Do I need professional photos?
What getting professional portraits says about you
Firstly it shows that you care, you’ve put in effort and you’ve made an investment in yourself. Those are all thing people value when they’re looking to hire someone or book a service. It’s such a nice feeling when you know you’ve put your best foot forward and it’s a great confidence boost. The confidence you install in yourself will transfer onto other people.
At the end of the day high quality headshots are a luxury so it’s quite impressive to have them especially compared to other applicants who really haven’t put that much care into their photo.
What impact do you want to make?
I want you to think about times when you’ve booked an online service where you’ve had to make a choice based off photos.
For example the doctor’s office I go to has at least fifteen if not twenty doctors working there and at the moment you can only book online. You literally only have a small photo to go off when choosing who you’re going to see and some of those doctors don’t even have a photo up. The person who installs the most confidence in me isn’t a blank photo space when a person should be or a dark selfie, I always pick the same female doctor with a beautiful professional photo. I trust her, she obviously cares and she comes across as very capable.
How do you want to come across?
What is the impression that you are trying to make? A photo can tell you so much about a person, so in the same vein that gives you the power to chose what people see when they look at your portrait. Do they see someone bubbly and friendly? Someone kind and capable? Someone trust worthy and honest? Have a think about what your goals are and how you want to be seen. If you’re an actor what type of roles are you looking to book? Because playing someone dark and evil will require a different type of photo to a happy and bright character.
I can’t afford headshots right now
Look headshots are an expense and if you don’t have the budget to go to a professional at the moment you can take a really simple self portrait at home.
Firstly look at they type of photos people in your industry have. Look at what they’re wearing, the type of background and lighting. Try and find a white wall next to a window and wait for soft light. Get a friend or family member to help you take the picture with the nicest camera available . If your face looks a bit dark on one side you can use a white sheet or cushion as a reflector to bounce some fill light on to your face and even things out.
Professional photographers have high quality cameras, they know how to use light and how to edit. It is worth hiring and expert if you can, they come with years of experience and only want you to succeed with their photos.
