6 Common Mistakes to Avoid When Taking Corporate Headshots
Photography can be hard for anybody to pull off well. After all, getting the right shot requires a lot of attention to detail and nuance. The wrong amount of light, background, or pose, and the final product can wind up terrible – which is especially accurate for corporate headshots. Unfortunately, it is all too typical for people to make these common errors and more. Curious to know what you should avoid and what to do in its place? Here are 6 of the most common mistakes people make when taking corporate headshots.
1. Looking Away from the Camera
Eye contact is difficult for many people, but the reality is that it is a crucial aspect of a business portrait. It establishes trust, reliability, and honesty — it positions you as someone who knows what they are doing and has a lot to offer. Use this to your advantage in a corporate headshot, and you will instantly increase your credibility,
ability to form industry connections, and the likelihood of snagging the position or promotion you are after. So, whatever you do, do not look away from the camera. Maintain a steady gaze, try to look nice and relaxed, and go for an expression that is natural, approachable but professional. Please have a look at the below two examples to compare the professionalism.
2. Unprofessional Background/Setting
If you are taking a picture for your personal Instagram or Facebook account, there is absolutely nothing wrong with shots from a party or other social engagement. Note, though, that headshots for business purposes do not fall under this purview. Any image taken in such a manner would appear unprofessional and unsuitable. Interested in curating a better look? Choose a plain, neutral background for your photo (with a few exceptions!) and avoid any overly casual setting.
3. Action Shots Rather than Stills
Corporate culture is becoming more relaxed and less stuffy with every passing year. But it’s still rather formal at its core and you need that reflected in your headshots. Thus, not only should you ditch any inappropriate backgrounds, but you should also stick with stills rather than action shots. Neglecting to do this is a common mistake but one that you do not want to make if at all possible. Remember: your headshot is supposed to be highlighting you and it is hard to do that if you are instead drawing attention to something you are doing.
4. Wearing Distracting Clothing/Jewelry
Clothing and headshots both share something in common: they are supposed to say something about your personality. However, as we have established, professional photos have to stick to a certain set of expectations. There is an amount of formality and professionalism they just have to embody, and your clothing or jewelry choices can easily undermine that. Indeed, it is very common for people to accidentally wear flashy or distracting pieces and harm the results of their photographs. Be very mindful to keep this from happening to you. For most folks, we would recommend opting for dressier, more conservative options to simply reduce the likelihood of this happening.
5. Taking Photos in Poor Lighting
In real estate, it is all about the location. But in photography? It is all about the lighting. Both the amount of light, the tone of it, and even the direction it is coming from can completely make or break a picture. And this is even truer in a business headshot since there are few fine details to distract the eye. It is common to forget about all this and just take a photo wherever, although we would urge you to be more mindful. Ensure your headshots are well-lit with cooler-toned lighting to get the most bang for your figurative (or literal, if you are paying for professional headshots) buck.
6. Neglecting to Account for Your Professional Brand
There is a lot of advice thrown out whenever you are getting ready to take photos for your LinkedIn, business website, etc. And if you hear enough of it, you will notice that there is a trend of recommending opting for neutral, formal, and basic. They are good rules to follow but sometimes they are meant to be broken. For instance, if you are in a creative field, a plain black suit and grey background might not make the best impression in a headshot. Neglecting this is a massive issue, so do not. Just be careful about when and how you go about it. Balance your unique brand and needs with traditional business expectations, and your headshots should come out great!
Please get in touch with London Corporate Headshot Photographer to help you to avoid the above mistakes
This article has been published in accordance with Socialnomics’ disclosure policy.
