A headshot or head shot is a portrait taken of a person, with the focus on the individual.
The world is more connected than ever, with social media profiles such as LinkedIn detailing all you need to know about a person with an accompanying image of them. For such sites, a professional headshot is essential to conveying the right first impression.
A headshot is a close-up image of an individual which highlights their features and conveys their personality. They are often used in the entertainment industry for actors and models but are also popular amongst business professionals.
What is the purpose of a headshot?
The purpose of a headshot is to highlight an individual’s personality through photography. Depending on your goals, a professional headshot can be used to achieve numerous objectives. Below we list a few of the numerous reasons to have a professional headshot taken.
Seeking employment: If you are job hunting on LinkedIn, prospective employers will view your profile and see your chosen image. You want to reflect your professional identity well, after all it takes less than seven seconds for someone to form an impression of you.
Branding your website: Many websites will include a “meet the team” section that will give you an insight into the business and the staff they employ. By having corporate headshots of your staff on your website, you can showcase your team’s talents and skills, whilst building your brand as being the experts in your field.
Highlighting your personality: Headshots are very good at highlighting an individual’s personality, which is why they are often requested for actors. Having an up to date professional headshot will highlight your features and any changes you have made to your appearance over the years. Therefore, you should keep your headshots updated.
Why do you need a headshot?
A headshot can signal to others that you are professional and care about how you are presented. With corporate headshots, it is most likely a lot of the people you deal with will have no interaction with you personally. Therefore, your headshot will give them an indication of your personality. For professionals, headshots are most used on LinkedIn to accompany a professional profile detailing job history and experience.
Apart from giving others a great first impression of you, having an up to date headshot on your website or social media profile can give you a boost of confidence. With the help of a professional headshot photographer, you can highlight features that make you feel more confident. Any areas of concern can also be discussed with your photographer and adjusted in the editing process if necessary. Overall this can change not only the way people perceive you, but how you perceive yourself.
What should you wear for a headshot?
When deciding on what you should wear for your headshot, consider your end goal and how you want to be perceived. Depending on what your headshot is intended for, you may want to be perceived as professional, playful or simply highlight your brand. With this in mind, you can research the colours which work best for your desired appearance.
If you need some assistance in choosing the right outfit, professional photographers will be able to give a better insight into the colours you should choose, along with the background you will be photographed against. By discussing your desired outcomes with a professional photographer, they will be able to adjust everything from the lighting, camera settings and background. They may even discuss make-up with you should this not be included in your headshot session.
Why should you hire a professional photographer?
If you are due to update your headshots, enlist the help of a professional headshot photographer. A professional photographer will be able to provide you with advice and tips on what to wear, the background you choose, as well as the poses you should use to achieve the desired outcome. Also, if you are a glasses wearer, you will no longer have to worry about a glare on your lens with the help of a professional photographer. For those who hate having their picture taken, a professional photographer can help to make you feel more comfortable during your session. Whether that be advice during the session or even before to prepare. You can check out: https://capturely.com/ to book your headshot shoot.
Why should you avoid taking headshots yourself?
If you require a professional headshot, you should avoid taking it yourself. Unless you are professionally trained in photography, you are likely to take an image that is blurry, not composed correctly or under/over exposed. The time it takes to achieve an appropriate headshot is then extended as you try multiple times to capture the most appropriate headshot.
Even after you have taken a headshot, it is unlikely to hold up to the standard of professionally taken images. Therefore, if you are competing for a role, your amateur headshot can be seen as unprofessional and lazy, compared to the individuals who have arranged a professional headshot.
What do professional headshot sessions involve?
When having your headshots taken professionally, there is a process to achieving the desired results. Firstly, your headshot photographer will have a consultation to discuss what you are looking to achieve with your headshots. Following this, they may advise you on the style of clothing you wear, make up and background to choose in your images.
During the session, the photographer will instruct you to pose in multiple ways to create a variety of headshots. This could include lowering your head to avoid a glare on your glasses or pushing your shoulders back to indicate good posture. Once a series of photographs have been taken, you will be able to select the headshots you wish to choose, and they will go into the final editing process. Once all edits have been made, you will have a selection of professional headshots to use on your website, social media profiles or other marketing material.
Book a professional headshot photographer
Just Headshots have many years’ professional experience in headshot photography. Every member of the team is trained to provide you with a high-quality, stress free session to capture the material you require for your personal or professional needs. For more information about booking a headshot session, contact Just Headshots today.
Image Source: BigStock.com (Licensed)
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