Headshots 101, part 4: WHY YOU NEED TO CONTROL WHAT YOUR HEADSHOT SAYS ABOUT YOU
Not only is a picture worth a thousand words, it can also be worth a whole paying job. Majority of HR departments search online for job applicant’s professional and personal information before making a job offer. Even on travel, leisure, dating and social sites, people make judgments about your intelligence, trustworthiness, and attractiveness based on your picture. Look up your name on the Internet. The image that will come up first is your digital identity. How likely is that you will gain people’s trust with yours?
Expect your headshot's audience to hold you to as high visual standards as you should be proud to hold yourself to. This is where to invest the money and the attention - because it is the photographer’s job to make you look your best, not yours. So take that pressure off yourself and hire someone who knows what they’re doing. Problem solved!
You may think a headshot tells the story of who you are on the outside, but if it's any good, it will tell the story of who you are on the inside, and how you connect with others. When a prospective client looks at your headshot, they're experiencing a taste of what having a relationship with you would be like, be it professional or social. The real image is the experience that happens inside the viewer when they look at you, and the feelings the image arouses. Curiosity? Excitement? Fear? Hope? All of these feelings help determine how your audience will relate to the real live you. They say the eyes are the windows to the soul. Eyes are important in headshots, because they share so much about your personality and how you connect. Therefore your eyes should be in focus, alive, and energized. You should be able to see strong inner thoughts, a back story, and life behind the eyes. Strong connecting eyes and a slight squint will bring a picture to life and help it stand out. A good photographer knows how to bring this out in you. You want to be in control of the messages you send in your photos - and together, we’ll make sure you’re projecting a strong first impression.
