Let’s talk headshots…
When we were getting started in photography, we did what most people do whenever they’re trying to become something new:
We looked around at what everyone else was doing.
Whatever *most* people were doing, we did that.
They must be doing it for a good reason, we thought.
Here’s what happened.
It was time for us to take our first professional headshots (together) for our new husband-and-wife photography business.
We were teaching elementary school at the time. At the same school. In next-door classrooms.
We asked our principal if we could use the school lobby to take some pictures over the weekend. Then we asked a dad of one of our students (awesome guy) if he would take our head shots for us.
We were so excited.
We didn’t have any money at the time, so new outfits were out of the question.
Instead, we rifled through our closet filled with mostly leftover clothes from college and stuff we bought at consignment stores for pennies on the dollar.
And off to the school lobby we went!
Here was result…
This was the photo we chose to splash across the homepage of our website.
AS BIG AS WE POSSIBLY COULD.
At the time, we were so proud.
Looking back, we’re proud of… the effort. Haha.
In reality, there are so many problems with this headshot.
The technical photography wasn’t one of them.
Our photographer was talented and did exactly what we asked him to do.
But alas, there were many problems with our headshot.
And we’re not just talking about the matching teal and black outfits.
And Jordan’s epic sideburns.
(Scroll up and get a closer look at those beauties).
We’re talking about the fact that we were NATURAL LIGHT photographers and yet…. we chose to take photos indoors with artificial light –– essentially advertising something WE DIDN’T EVEN DO!
Our main problem was…
We weren’t thinking about what our headshots communicated to our potential clients.
Over the years, we learned from our mistakes, and now we’re going to share with you the three things everyone should consider when you’re taking photos for your:
– Social media profile pictures
– About page on your website
– And anywhere else you use your headshot
1. Make sure the style of your headshot matches the style of photos you take
If you love to create light, bright, airy photos, make sure you don’t ask a dark-and-moody-style photographer to take your headshots.
Don’t make the mistake we made and get artificial light photos if you’re a natural light photographer!
Many students in our AJ courses actually do headshot swap sessions with fellow photographers with a similar style for this very reason.
The style of your headshot should fit seamlessly into the rest of the photos you post.
2. Look at the camera directly and smile warmly
We’ve noticed there’s a trend in the photography industry of photographers not looking at the camera in their head shots.
Maybe because it feels more artistic or mysterious.
(Kinda like this)
(Thankfully not like this!)
They’re looking for reliable and trustworthy.
Clients only give us about 60 seconds on our website to decide whether they want to pursue the idea of working with us… or not.
It’s a gut reaction, a split-second decision.
Think about it like this…
When you meet someone for the first time, how would it make you feel if they looked down or off in the distance the entire time?
What would you think about them?
How would you feel about the way they think about YOU?
(This is basically what we were doing to potential clients)
How would you feel if they looked you in the eyes and smiled?
Totally different, right?
(This old man gets it.)
(So does Julia Roberts)
As photographers, we don’t have a physical store front.
Our websites are our stores and our about pages are our hand shakes.
Our social media headshots SAY something about us to potential clients whether we intend them to or not!
Whether we realize it or not, when someone clicks “About,” the bells above the door go off, and we come out from behind the counter and greet a first-time customer.
We should be looking at them… and smiling.
Science actually backs this up!
Studies actually show that looking people in the eye and smiling makes us more likable, attractive, and trustworthy to that person.
Here’s one of the tests we use NOW to decide if something is a good or bad idea:
We call it the “Other Businesses Outside the Industry Test.”
(We admittedly need a catchier title for this, so if you have one, please let us know!)
The test goes like this…
(In this case, the blank is headshots)
Before we tell you what we found, let us first
We did not find doctors clutching their stethoscope like a string of pearls… while staring off in the distance.
And we FOR SURE didn’t find any plumbers running their hands through their hair while holding a plunger.
Generally speaking, we found people looking at the camera… and smiling.
When you hold your camera in the photo, what does it tell people?
“I am the photographer!”
In a sea of photos on your website and social media, the quickest and easiest way for people to tell the difference between you and your clients is your camera.
When people see someone holding a camera, their brain will immediately process “Oh! There’s the person who takes the pictures!”
It might seem simple, but when a total stranger is trying to “get to know” you, having a camera in your headshot is a surefire way for them for them to understand who you are and what you do without uttering a single word.
Much better, right?
Did this one change immediately result in the dam breaking and a flood of business rushing through?
No.
But, over time, it did.
One small intentional decision at a time led to a big intentional business.
Photographers often want ONE BIG silver bullet. A secret recipe. A magic wand.
One thing they can do to change everything.
We’ve been in this industry long enough to know it doesn’t exist.
That’s the bad news.
The good news?
You actually have lots of little silver bullets in your hands right now.
It’s called doing the next best thing. Making the next best decision.
Do that all day.
If you do it long enough, consistently enough, you’ll eventually wake up with a successful photography business.
Then everyone will ask YOU for the silver bullet.
And you’ll be able to tell them that it started one little step at a time.
