Professional Headshots
Headshot Photography
Professional Headshots Will Accelerate the Careers of Woman and Men in Business, Actors, Executives and Authors. Present your staff at their best.
In this article we want to demystify the ‘headshot’ and explore where and when headshot photography will benefit you and your professional career. We’re also going to dig into personal branding and give you an overview of corporate headshot prices. Professional head shots will also improve your love life. (well, we’d like to think so)
People who include professional headshots in their online profiles receive over 20 times more views and connection requests, says LinkedIn Research. Your messages will have a higher rate of being read and responded to if show you care about your personal brand and career.
A professional photo says you’re “Ready to start work”
You’ve got a well fitting modern suit, up to date resume, and of course, a professional headshot to tell the new employer you are ready to start work!
What is a Headshot Photo Anyway?
Definition of a Headshot
A headshot is defined as simply a photograph of an individual’s face, usually including their shoulders, including only the person who is the focus and subject of the photo.
Where are Professional Headshots Used?
- Linkedin profile
- Social media profiles
- Directors briefs
- Podcasting
- Website About page
- Author Bio
- Models
- Publicity
- Casting
- Media stories
Are Professional Headshots Really necessary?
How important are they to your professional career? Do other successful people in your area of expertise have one? It is expected or or can you get away with doing it yourself photos.
Will the business hiring you need to be impressed with your presentation? Both women and men in business need to present well at first sight. Business greetings used to include handshakes, and people would make assumptions out of that.
Business handshakes are gone so all we now have at first glance is how well our online LinkedIn image represents who we are in real life. You’ve got less than 2 seconds to make an impression.
For a scientific perspective of Headshots and how they can help you project; intelligence, trustworthiness, and friendliness, Listen to this podcast ↗
Personal Branding is So Important in 2020
Your personal brand must stay consistent across all media on or offline. Your look is a great part of your brand so make sure you are instantly recognisable. Quickly gain trust and it will be easier for you to deliver on your brand promise.
Your business headshot should not be more than 5 years old, updating it every 2-3 years is even better. You evolve and so can your personal brand, but no one else will know about your personal growth unless you maintain your public image.
What Makes A Great Traditional Headshot?
A great Headshot usually has a neutral background, focused directly on the face and are either three-quarter or full face portraits. Eyes are almost always looking straight down the lens. Head tilt is optional and if not overdone can look good. Your choice of either slightly submission chin or slightly pronounced. Not a huge fan of eyes that are too squished together, like there’s some sort of discomfort going on.
Your character, your story should always shine through your portrait or if you’re aiming to grow in a specific direction use that future you persona.
Headshots in Sydney are used in professional settings, for example on resumes and social media sites like LinkedIn, for high profile business meetings, symposium and seminars and a range of other networking and personal branding situations.
While it might sound like a very simple photograph – and in one way it is – the professional headshot is a real test of a photographer’s skill.
Capturing somebody’s personality in a single picture, whilst also remaining within the constraints of a standard head-shot, is not simple at all! It requires a photographer who can rapidly build a relationship with their subject and put them at ease. Professionals can work from a variety of angles to obtain the most attractive image, and understands the role of light, background, pose and facial expression in creating a portrait that truly represents you.
Can a Friend Take my Head Shot?
Yes a friend can take your photo, no it shouldn’t be used to further your career. It’s really tempting to use the digital camera in your phone, but will it take a flattering portrait? Assuming your friend can do the same with their camera will result in your personal appearance being missed in a sea of selfies. It will not meet the standard of a professional corporate photographer, don’t make that mistake.
If your friend uses a modern camera phone, that camera can cost less than $50. A portrait lens that professionals use costs upwards of $1000 – $3000. It definitely has a different look.
While corporate headshot prices are actually very reasonable, it’s a certain fact that most people can tell whether a photograph has been taken professionally. In part it’s about the technical aspects of the shot which make it eminently shareable and memorable. But it’s also about the connection between the person in the photograph and the person viewing it.
A professional photographer manages to take the place of the viewer and create a connection in person that then translates to the eventual viewer. It’s indefinable, but if you go and look at an authors book jacket photo, or the main images that people place on their websites, you’ll find that the most compelling images nearly always have a photographer’s credit.
Media professionals always know this: actors and models invest so much in their portfolios because they know an actor headshot can make or break an early career, and what’s true for those professions can be true for everybody.
A great corporate headshot can push a career forward, not because we’re shallow or appearance-obsessed but because we all want to feel a connection. A good portrait makes that connection even when we haven’t met the person.
So yeah your friend can take your photo but no you shouldn’t use them for your career advancement, unless of course they’re a professional photographer.
Can Headshots be Taken Outside?
Natural light portraits and headshots in Sydney can definitely be captured outside. Some careful selection of what time of day. Away from direct sunlight and consideration given to where we have some control with the light. Outdoor headshots can look great.
Natural light portraits can also be taken indoors too, see the photos on this page. The natural outdoor light when softened near a window either in a small office (near natural light) can create some of the loveliest soft skin tones. Can help take a few years off too.
Many of the Sydney CBD office high rises have an abundance of natural light. Perfect light for executive portraits where you’d like the person not to appear too chiselled or too hard and business like. Great for both female and male headshots.
Corporate Portraits Pricing, What’s it Cost?
The Sydney headshot pricing sweet spot is an average of $350 – $500 per person with a minimum of 2 people for a standard portrait service.
Top tier Sydney headshot photographers can charge around $450 – $1500 per person per session for high quality headshots and service, including hair and make up by professional stylists.
It is common for office managers to book a full day for their staff to be photographed all at the same time. It’s a less personal experience for the executives but gets the job done and you save money.
Group head shots leads to greater efficiency so the prices drops dramatically per person.
Contact us for best price on group staff bookings.
Full coverage on the ins and outs of photography prices can be read in great detail here Photography Pricing.
Advantage of Using Professional Photographers
A great photographer will bring all the equipment necessary to ensure your shoot is flawless, but you can also prepare yourself for the session.
It’s often best to wear neutral colours, but bring along something bright and fun to ring the changes – this could be a scarf, tie, hat … anything with a bit of va va voom. Your accessory can create variety in some of the shots. Of course, if neutral isn’t you, that’s fine – while professional headshots do have to work in a fairly restricted framework, because they are often displayed in rigid formats. A professional headshot photographer will always be able to work with you to capture who you really are, without having to overstep the constraints of the genre.
Think about where you plan to use your headshot. Is it designed to polish up your social media profile, or are you planning to use it as part of a promotion and publication process? Do you want your headshot to be used in print media or will it be a purely digital presence?
There’s nothing like having a really good headshot to boost your professional identity.
It’s a business boost and a personal confidence-builder, and thinking about how you can get the best use from your headshot helps you maximise its impact.
Getting the Best Value from Your Portrait Session
The easiest way to make sure your investment in a professional headshot is worthwhile is to find a photographer you can really get on with.
Booking a photographer directly rather than through a third party booking service will also be to your advantage.
There’s nothing like working with somebody who can set you at ease and draw out your personality, so that they get a picture that truly reflects who you are.
This is true whether you’re an individual seeking a headshot that you can use in your professional life. Or you’re charged with finding a creative photographer for your company’s executive portraits.
