People always look at a photograph first, before reading text. It is the first thing that they see when they go online and arrive at your profile, be it LinkedIn, Facebook or Instagram.

What this photo says about you, is so important - are you personable, professional, fun, trustworthy? It takes about two seconds for people to make a decision, whether they like you and are going to use you and your services or not.

Taking this into consideration, it is really worth investing the time and money to get yourself the best profile photograph you can.

Having a good profile photograph helps with whatever message you wish to give out: it says hire me and you will get the right person you want for the job.

So here are 6 tips to make sure you get the best photograph of you, and show potential clients who you really are.

1. DON’T use a selfie or a holiday snap

It’s amazing but there are some people out there, (might be you!!) who make the number 1 mistake of using a selfie or holiday snap. This is just so unprofessional and amateur. It says, I am only half running my business and my services will be mediocre. There is no excuse and it is just sloppy and lazy. If yours is one, do yourself a favour and please change it now.

2. Show your face

Loving that dreamy picture of you on top of a mountain, it looks great, but studies have shown that people buy from people that they like and trust and that ambiguous faceless figure up a mountain, is not going to give them a chance to get to see your face and get a feeling for you, and so start the process of knowing and trusting you. A cartoon character or a picture of your dog, isn’t great either. Even if you are a mountaineer/ adventurer, maybe use a landscape image behind your profile shot, but show your potential client your face.

3. Don’t be miserable – be happy and smile!

Smiling to the camera might be hard, but trust me it makes a big difference. When you are not smiling in the photo, it results in you at best, looking miserable and at worst unapproachable or scary! So suspend your inhibitions and smile, in the long run it makes you much more approachable and thus increases your chances of the client hiring you.

4. Chose your background carefully

Keep your background simple, keep it free from unwanted stuff - the focus should be on you. Super busy backgrounds take away from a portrait and distract the viewer. The exception to this rule is if you are doing an environmental portrait of you in your workplace. Then great, include the background and props. It’s good to use a variety of different backgrounds and then afterwards the client can see which is their favourite. Using different colour backdrops or different locations provides variety and more choice. The other portrait option is an environmental or lifestyle photo, which shows the subject in their work environment, this works really well too but in a different way. Examples in the feature image show an Interior designer in front of some cool wallpaper and a PR guru in her office.

5. Get your brand in the photograph

Branding is a big buzz word these days, everybody wants branding photography and for the client to get to know and see their brand. Get your brand in the photo, maybe a splash of your branding colour, in the background behind you or what you are wearing. Add your logo or part of it.

6. Use a professional photographer

The difference between amateur and professional work is huge. Professional headshot photographers take photographs for a living, so they are going to be good! Do yourself a favour, and get the best photograph of yourself that you can, impress those future clients and get those jobs.

For a proper professional profile photograph please contact me on sasfihopeross@gmail.com or give me a ring 07450 866977. We can discuss everything you need, from clothing and locations to the style of photograph to get you looking your best.

GUEST BLOGGER AUTHOR:

SASFI HOPE ROSS