Tips to Match Your Headshot with Your Brand
Headshots can serve a number of purposes on company websites. They are typically displayed right next to an employee’s contact information or next to a story or brief quote that was written by the same worker. Seeing how technology dominates the workplace these days, headshots serve as a reminder that there are still friendly human beings in the company who aren’t afraid to talk to you over the phone or face to face.
They also serve a critical function for marketing purposes. As they say, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” Your picture alone can help determine whether potential customers want to speak with you and explore your brand’s website even further. It isn’t a simple selfie or vacation picture you’re adding to the scrapbook. Thousands of people are going to see your face when they go to your website, so you need to consider the following tips before stepping in front of the camera.
How do the Other Headshots Look?
If you are just joining the company and there are already several headshots of employees available on the site, analyze them before you take the picture. You don’t want to differ too much from the other employees, as you could risk alienating your potential customers and your coworkers. Your customers can tell that you’re too different from everyone else and probably not an experienced person to talk to. Your coworkers might believe you are trying to upstage them if you’re showing your teeth with a wide smile instead of having a soft smirk. When it comes to a headshot, you’re not just representing yourself, but the company as well.
What’s Your Company’s Tone?
To acquire the appropriate thumbnail, you need to understand what kind of expression your brand is trying to convey. You’ve likely noticed that plenty of creative headshots in D.C. are stern and serious in nature, featuring men and women in suits without much of a smile. Generally, most of these appear for financial and law firms because these types of industries thrive in unique political atmospheres like Washington, D.C. That doesn’t mean that certain workplaces around here can’t have lighthearted atmospheres. School faculty tend to have wider smiles since they work with a younger demographic and try to appear cooperative to them and their parents.
How much Practice do I need?
Don’t be afraid to look in a mirror or use your phone to do a few practice takes before heading out for the real thing. The photographers in photo shoots usually don’t have a lot of time during their session, so it would be beneficial to both you and them if you get your pictures done right and quickly. Feel free to ask them for advice on how to present yourself in the picture. Given how they helped take pictures of other members, they might have a clear understanding of what your picture should be like.
Washington, D.C. is a difficult city to make a name for you and your brand. Try contacting a corporate headshot photographer in Washington D.C., like DC Headshots, to make sure that your headshot is befitting of the company you are working for.