Relaxed Contemporary Headshots For Business
Anne is an old friend of mine who recently set up a private practice alongside her other work commitments. She needed some professional headshots for her new website, so we chatted about what she specifically required. Headshots can be very generic and ‘samey’, and it was important to convey both Anne’s professionalism as well as her warm personality.
Because of the nature of Anne’s work the photographs needed to be in a non-corporate and relaxed environment, and so we chose a lakeside forest setting. Anne brought a selection of outfits with her and we discussed what would work best, settling on some bold colour. Unless you wear a suit, I think colour is pretty important and can say a lot about you. Anne works with children and teenagers, so her choice of clothing was perfect.
It’s not easy having your photograph taken when it’s just you and it can feel intimidating and really awkward to begin with. To smile or not? To show some enamel or keep it hidden? What to do with your hands? It’s difficult I know, I feel exactly the same. So I worked in a really relaxed way so that Anne’s personality would shine through. I wanted her to express feelings through facial expression and posture that she wanted her clients to see. It can be really subtle so it’s important to capture a range of expressions. Not all of them will be perfect for a business website, but will be great for social media, biographies and other situations where a lovely clear portrait is required.
Here are some words from Anne.
“Juliet caught great memories for us a few years ago at a family gathering and we were very impressed by how she managed to capture people’s personality in candid shots. When I needed pictures of myself as a portrait to put on a website to share information about my new private practice, I asked her again if she could help. I am a terrible person on the other side of the camera and felt rather nervous initially. She suggested a lovely park to help me feel more relaxed as I prefer outdoors settings . We had fun during an informal photo shoot in the middle of dog walkers ( although you would not notice them on the final pictures) and she managed to take lovely pictures of me that I will be proud to use on my new website.”
Using professionally taken headshots can really enhance your online presence. Images can date quickly and it’s important to portray who you are now, and not rely on some old images taken several years ago. If you feel some lovely up to date images would be great for your business then do get in touch.
