“Smile, say cheese!”
CLICK.
Most companies we work with are leery of getting professional headshots taken of their staff for web or printed material. Clients say that their potential customers do not care what they look like as long as our product/service is of the highest quality. I beg to differ. One of the leading points in any article about how to run a successful business meeting will say to research the person you are meeting. This means putting a name to a face is very important.
The other thing clients say is that they don’t take good pictures. This is of no fault of their own, but rather the photographers they worked with in the past. I would like to calm all of your fears and break any hesitation about getting headshots for your company.
As a photographer at BPM, I would like to explain my standard process in capturing these headshots. I consider a “headshot” to be a professional portrait; therefore I take the responsibility of getting to know each person I plan on taking portraits of. I start with a pre-session consultation. This consists of what the images will be used for and what the focus of the images will be. I always offer advice on what should be worn and how certain colors will work with certain backgrounds. From this preliminarily info, I can coordinate equipment and locations if needed.
Once the day of the shoot is upon us, I start by setting up the location with the background that was decided on as well as the lighting. Correct lighting can make or break a portrait (headshot). It is my job to fine tune the lighting based on each subject. I then greet each person and introduce myself. It is my job to make you feel at ease. This step doesn’t take much for me as I am a pretty crazy guy. I joke around (when appropriate) and lighten up the mood in the room. Let’s not forget we are here to get you to smile and be inviting to customers who view your picture.
Once we are fully acquainted I will start the session while making small talk to keep the mood light. This ensures I capture the best portraits. I will let you know if I need to make any adjustments to get the images to turn out perfect. What separates a great headshot from an average one are generally very small changes. These little adjustments can make all the difference. Sometimes a little tilt of the head can make you seem more inviting to the viewer or even a slight grin rather than a full smile.
After the session is completed, I finalize the portraits in editing software to make sure you look your absolute best. Your new headshots can be used in bios on your website, sales collateral, press releases, LinkedIn profiles or any other professional outlet. I hope I have calmed your nerves about having your company’s headshots taken. Just remember there is more to it than just “Smile, say cheese!”…CLICK.
