We’ve already talked about how important it is to hire a headshot photographer if you want to be perceived as professional in your headshots. Mediocre snaps from your mobile phone and cropped photos of you with your friends or family just scream amateur, and make it look like you couldn’t be bothered to invest the time and money into getting some high quality photos of yourself.
Don’t be that guy. Instead, heed our tips for how to prepare for your professional headshots:
1. Hire The Right Headshot Photographer
It can be tempting to hire the first photographer you find, but it’s worth doing your research and looking at several before deciding on someone to do the job.
It’s especially important that you feel comfortable around your headshot photographer, so be sure to talk to and preferably meet them in person before hiring them. If you don’t feel comfortable, you’re going to look stiff and awkward in your headshots.
Keep in mind that just because someone’s a photographer, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they are a headshot photographer. You want to find someone who specializes in headshots and has a portfolio of quality work to prove it. Don’t hire a food photographer or an event photographer if they have hardly any experience taking headshots.
2. Choose A Flattering Outfit
One major way to ensure you look your best in your headshots is to dress in a flattering outfit – one that you look good and feel confident in. If you’re not sure what looks good on you, get a second opinion from someone you know who’s fashion savvy.
In general, aim to wear solid colors that don’t distract. You don’t want your attire to be the thing people take away from the photo – you want them to remember your face!
3. Relax And Smile
Most important of all: RELAX. If you’re not used to being in front of the camera, it can feel quite awkward having picture after picture taken of you. Believe me, it will show in your headshots.
So here’s what you do: plaster the biggest, goofiest smile on your face and let your headshot photographer fire away. As you loosen up, your exaggerated smile will relax into a more natural one. The resulting photos will show you looking like your real self, which is exactly what you want when you stick your face on your company website, LinkedIn profile, or business cards.
See Part 2 of our series: How To Prepare For Your Corporate Headshots