you can – a smile that lights up your eyes is much more realistic and will seem less staged. A real smile flexes the muscles around the eyes and forms crow’s feet. This does wonders when it comes to winning over people and sending the right signals with your business portrait.
With a little preparation, your business photo can do wonders for your online image and brand – so head on over to your Bakersfield professional photographer and get a great head shot.
