‘Put Your Best Face Forward’
(Article published in Issue 23 of the Australian Business Solutions magazine. April 2012.)
Author: Nicola Barnard
A great professionally produced photo of you can be a valuable asset. A headshot (head and shoulders) is something that can be used for business communications, plus as an avatar (the image or icon that accompanies your name) for electronic business and social networking purposes.
Do you believe you always look awful in photos? It is a common feeling, but that is exactly why you get a professional photographer to do it. A good photographer will capture the ‘best you’ possible and take into consideration the purpose for which it is to be used. Some may even modify the digital image to minimise any distractions. This can be useful for things such as whitening a smile or removing a pimple. I caution against so much manipulation that the final image no longer looks like you. The image is not intended as a glamour shot for a magazine so there is no need to air brush out every wrinkle. You want to balance your vanity with a good dose of reality so people recognise it as you.
Having a great quality head shot can be a vital tool in your image management tool kit. It helps create a great first impression and assists others to form a visual image of you in their mind that is controlled by you, rather than left up to their imagination. When you do meet they already have some visual recognition of you. This contributes to a quicker and easier rapport building process. It is almost like they have met you before and there is already something familiar about you. People are more comfortable and relaxed with the familiar.
Decide if you need a conservative image with a neutral facial expression, or a relaxed smiling face. How you are groomed and what you wear in the shot will also contribute to the message. Here are some tips to make the process of producing a good headshot less stressful, and of more value.
Hair – Avoid a permanently recorded bad hair day. Have your stylist do any colour and styling on the day of the session but do not choose that particular day to try a new colour or style. You do not want any surprises. Do not have a style that obscures the eyes from view. Gentlemen, have eyebrows and any facial hair trimmed.
Ladies, wear some makeup – even if you do not normally wear any. Face powder helps minimise shine and a bit of colour helps you avoid looking washed out. Gentlemen can also use powder to minimise shine and balance skin tone.
Clothes – Plain fabrics can be less distracting than patterns. Darker clothes or background can help frame a light face, and vice versa. If wearing a shirt, have an ironed collar. Have your shoulders and arms covered or you will look naked or too casual. If wearing a jacket, make sure the shoulders sit flat. Sit on the back of your jacket if necessary. That is what newsreaders do.
Glasses and jewellery – make sure they do not dominate the image. Jewellery is the frame not the focus. If you always wear glasses when meeting people, wear them in the photo as long as the frames do not obscure the eyes. We want to see your eyes.
Smile – unless it is a serious corporate shot. Your eyes and your smile are your most important rapport building assets. Practice a natural smile. A closed mouth smile is not as friendly as a relaxed open lip smile. If you are self conscious about crooked teeth, get them whitened and they can look straighter.
Caution: do not rely on a DIY digital photo taken up against the office wall to produce a good image. It is hard to manage the quality of the image, and remember that a photographer takes dozens of shots to produce the best one.
Once you have a quality headshot you can use it for years, and if you have it in different file sizes it can be used on a website or a printed publication. If you have more than one ‘look’ you then have a resource of images for different purposes, from social networking avatar (icon) to professional biography.
