Yesterday I was asked to do a 5 minute spotlight presentation to my networking group. The group is a mix of wonderfully talented women – a personal trainer, a business coach, a financial advisor, a designer, a marketeer, I could go on but I won’t. Suffice to say, there’s so many wonderful women in the group and they’re all brilliant at what they do.
Each month, a member of the group is asked to offer some words of wisdom from their particular industry & as the photography business I decided to focus on the corporate headshot & the rise of the business identity shoot.
So without anymore waffle, here’s the bones of what I discussed:
- Are you suffering from headshot shame?
- Are you scared of having your photo taken?
- Are you waiting to loose a few pounds, get fit, get a tan, waiting for anything rather than getting your photo taken?
- Are you hiding behind your logo or worse still, not using a portrait shot at all (shock horror!)?
A little bit of research into my networking group unearthed the following:
- Only 3 members out of 14 had a profile shot on the networking website (profile page)
- Across 3 counties & 126 members, less that 25% of members had a photo & a number of those guilty of the ‘non photo’ photo were PR’s, marketeers, image consultants and, you guessed it, photographers!
We all see it – blank spaces, avatars, logos, shots people have taken themselves with their iphone in the mirror, people with their kids, their weekend glass of vino. Many of these shots may be flattering, you may even have tan, look a size 10 & be having a good hair day! These shots may do a great job if you’re promoting you & your hobby. But how many people on Linkedin are hobbyists? Not many is my guess.
Most are smart, talented people looking to build their business, their client base, their career.
It’s my belief that businesses can grown through a great set of images. Having access to stunning imagery of your business or even just you is so important.
And many of my contacts are people who are running their own business. So whether they like it not, they are the face of their business. And so it’s incredibly important, vital really, to have a great photo (or even photos) that reflect who you are as a person, your fabulous products, your amazing services or your brand.
If that’s the case, why so many avatars, why so many logos and why so many out of focus photos? Well, getting photography to represent you & your products effectively, clearly & strongly isn’t always so easy to get right. Yes, we all know someone with the latest Canon, or a friend who’s son wants to be a photographer & would like to practice. Hell, they might even do it for free.
But here’s where the old adage ‘you get what you pay for’ comes in. These people, well meaning as they are, might not be the person for you & your brand.
Yes, hiring a photographer might feel like a bit of an investment & yes you’ve got 1001 other things to spend your hard earned cash on. But I really believe that beyond your website, great photography is one of the most important aspects of your brand.
Another thing to bear in mind is that it might not just be about getting a gorgeous photo of you. It can be so much more than that & it can make such a difference.
This collection of images (above) are from a shoot Jon did for Neville Hair & Beauty in Belgravia London. They wanted a range of images, as well as the all important head shots, to show their business in action. The collection included branding, portraits, interiors, people at work. These images all amplify their brand’s presence online so that potential customers have a sense of what they are about as a company, as a business, as a brand, before they even step through the salon doors.
Okay. So now you’ll all convinced on the importance of photography for you & your business, here’s some tips on how to work with your photographer & how to get the most out of your photography.
Look though websites/galleries/portfolios. If you’re going for more than a headshot, you’ll need to see versatility & a range of images. You’ll also want to see consistency in their work. Their portraits need to be just as sharp as their branding images, still-lifes, interiors. Often this comes down to lens & having the right lens for the shot. So bear all this in mind.
If you’re thinking of having a business identity shoot, perhaps the person who shoots family portraits on location down the road for £25 isn’t who you’re looking for. You’ll need someone who understand natural lighting, someone who can work with artifical lighting, someone who can work on location & in an office space.
Usage – be upfront & clear on this from the start. Often, ‘family/wedding’ photographers will give some many images but you have to buy the rest on an ‘individual image’ basis. Forget it. You want all your images on a disc so that you can access them when you need them. You need smaller image on disc for Facebook, social media & large formats for printed materials/websites. So get hold of those images & get them working for you straight away, both online & offline.
When you’ve decided on your photographer make sure you give them as much information as you can. Show them examples from their website of the styles you like, the poses. Do you want indoor or on location. Do you want details? Action shots. The chances are you’ll only want to pay for one shoot & so it’s important to get the images covered off. Right a shot list if you want to. You’re photographer won’t mind.
Okay, so now you’re in front of the camera. What to think about? Here’s a few extra tips.
Don’t take yourself too serious – smile. It’s the photographers job to get you to relax so that your personality shines through. Show your personality. People want to get an idea of who you are, what you’re like.
Don’t abuse Photoshop. Too much retouching is never a good idea. Trust me on this one!
Avoid using a shot that has other people in it. If you’ve had a group shot taken, make sure you get an individual shot too. Cropped out other peoples body part doesn’t look good.
Lighting is so important. If you’re in an office with artificial light, set up by a window. The mixture of artificial & natural light can make for a good photo. On a sunny day (I know we don’t get that many but I’ll say it anyway), don’t have your photo taken in the middle of the day, no matter how busy the photographer is. Harsh, bright light creates equally harsh shadows.
Everything that’s in the frame should be there for a reason. If you want to show yourself off on the workplace, make sure that what’s in the frame adds to the overall image but doesn’t take over. Alternatively opt for a plain background. White, studio background if you want images you can cut around, put text around, design your website around. A more textured background if you want something else. A brick wall, a tree trunk, a brightly painted door. Just make sure that the background makes you stand out & not the other way round.
Avoid busy, over designed clothes. Go for plain, simple or just a touch of a pattern. This doesn’t mean to need to stick to white or black (in fact, avoid them). Go for solid brights or a subtle pattern in a scarf. Or a pop of colour in a necklace. And opt for a simple neck line. Nothing too fussy. It’s all rather distracting otherwise.
And avoid the suit. Even if you want to go formal. Try to wear something that will show off your work style. Just as you shouldn’t hide behind a logo, don’t hide behind a suit either.
And remember to keep your photos up to date. Once a year is a good idea.
If you want to see more of our work as it comes in, pop over to our Facebook page, click the like button (we’ll like you even more!) & keep up to date with our commissions. If you want a quote or want to discuss some images for your branding, drop us a line via our Facebook page or give us a call. Rachel – 07956 505 336. rachel@jonbradley.co.uk.
Thank you so much.
Rachel.
