March 2021

Business Photography – First impressions count.

People searching for you online make their minds up about who you are based on your profile. The single most important factor in your profile is your head shot.
Studies run by associations and independents alike find that people make a decision on whether or not they like you within 100 milliseconds. 
The image on your website or social media sites, such as LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook, has a big influence on whether people want to connect with you or not.

Common mistakes:

1. No photo. Being anonymous is the single biggest mistake you can make. Everyone is naturally suspicious of anonymity.
2. Old Photo. We all are getting old, that’s life! The online photo must look like you now.
3. Using a photo of a family, pet or car. It demonstrates lack of professionalism.
4. Photo cropped from a party. Not only it’s not a flattering image (red eyes, drunken face), it again demonstrates that you are not a professional person, and you are trying to fit in your private life into a professional setting
5. Looking away – not connecting – turning people off
6. Not smiling – smile is the most important business tool, if you want to connect with your audience, smile is very important.
7. DYI Photo – Often people think they can do it yourself, without actually understanding lighting and posing – and it very often does not produce the desired result.

Tips for success:

Here is what you need to do for successful on-line appearance:

• invest in your image
• create your brand
• have a variety of images – different but consistent
• be yourself, and be recognizable
• project confidence and approachability
• make use of the professional images on different platforms – business cards, social media, web, etc, etc.
• ladies, have your make-up done professionally for your business portrait

Read this very useful article on business photography.

If you want your headshot to stand out, you may wish to consider using a professional makeup artist.

When my clients book a session with me, I always ask them if they would like me to help to arrange a make-up artist for them.

Having a professional makeup artist t on hand will not only make you look amazing , but also make you feel wonderful and as a result will give you a massive confidence boost which will shine through on every headshot.

While make-up is being applied you’ll get a chance to relax and get in the mood for your shoot. Many professionals that I work with will also give you advice on the best colours for your skin type and will adjust the make-up to the clothes that you are planning to wear.

Even very subtle make-up can make quite a big difference to the way you will look on the photograph. See some “Before and After” examples below.

Here is the list of make-up artists that I usually work with:

I can recommend the following makeup artists who would meet you about an hour prior to the shoot and help bring out your beauty. Prices for make-up start from £40 and are payable to the make-up artist directly. You can also arrange for your make-up to be done at their studios prior to coming to me.

Jo Haley – Your Image and Beauty

Sarah Van Dort – Absolutely Fabulous Image

Anna Foolbrook – The Make-up Artist Anna

For any questions, please get in touch!