|
Is your image is over two years old, ask yourself honestly,‘ do I still look like that?’ If integrity is a strong value within your business, then you have to start walking the walk, and having a photo that looks like you today, not three years ago – or longer.
REASONS TO UPDATE YOUR IMAGES:
• You may change your hair colour or style. You may have come to recognise that certain colours suit your skin tone better than the black you always wore previously.
• The business is a success, and you have more money to spend on your business than you had in the first few years, and although professional photography may seem to be a luxury when you are a‘ start-up’, professional images will represent you and your brand in the way you want to be portrayed.
• The coming year may be a landmark celebration for your business; or you
|
have developed a new strand of work, or written a book. All good reasons to have professional images for PR purposes.
TIPS FOR PLANNING YOUR HEADSHOT:
1. Having no picture is as bad as having a bad image on your Linkedin profile / or other social media. Why? People may wonder if you actually exist.
2. Plan why you need your photo and where you are going to use them ie print or web. Share this information with your photographer.
3. In a good portfolio image, it’ s best if you look straight into the camera and smile. People are drawn to a smiling face over a bland or miserable one.
4. It is important to see your eyes, without distractions, such as hats, or sunglasses- unless you have a medical condition and wear dark glasses.
5. Beforehand, practice smiling with your teeth showing, to find what looks most
|
natural and professional for you. 6. Wear a colour that suits you because it makes your eyes shine, rather than making your skin look lacklustre.
7. Ladies, wear mascara and lipstick, even if you don’ t normally wear make-up; both make your eyes stand out.
8. Talk to your photographer about how much editing is done, and ask if dark lines and any spots can be removed.
9. Choose a photographer who you feel comfortable with.
THE 3 BIGGEST MISTAKES PEOPLE MAKE: 1. Getting a friend to take the picture to save money 2. Wearing black because it‘ slims me down’ 3. Wanting to be‘ just captured naturally’ rather than looking at the camera
In answer to those points... 1. A friend may be good with the camera, the same way most of my friends can use scissors, but I wouldn’ t ask them to
|
cut my hair for an important event.
2. Black does cover a multitude of sins, but it can also make your skin look lack lustre, and make you look older.
3. Have you seen the faces most of us make when we’ re talking to friends and expressing ourselves? They are not the best images to use for business.
New Year, New image – best face forward!
|