What is corporate portrait?
Business is changing. More than ever, people rely on email and websites to get information. Face-to-face meetings are less common yet the human connection is what continues to drive sales and successful business relationships. If you haven’t yet had the opportunity to meet in person, you must rely on your professional corporate portrait to represent you on all social platforms such as Facebook and LinkedIn and Instagram. Many websites are now adding pictures of their employees to help put a friendly face to their company. It’s important to know who you are doing business with and seeing the face of the person you are corresponding with is a very powerful tool to instil confidence.
The importance of a unified look for your company’s employees
Consistency in your employee headshots makes your team look professional and unified. High quality portraits show that you care to invest in your company’s image and therefore care about the work you do.
A professional portrait will give your employees a sense of pride. They will feel good about their place of work and their role within the company.
By choosing the right corporate photographer, you control the image seen by your clients. Do not rely on your employees to supply their own photo.
Many people in sales choose to have a photo embedded in their email signature. Consistency with all these profile photos will create a strong brand image for your company.
HOW TO LOOK GOOD IN YOUR CORPORATE BUSINESS PORTRAIT
Always have a smiling or friendly expression.
Direct your face towards the camera. That conveys openness and confidence.
Dress up for your photo. Layers (sweaters, blazers, suit jacket) are visually appealing.
Do wear your glasses if you wear them all the time. You want to look authentic in your business picture.
A good business portrait should show your best “real you”. People should feel that they are getting to know you just by seeing your photo. And this will add a good level of familiarity and trust.
Your final photo should be lightly touched up, but not to the point where the retouching is noticeable. The best headshots are honest and beautiful portraits.
HEADSHOT PHOTO TIPS FOR WOMEN
- Women should avoid big jewelry or anything that will distract from the professional look and attire.
- Try to wear classic cut blouse or shirt. Layering always adds a nice dimension to the photo but is not necessary.
- Shirt or blouse should not be too low cut. Some photos need a close crop and it’s distracting to only see skin and no shirt below, as you might imagine!
- There are more women executives and women in exciting new entrepreneurial roles. This is unchartered territory. There is no denying that a women’s business portrait must be different from . They are judged differently and must choose a professional image that balances between femininity and authority. I work hard with my women entrepreneurs and executives to navigate this interesting terrain and hit the right note with their portrait. I strive to create the perfect balance and this sometimes means a more serious expression, an interesting angle and the right lighting.
BUSINESS PORTRAIT TIPS FOR MEN
- Men should wear layers or a jacket, only wear a tie if that suits the work that you do, or the work you aspire to do.
- Show the expression that suits you the best. If you’re a serious person, don’t give a big smile – it will look un-natural. But if you’re by nature a smiling person then that’s the best expression for your portrait.
- Wear a jacket and tie if that’s suits the work you do and reflects you best. But don’t be afraid to have an open shirt with a blazer. The business culture is changing so wear what you feel makes you look the best and suits the culture of the business you are in.
- Make sure your clothes are ironed and fit well. An ill-fitted jacket just looks sloppy and that’s not going to make a good portrait.