Is your professional headshot is more than 5 years old? Are you looking for a new job, or just landed a new position? Have you just started your own business? If so, you may be in the process of looking for a local headshot photographer or a photo studio which specializes in portrait photography.

Your business profile photo on LinkedIn is often the first impression your clients and associates have of you, so it’s important to make sure it reflects the best version of your personality.

Here are 10 things to know before hiring a Professional Headshot Photographer.

1. Give Yourself Time.

Your professional headshot should reflect the best version of you and your personality. If you try to squeeze a photo session in between meetings or just before collecting your kids from school, your stress level will show in your photo!

When choosing your headshot photographer, make sure they are available on a day when your schedule is less busy. That may be a weekend or after work. Even if the photo session is only 15 – 30 minutes, a lot of people will take the morning or afternoon off. The more relaxed and less rushed you feel, the better your photos will look!

2. Choosing Your Outfit.

Do you provide professional services, such as financial or legal advice? Are you a realtor or a business coach? Are you a fitness instructor or a landscape gardener? Essentially, your outfit for your professional profile photo should be in line with how people see you when they do business with you.  

Think about what you typically wear when you are meeting a new client. Outfits or items to avoid in headshot photos include “loud” patterns, or strong, bright colors. Bright green and/or royal blues for example will dominate a photo. Your headshot photo should draw the viewer to your eyes. If you wear a really bright color outfit or something with big patterns, the viewer will be drawn away from your eyes. 

3. Getting Over Photo Anxiety.

It’s true that most people align having their professional headshot taken with going to the dentist! It’s something we know we have to do but the thought of having a camera pointed at you can make a lot of people feel nervous and anxious.

To overcome this, choose an experienced portrait photographer and ideally, one who has a lot of positive reviews on Google or Yelp for example. A decent portrait photographer (as opposed to someone who has an expensive camera), will know how to put anyone at ease. It’s their job to!

But even if you’re confident in your photographer, you may still be nervous. My best tip here is to empty your mind and forget about any photos from the past. Relax and have fun. Let go of any fear and let your photographer guide you and he or she will quickly build a good report with you. You’re in the hands of an expert and they will know what to say to put you at ease, how to find your best side, and how to pose and position you in order to get the best and most flattering photos for you.

4. Is Professional Makeup A Good Idea?

My clients who opt for pre-session makeup, not only benefit from a professional eye, and look great as a result, but they also treat it like a pampering session. It really helps them to relax before their photoshoot. Guys will occasionally opt for makeup too, to help even out skin tones and hide blemishes.

Remember, the more relaxed and less rushed you feel, the better your photos will look. So, although it’s not essential, I personally think it’s a good idea and will make for a more complete and fun experience.  

5. To Smile Or Not To Smile?

This is probably the biggest question I get. Your headshot photo should portray a friendly, warm and genuine look, which gives off the feeling of confidence, professionalism, and trust. These feelings come from within and will show in your eyes. So the answer is not to simply pull a smile with your mouth, but to think happy thoughts. A smile that comes from within, will show in your eyes!

The best way to do this is to really think how you would feel right now if your favorite client agreed to buy your latest gadget, signing up for that 3-year deal, or saying yes to your $10 million proposal! Whatever it is that will give you that “warm buzz” inside. It will shine through your eyes and be written on your face. That’s the “magic moment” your headshot photographer should capture.

To capture the magic moment, your photographer will need to know a little bit about you before they start clicking away. Before any photo session, I always ask a few questions including, “what are these photos going to be used for”? “What do you do for a living”? “Where have you come from today”? “Do you have family”? “Have you had photos done before”? Nothing too deep but just enough to help relax my clients and to keep the conversation going and to build rapport through the session.

6. How Should I Pose For My Headshot Photo?

Correct posing, which includes head, body, and hand positioning will make a huge difference to the outcome of your professional headshot! Your headshot photographer should provide very clear and precise instructions and guidance on how you should sit, stand, and look. You’d be amazed how different you look in a photo, with just the slightest of leans, head tilts, or head roll. It’s incredible! Remember always, that your eyes are the focus.

Everything closer to the camera will appear bigger so by leaning in toward the camera slightly, with the shoulder closest to the camera lower than the other, the result will make your eyes appear larger. On the flip If you lean away, and the shoulder closest to the camera is slightly higher, this will give the impression that your body and chin are larger than they are and your eyes smaller than they really are.

With this in mind, therefore, it’s rare that I would ask my client to stand facing straight at the camera. Generally, I like to pose people at a 45-degree angle because this will also make your body look slimmer! Ultimately, we are all unique with different body shapes, facial features, and head sizes so it isn’t a one pose fits all, kind of deal. Your headshot photographer will figure out the pose that works for you.  

7. Should I Sit Or Stand For My Photo?

It really depends on what will look best for you. If I want to introduce hands into a photo, I personally like to turn a bar chair around so that the back is facing me. I ask my clients to “straddle” the chair like a horse and then use the back of the chair as an armrest and have the person either folding their arms on the back of the chair or maybe having both elbows resting on the back and having my client gently cupping their hands or having one hand touching their chin, cheek or back of their neck. Again, this really depends on how comfortable you look on the chair. Does it look and feel natural? Everyone is different but I often use a chair or stool for different poses!

8. Is It Better To Have Indoor Or Outdoor Photos?

I get asked this a lot. Ultimately, it really depends on the look you want to represent your personal brand! If you want or need a traditional-looking corporate headshot with a plain, neutral backdrop then to have your photoshoot inside a studio makes sense. I have many clients that need a very specific look for their business profiles, for example, a plain white backdrop. But of course, the backdrop inside doesn’t need to be plain or neutral. You may want to show that you work in a downtown office block, a lab, a doctor’s office, a warehouse, or a factory! “Environmental Portraits” are very popular today because they really support personal and business brands. Outdoor portraits are also popular because they are generally more casual and relaxed looking.

9. Do I Need Photo Retouching?

The short answer in my opinion is, YES! A professionally taken photo, with correct lighting, straight out of a camera will look good. Your photographer will take that photo and lightly edit it, meaning that it will be cropped (if necessary), color corrected, and “styled” to the way your photographer likes. They will probably use Adobe Lightroom to do this. I personally have a big stock of pre-set looks and styles to choose from my Lightroom program. This first stage of “editing” will turn a “good” photo into “very good” and clients, (mostly younger people), will be very happy with the outcome of their photos after they have been lightly edited.  However, when my clients opt for the professional retouching option, this will transform their photos from “very good” to “excellent”.  Retouching involves a much higher level of photo editing and attention to detail to skin, eyes, teeth, hair, and clothing. I’ve had many requests for weight reduction too! Yes, it’s even possible to make you look, 10, 15, or 20lb lighter with some clever editing! Having said all this, subtlety is the key. An over-edited photo will stand out like a sore thumb.

10. How Much Does A Headshot Photo Session Cost?

This really depends on where you are in the world and how much local competition there is for your business. When I set my photography studio up, I wanted to deliver a great service, a great product, and at great value. I also love what I do so although I’m not the cheapest photographer, I’ve always been ok with not being the most expensive photographer in my area. As a result, I serve a lot of happy clients! Some photo studios offering the same service, running their business in the middle of a busy city will also need to charge more because they have higher running costs and higher rents! Click on the link below to receive a business headshot and personal portrait pricing.  If you’re a business and you need all your staff to update their professional headshots with a consistent look for your company website, I can travel to your place of work and offer the same type of service as I do out of my studio.