It’s a common, tortured lament: “why do I look different in photos?” The short answer: your eyes and the camera are playing tricks on you. Yes, you really do look different in photos, so don’t worry. Brace yourself as we reveal the quirky reasons why you may sometimes fear looking more freaky than photogenic. (P.S. You don’t.)

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It’s true, you know. A picture says a thousand words. Whether it’s a ‘meet the team’ page on your website or for your workforce’s LinkedIn profiles, proper headshots are an easy way to encapsulate your brand values. They really should be part of your business strategy. Give us two minutes to explain why.

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So, you’re wondering how to look good on camera. Sometimes it feels like the holy grail, doesn’t it? Some people seem to look great in photos no matter what. Unfortunately, you’re not one of them. In fact, you become an awkward mess the moment somebody foists a lens in your general direction. Ho hum. We can fix that, so don’t worry.

In the digital age it really is useful to have one or two photos of yourself that look great. And put it this way: you don’t want to look bad on camera, do you?

Here are twelve tips that will help you shine on camera. [Read more…]

The ‘About Us’ page is one of the most important pages on your website; in fact, for many sites it is one of the most visited pages they have. As well as this, Google now measures websites based on what they call ‘EAT’: Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness. Your ‘About Us’ page is critical in proving your worth in these metrics and thus boosting the SEO for your site.

SEO and Google rankings aside, your ‘About Us’ page is really about introducing your company to visitors; telling them who you are and what you do, whilst also showing a little of the personality and brand of your company. It is a key component in persuading potential clients to do business with you.

Here are 10 tips for improving your ‘About Us’ Page:

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Keen to find out how to build a personal brand? It doesn’t need to take forever or break the bank. Here are six quick tips to help you show the world who you are.

What does your personal brand mean?

First things first. What is a personal brand? Well, not to get all middle-management speak but think of it as your promise to the world. It’s a definition and distillation of who you are, what you do and what you represent. And it gives you a lens through which you present yourself.

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So you want to take the perfect headshot? Well, here’s to you! Making the decision to put yourself out there with a professional headshot is a bold and confident step. It’s also one that will help you to establish your credibility, attract exciting opportunities and build new relationships. Yes, the right headshot can transform your personal brand. But before you go into the studio, here’s eight questions you should ask yourself (and good answers, too) to help you get the confident, approachable and assured image you’re searching for.

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If you’re even remotely concerned about your physical appearance or your health (let’s be honest, most of us are) then looking after your skin is vital. Improving your skin’s health makes it more capable of fighting the signs of ageing; it heals much faster and deters disease or infection better than unhealthy skin does. It is affected by a whole host of variables but today we will focus on a simple step to fantastic skin – which drinks are best to develop and sustain glowing, youthful and radiant look?

WATER – Drinking up to 8 glasses of water a day will help rid the body and skin of toxins. Considering how much of our body is made up of water (around 70%), the benefits of drinking enough water cannot be understated.

BONE BROTH – Don’t be deterred by the off-putting name, bone broth has plenty of vitamins and minerals from the broken down bones which are said to have powerful healing properties. It contains masses of collagen, magnesium and calcium, which are all vital ingredients for that glowing body you’ve been searching for.

POMEGRANATE JUICE – Pomegranate juice has powerful antioxidant properties, aids cellular regeneration and has fantastic anti-aging properties. Not only this, it can also prevent damage caused by free radicals.

GREEN TEA – Green tea has a whole host of benefits. It has anti-aging and antioxidant benefits that can help delay signs of ageing skin such as wrinkles, sagging and sunspots. It can help clear acne, reduce puffiness and improve overall skin complexion.

GREEN JUICE – Probably one of the healthiest and revitalising drinks on the list, stocked to the brim with essential vitamins and minerals needed for glowing skin! Green juice can come in a variety of forms and you can blend veg (along with fruits) to your liking. There are masses of different recipes online so it’s simple to get involved!

BLACK TEA – Perfect for oily skin types! Black tea contains tannic acid which has astringent and antiperspirant properties, great for those whose skin becomes oily due to sweating! Don’t sweat it and give the black tea a try to clear up that shine!

ALOE VERA JUICE – Used since ancient times and nicknamed the “plant of immortality” by the Egyptians, aloe vera juice fights against them all! It is the perfect treatment for sunburn, scar reduction, acne and aging. In fact, aloe vera juice goes beyond skin care and can work wonders for your body!

CARROT JUICE – If you don’t want to spend masses on skin care products, give carrot juice a try! It has been known to hydrate your skin, reduce redness, provide an even tone and even reduce scarring! All you need to do is pick up some carrots from your local!

OOLONG TEA – This ancient tea is also known as wu liang, after the Chinese tea leaf harvester who shared the same name many centuries ago. Similarly to green tea, this tea is known to improve your skin’s youthfulness! It’s been proven to improve colour, diminish dark spots and wrinkles, improve skin tone and can also be used as an effective sunscreen!

RED WINE – For the drinkers out there, this one will come as a relief! Besides the surprising benefit that a glass or two of red wine can improve your heart’s health red wine’s antioxidants can help battle against acne and other painful skin conditions. That’s not to advocate drowning yourself in red wine (unfortunately)!

Six tips for camera shy ladies – click here 

Top tips for camera shy men – click here

We live in a world where we always feel that we have forgotten something because we live such busy lives. Our work and personal lives are now so fast-paced that we don’t even find time to sit still and take a breather before heading into meetings. If you are anything like me, you only get time to think about the next steps in your day when you’re driving from one meeting to the next. With frequent performance reviews and fast paced online meetings, the mind is naturally under constant pressure to perform to the best of its ability.

Here are 3 simple techniques for entrepreneurs and business professionals that you should use before heading into a meeting or before you get home. These techniques won’t just help relax your mind and enhance your overall health and well-being but will improve the transparency of your positive attitude in front of the camera.

1) Tunes: Something we all love to hear is music. Music can be the best medicine to cure a stressful mind. Your own feel good songs are a great way of soothing your senses and will have a positive impact on your emotions. Listen to your favourite songs whilst in the shower or on your way to work and you will begin to feel relaxed.

2) Tidiness: The environment we are surrounded by, both at home and at work, has an impact on our minds. To keep yourself relaxed, it is essential to building a positive and calm environment. A messy home and work environment can often cloud your mind. Clean the mess and free your mind, I assure you it will have a positive effect on your life and your professional photo shoot (if you have one coming up).

3) Tranquillity: A technique that is often associated with relaxation is yoga. Yoga is a popular activity to de-clutter the mind, but in reality, we don’t all have the time to roll out our yoga mats on the tube. We do however have time for a little meditation and it doesn’t have to be anything too time-consuming. I take 100 breaths, I count them and I try not to think about anything else. This is a technique that works really well for me and yes, it’s only counting. This gives my brain something to do whilst my body has a rest. After 100 breaths I forget that I’m counting and my whole body feels at peace and ready to embrace the next part of my day.

To find out more about other ways to improve your work home lifestyle please read our blog Your Face Says it All.

Just had an awkward moment sat in Costa. Have you ever had a thought running through your head then accidentally spurted it out loud? Yeah.. That just happened.

Sat here alone and I’ve basically just yelled: “OH, this is such an important tip!” Heads turn either from bewilderment or amusement I can’t tell but I sit here writing this blog anyway for you albeit a bit red-faced.

Anyway, one of the important things you can do with your branding is to SHOW YOUR FACE!

Sounds scary, I know right? But we do it every day. Why shouldn’t we do it online?

Last week I was talking to one of my old friends from high school who has set up her own company. The company is still in the early stages and she was telling me how she wasn’t quite seeing growth as quickly as she’d like.. With that said, we entered the web address and had a look at her company’s website and social media. Then it hit me…I see this mistake made again and again and again.

“When people go on your website they are buying your product to meet their needs (DUH!) but they are also investing in YOU! They believe in you and they want to see you can offer them! What I can see just by quickly taking a look at your online presence is that there isn’t very much of you in there at all. So when I visited your website, your face wasn’t shown, the only place I could find it was in a tiny box at the bottom of the screen. Show your face, let them know who you are and let your personality shine through on centre-stage. It’s literally one of the most vital ways to connect with your audience and sell your product.. Go get ’em!”

Because here is the thing. As a business owner, you are a personal brand and that is an awesome thing. You have the power to market yourself and more people will buy the product because they like you and they believe in you. It provides the perfect advantage over all the faceless brands out there that people have trouble connecting with and trusting, particularly in the early stages when your brand hasn’t got much recognition yet.

So that’s all good and well but what are some ways you can show off your face and connect better with your existing and potential customers?

There are two very simple steps.

1. Get professional photos done. Yep, get ready… And let’s make them better than the embarrassing photo in your high school yearbook. Photographers at The Headshot Guy will capture your personality (whether you are super fun and outgoing or serious and no-nonsense) and know how to use the camera perfectly to make your best features shine! Advanced tip: have a few different outfits, get different angles and also get some photos of you pointing into space which can be super helpful later when you’re advertising on your website.
2. Your photo needs to be on EVERYTHING. And we mean EVERYTHING. That means when they click on your website and see you, they’ll remember you. When they look at their business cards laying around their house, they’ll remember you. When they’re in bed at nigh… Well maybe that’s not what we’re aiming for but you get the picture.

Just remember there is only one of you so let people see and remember your face.

Have a fantastic day from everyone at The Headshot Guy.

You’ve made the right choice, took the plunge and booked your big day to have a professional headshot. Congratulations! Your professional headshot can provide you with a whole host of benefits! With that said, there is still plenty of things you can do to make the most out of your photo shoot to ensure you are sparklingly radiant on the day!

Here’s some simple prep you can do for the weeks prior to your shoot that will make you look and feel healthier, clearer and revitalised.

DRINK LOTS OF WATER! – Drinking lots of water each day will help rid the body and skin of toxins, providing you with a clearer complexion. This isn’t to say that you should only drink water because it can often lead to unhealthy spikes in blood sugar levels but it is important that you make sure you still hydrate with water regularly and try to keep tabs on the soda!

CUT BACK ON THE SODIUM! – As many as 9 out of 10 of us are eating too much salt! Apart from the fact that eating too much salt can raise your blood pressure, it also leads to bloating and puffiness due to the extra water being held in your body. Reducing sodium is a great tip to reduce puffiness in the face and particularly around the eyes. If you want to look awake and like you haven’t just rolled out of bed consider cutting back on the sodium!

WATCH YOUR NUTRITION – Eating plenty of fruit and vegetables rich in antioxidants is good for your body and your skin! The consumption of certain vitamins, minerals, and other beneficial compounds in the diet is one of the most effective ways to treat skin conditions and improve the look and feel of one’s skin. An easy tip is to try and get as much variety in colour as possible in your diet!

BUILD YOUR SKIN CARE ROUTINE! – There’s lots of information you can find online how to build your skin care routine dependent on whether your skin type is oily, dry, etc. The most basic and useful things you can do is to remember to wash your face no more than twice a day with a gentle cleanser, exfoliate once or twice a week and regularly use moisturiser to keep your skin hydrated and vitalized!

GET IN THE ZONE! – “A person who has good thoughts cannot ever be ugly. You can have a wonky nose and a crooked mouth and a double chin and stick-out teeth, but if you have good thoughts it will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely”, Roald Dahl. By doing things to improve your mental health and positivity, your thoughts will begin to radiate onto your face. One of the best things you can do to be positive is to spend 10 minutes a day doing meditation or yoga. Meditation and yoga not only balances your mind but your body too! If you’re new to meditation or yoga there are plenty of videos on YouTube aimed at beginners that you can use to begin today!

DO FACIAL EXERCISES! – Your facial muscles play a key role in shaping your face. By doing simple facial exercises you can help tone and tighten your facial muscles, which helps support your skin and prevent sagging. Not only this, but facial exercises help improve the blood flow throughout your face which can actually help counteract wrinkles! Cosmetic surgery isn’t always the answer! Look for some facial exercises online that can help improve crow’s feet, drooping eyelids or even cheek lines and sagging skin!