This is Chloe. She is a Social Media expert. She was leaving to go on an 8 month working holiday around the States with her family and needed some headshots before she left. We managed to fit her in before she flew out and we captured some great shots. Personal Branding is so important nowadays never more so than online. There is more & more to see and take in online these days so people are spending less & less time on anyone item. Your image needs to be able to capture someones eye in an instant and hold it.
Gold Coast Headshot Photographers
Why are Headshots so important Nowadays ?
Headshots & Profile Images have long been the domain of actors & actresses as they used them to glean work in the television & movie industry. As social media has exploded across the world the importance of having a good headshot or profile image for others has exploded along with it. I will discuss why it has become important & then I will discuss who needs one.
Why are headshots/profile images so important ? There are few people nowadays in the civilized world that don’t have some type of online presence, Facebook, Linked In, Twitter just to name a few. More & more people are also beginning to have their own websites for business purposes. As our need for speed increases so does that time we spend searching on the internet for items. As much as the large retail outlets complain, I think the flood gates are opening and more & more people are realizing the ease and effectiveness of online shopping. My family has been using Coles online for nearly 4 years. Why, because its easy, the items are delivered right to your door, my wife doesn’t need to tromps around a supermarket dragging 2 kids with her & its actually cheaper. Yes, cheaper, why because you don’t do the impulse buying that supermarkets love so much. On average i think i save $50.00 per week in impulse buying.
I digress ! Online shopping is big and getting bigger. As people get used to doing more and more online it transposes that they will order other things online as well. Trades, solicitors, accountants, professional services etc I can’t remember the last time I actually picked up a Yellow pages and looked for a business service or telephone number. I am showing my age, I am sure there are many that have never done it.
Relationship marketing & personal branding ? What are they ? Relationship marketing is the type of thing you see businesses doing online with their Facebook pages, Twitter & Linked In accounts. They are engaging online with an audience and forming a relationship, asking questions, giving opinions, providing information etc They do this to put their business or service uppermost in a persons minds eye when they are looking to utilize that type of service. The reasoning behind this is that you are more likely to purchase from someone that you know than to turn to someone else. Personal Branding is about You & the message you are sending to your audience, whether it be you family, friends, associates, businesses etc.
Who needs a Headshot & profile Image ? I would say anyone that has any type of online profile. School leavers, job hunters professionals, trades people and the list goes on. There is no secret that potential employers are looking at peoples Facebook profiles as part of the selection process. Highly unlikely that someone would engage your services without checking you out online.
Its time to think, what does your headshot say about you and /or your business ?
Preparing for a Headshot Shoot
Unfortunately, great photos of people don’t happen by accident there is always a good deal of preparation that goes into producing a great shot. I know that everyone carries a camera in their pocket and that you look fantastic in that snap that your best friend took at your other friends hens night last year but will it fly on a resume, or on your linked In profile where you are trying to attract corporate clients ? As relationship marketing and personal branding begin to take a foothold and become more important in our online space, people will be demanding that your profile Image or Headshot looks professional and often it could be the only thing that makes you stand out from the crowd.
As a professional Headshot Photographer i am sometimes surprised at the way clients will arrive at my studio for a shoot. Unshaven, un-ironed, one shirt or top. They will often have no real idea as to what type of look they want.
The following is a bit of do & don’t list to be used as a guide.
Do
Check out the photographers style or portfolio before you book him/her
Men – shave (unless you are an actor then, bring a shaver and you can shave half way through the shoot)
– Understand why you are having headshots – corporate profile, acting portfolio etc
– Bring some changes of tops, ties, business shirts, t-shirts, jackets etc
– be on time
– sleep the night before
– try & book your shoot in the morning, you will almost always feel brighter and more awake in the morning
– women – get professional hair & make up
DON’T
– Be late
– Drink alcohol before your shoot
– Expect that Photoshop can fix everything
Having a Headshot or Profile Images done can be daunting for those that don’t like having their photograph taken ( about 98% of the population) a good headshot photographer will make you feel at ease and as comfortable as possible. Preparation is the key ! Be prepared to make some great Images and they will happen.
How much should I pay for a good Headshot ?
Social Media is here to stay, I don’t think there is anyone that will dispute this. Will it remain in the format that it is today is probably the multi- billion dollar question. There would be I am sure, plenty of smarter people than me working on what will probably be the next big thing. I do however think that personal branding will become more & more important & that out own personal profile will take on a greater & greater significance across all of the platforms.
How much should we pay for a good Headshot ? There are a few things to consider-
1. budget 2. Use 3. market
Budget or how much can we afford. This is always the burning question. I would break it down like this and I will briefly touch on use as well. If I am a business man or woman and i need to put my profile Image on my website. I am using this website to attract customers. We know that customers are more & more looking to connect with service providers and form a relationship. Marketeers are telling us that we need to have a profile Image on our website. If your image starts to become the hub of your personal profile because we also know that people are also becoming more image conscious, how much should we pay?
There are a multitude of options out there but I think you should be looking to pay anywhere from $200 -$500 per Headshot shoot. This, I believe would guarantee quality & is reasonably inexpensive when you break it down. Headshots should stay current for 3 years, maybe 4. Is less that $100.00 per year expensive for a major part of our marketing profile ? If you are an actor, your Headshot is THE cornerstone of your ability to attract casting directors, again, $100.00 per year doesn’t seem like much for a good quality well lit headshot. Lets face it we don’t want our profile Image to look like our drivers license or passport photo, do we ?
Why do I shoot like this, why this Headshot Style ?
A lot of people have been asking about my Headshot Style, why do i shoot like that ? Here is a little bit of an explanation –
There are a couple of reasons –
1. It comes from the movies, whenever you see a close up on a movie or on TV it is often cropped like this. It actually started with major Acting Headshot photographers who wanted to give casting directors a look at how the actors would look in a closeup !
2. I like the proximity and having my subjects eyes above the center line. ( Photography Rule of Thirds)
3. It also gives my images a unique look that hopefully is recognisable.
4. There is nothing really all that exciting about the tops of peoples heads
5. The white background means it is versatile across pretty much all forms of online activity from Social Media to Websites.
6. The horizontal format suits our eyes better because our eyes are next to each other, not on top of each other so it easier to look at and the white space is more interesting
7. People LOVE It, anyone from corporates to models to carpenters are requesting this style of Headshot for their profiles, facebook, linkedIn etc etc
8. I think it looks really really cool. There is nothing anywhere, that i could find that says that your corporate Profile Image has to look like a passport photo or drivers Lic. picture.
My technique and coaching session allows just about anyone to have really cool Headshots. If you have a squiz at my portfolio you can see that not everyone here has the features of Brad Pitt but they all have one thing in common, they look cool !
https://bradkay.smugmug.com/Portfolio/Headshots
I hope that explains. Why don’t you come in and have a session !
Client- Pic of the Week
This is John from Total Garden Solutions