Professional Headshots in Red Deer, Alberta

I have written before about professional headshots and their importance in a professional capacity for your professional role in this world.  Whether you are a lawyer, doctor, photographer (please don’t get me started on how many photographers have terrible headshots), manager, chef, actor, realtor…I could go on and on.  A professional headshot is your potential customer’s first introduction visually to you.

Are you drunk in that headshot?

I have always been curious why on sites like LinkedIn and Facebook – or Instagram…anywhere you put a picture of yourself to introduce yourself to the world, why some people select the worst picture ever as their headshot.  It is 2018 and I continue to see images of PROFESSIONAL people at BBQ’s (eating is the best), images that look like they were taken by a cell phone from the 1990’s, blurry, terrible colour (picture orange skin) and some even where they look drunk with half the picture cut off – presumably because an ex is in the other half.  These are the representations of the person behind the profile information and if I am looking for a Realtor, for example, the profile with a “selfie” picture at one of the least professional times of their life is not the one I will be calling.  Sorry not sorry for that reality…

What professional headshots should look like

So – now we know what ‘isn’t’ a professional headshot – what is?  To answer that, looking at the type of job you do is very important to know as well as the image you wish to project to your customer.  Do you mean business?  Do you want people to feel a certain way about you when they look at your picture?  Do you want to convey a feeling of warmth or seriousness?  Do you want people to like you or trust you before they even meet you?  These are questions you have to have answers to when you book a professional headshot session with Suzanne Taylor Photography.  My job is to take your goals and vision for your image and create a powerful image for you to introduce yourself to the world with.  Whether you are wanting just to say ‘hi’ or wanting to gain confidence and trust – your professional headshot is the perfect reflection of who you are.

Which is best – Colour or Black and White Headshots?

When you book professional headshots with Suzanne Taylor Photography, all image packages come with both professionally edited colour and black and white versions of your selected images.  Headshots are a very personal image, and in my opinion, there are times for both colour and black and white and that is why both versions are included in headshot packages.  Colour tends to be warmer, friendlier and more welcoming whereas black and white is more dramatic and can be more powerful as that first image a customer sees and bases those crucial first impressions of you.  Colour creates excitement in the eye and gives your brain a LOT more information to take in.  Your eyes look at the image, gets excited about the colour and makes a decision based on all of the information it just collected.  It takes in colour, details, emotion, tone, hues, etc.  With a black and white photo, all of those extra sources of information are missing, and your brain is left to view the image, emotion, the light and the shadows.  The viewer’s mind has to view the image and make a judgement based on the information it sees – not just make an opinion based on what our brains are constantly exposed to.

Which images above did you like the most?  Were you more drawn to the colour or black and white images?  I have always been drawn more to dramatic imagery and a good black and white always win for me.  That being said, however, if you head over to the first page of my website right HERE, you will see a fairly flattering picture of your’s truly in colour.  I selected colour for that picture because I thought the warmth, colours and tones conveyed a feeling and emotion that was not expressed by the black and white version of the image.  Now, look at the black and white photograph at the top of this post.  That image is strong, powerful and very take charge and matches the overall energy that the very handsome man in the image wanted to convey.  For the record, that handsome man is my husband ;).

It’s funny how such similar images are so different in their pictures.  When I was culling this session which took about 25 minutes to capture, my initial cut had me staring at 100 good images that all felt different when I looked at them.  The size of the smile, the furrow of the brow…even the angle of the chin can influence the style and message of the image of the headshot.  By the time the 3rd cull came around, we were down to 14 and then down to 4 individual photos that will represent my husband to future customers and current customers and let them know that not only being approachable, he is also in control and is working for their benefit.  He wants to be their friend as well as their banker, and I feel these images very much convey that feeling – and so did he.  All professional headshot packages allow you to view and select the pictures that you like the most and that you think will suit your image needs the best.

If you are interested in booking a professional headshot with Suzanne Taylor Photography, please drop me a line at hello@suzannetaylorphotography.com.  I am available for both indoor and outdoor headshot sessions and am happy to travel to your location to capture you in your element.  I hope to connect with you soon!

Warmly,
Suzanne

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Did you enjoy this blog post?  Why not check this post out about the Importance of a Professional Headshot.