Do you need image advice for your headshot? If you’re serious about growing your business you should be promoting yourself online and part of the digital networking phenomenon. You should have a presence on some if not all of these sites – ecademy, Linked-in, Facebook & Twitter as well as contributing to blogs and forums. Your headshot is your digital signature and it’s vital that you have considered what an integral part it is of your brand. Here are my tips for making sure you make an impact with your headshot.
- Ensure your picture is current. Clothing trends and styles of photography vary frequently (not to mention you ageing!) so make sure your picture is not dated. A successful person would have the resources to ensure this happens.
- Be consistent. Your audience needs to trust you and using the same headshot each time you issue a newsletter or press release will help to imprint your image into memory. An image with you looking straight ahead will give the illusion of eye contact and help to build trust.
- Appropriateness. Do you need to portray different images to different audiences? The previous point stresses you must be consistent but depending on the “hats” you wear it might be appropriate for you to have a small portfolio of headshots that you use to convey different messages to different audiences.
- What Colour should you wear? It’s a headshot but it’s likely that some of your outfit will show. I recommend that you wear a bold colour rather than just a neutral. Wearing a brighter colour will convey confidence to your audience. Picking a colour the same colour as your eyes can look fabulous.
- What style? If possible choose a top with a collar that way even if you choose a headshot that is cropped right in you will see some of the colour of the outfit to frame your face.
- Accessories? Choose with care. High fashion earrings and necklaces can quickly date a photograph so choose classic styles and you don’t want anything that diverts attention away from the connection that people make with the picture when they look at your eyes. I’d tend to avoid scarves too as unless you have a very long slender neck they can tend to emphasise a double chin.
- Grooming? Plan a haircut close to your shoot. Ladies consider investing in a blowdry before the shoot. With any luck hundreds, if not thousands of people should see this picture online, in your PR, or even on your business card. If you don’t know what you are doing seek make-up advice. Successful women take pride in themselves and have the time for proper grooming. On average women who wear make-up get paid 23% more than those who don’t because they give the impression of attention to detail and pride. Do however aim for a neutral professional look that says “I made an effort but not a fuss”
- Leading lines? If your headshot is going to show a little more of your body then consider leading lines. Wearing a jacket in a contrasting colour to your top will be like drawing a line up towards your face and lead eyes there.
