It’s time to update your headshot photography! Read on to find out why Natalie Roberson Photography is a great local option for great-looking professional headshots!
What is Headshot Photography?
A headshot is a portrait of a person used for business marketing materials such as a business card or a website, or for professional profile images on social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Actors, dancers, and performers also use headshot photography to represent themselves. Headshots usually include the subject’s head and shoulders, with a focus on the face and the subject of the headshot is usually looking directly at the camera. Natalie Roberson Photography has extensive experience with headshot photography in Celina, TX, and can create a finished look for your professional headshot.
What Makes a Good Professional Headshot?
Good professional headshots are a great way to add a trustworthy business personality to your online presence. While selfies have their time and place, your business profile is not one of them. Whether you’re wearing a suit, uniform, or workout clothes in your headshot, your clothing should complement what best represents your business and services against a simple background. If your New Year’s resolutions are filling up with big events and challenging business goals, start with updating your professional headshots with the experienced team at Natalie Roberson Photography!
Good professional headshots should be an extension of your personal branding and depict the excellent skills and talents you have to offer. Smiling in your headshot has many benefits like making you look younger, easy to work with, trustworthy, and approachable. Depending on the visual message you’re trying to portray, smiling in your photographs can be beneficial and your photographer will be able to help you make that decision.
What are the Benefits of Professional Headshots?
Professional headshots are an excellent professional investment in you, your brand, and your company. In today’s world, fewer first impressions are made face to face, and more business relationships are started via websites or social media posts. Your photographic images are your first and sometimes only impression for potential clients and decision makers.
Good business headshots also have many other uses. Along with the company’s website, they can also be used for company business cards, social media posts, and marketing materials. Encourage your employees to use these headshots for their professional profile photographs.
Is a Professional Headshot Worth it?
If your online footprint has been static for too long, new headshots are a great way to boost traffic on your website. A welcoming face on your landing page encourages online visits which can lead to an interview or new client. Professional headshots have been proven to increase navigation to your page or business website as well. When you or your company invests in professional headshots, your page is fourteen times more likely to be visited according to a 2016 Linkedin study. Updating with a new headshot is a refreshing way to increase the likelihood of a new connection!
Can a Selfie be a Headshot?
There is a time and place for selfies, and it is not your professional headshot! The backgrounds of selfies (like your bathroom mirror or your car) can be distracting, and many smartphone cameras are not up to the task of capturing professional-quality photos. Your headshot is often your first impression and you don’t want to ruin your chances with future employers or clients because of a photo that is not professional-looking. The goal of a successful headshot is that you want your talent and professionalism to shine through. Using selfies as your headshot may give the wrong impression to potential employers and clients. By contacting Natalie Roberson Photography to schedule professional headshot photography, you are investing in your career.
Should you Smile in a Headshot?
The professionals at Natalie Roberson Photography recommend smiling for headshot photography if you feel comfortable doing so. There are a few advantages to smiling, including:
- It can help you look younger
- If your smile is genuine, it creates a connection with the viewer
- It builds trust and shows warmth and approachability
- A smile can make you seem easy to work with
Sometimes, there are downsides to smiling, including:
- If your teeth are not ready for their closeup. However, your teeth can be straightened or whitened using Photoshop.
- If you look young, a smiling shot may make you appear younger and possibly inexperienced
- If you show a fake smile, you may appear untrustworthy. If you laugh, you will most likely portray a genuine smile
- Your eyes may become squinty. This can be remedied by looking at the top part of the photographer’s camera or by giving a more subtle laugh instead of a big laugh.
Another option is a subtle, closed-mouth smile which can make you appear older and shows confidence and approachability. The professionals at Natalie Roberson Photography will coach you so you don’t appear blank or mean in your headshot photography.
What Is The Best Color to Wear for Headshot Photography?
For your professional headshots, choose outfits and colors that make you feel comfortable because that confidence will reflect in the images. Colors that contrast your skin will bring your headshot to life and rich, deep, primary colors like red, blue, green, and yellow have a tendency to pop in photographs. Bring a couple of backup outfits with different shades of your favorite color in case the first choice doesn’t work out. In general, avoid busy prints and stick with simple outfits accented with classic details rather than anything too distracting. Check out the Natalie Roberson Photography professional headshot gallery for examples and ideas.
The best color to wear for your headshot photography session is the one you love because your comfort will translate to confidence. It’s a good idea to bring several shades of the same color so our photographers can decide based on the background and lighting which one shows up best. For instance, if you like blue, bring navy blue, light blue, and dark blue, and the experts at Natalie Roberson Photography will tell you what shade of that color looks best. In general, it’s a good idea to stay away from pale colors or white because they can make your skin tone look paler. In contrast, rich, deep colors tend to pop on camera. Try to pick a shirt color that contrasts against your skin color, instead of one that blends into your skin.
Why do Professional Headshots Matter?
Professional headshots are an important investment that portrays the way you want the outside world to see you and the services you have to offer. Research published in a 2012 article in the Cognition and Emotion Journal showed that viewers decided within a tenth of a second of seeing someone’s photograph if a person is trustworthy or not. A good professional headshot is no different. With a professional headshot photographer like Natalie Roberson Photography, you’ll be able to tell your audience exactly who you are and what you do with one photograph.
How Often Should you Update your Professional Headshot?
Typically, it’s important to update your professional headshots every two years and the start of a new year is a great time for this. Consider changing your headshot if you’ve recently had a different haircut, style, or color change, or if you’ve recently lost weight. Companies should consider updating their teams’ professional headshots before a major marketing event, convention, or rebranding campaign where you’re expecting increased online traffic. If there’s been a big influx of new personnel, consider making an onsite appointment with a mobile headshot service for the fastest turnaround.
How much does Headshot Photography Cost?
At Natalie Roberson Photography, our Corporate Headshot Photography package starts at $250 for individuals. This includes pre-consultation, custom creative planning, unlimited time, unlimited background changes, unlimited wardrobe changes, and a viewing session to review your custom images. Group rates are available upon request. Digital files start at just $65 per image. Considering all that is included, this is a competitive price for headshot photography!
Why Natalie Roberson Photography is Great for Professional Headshot Photography?
This year, make it one of your New Year’s resolutions to update your professional headshots to help you increase your connections and broaden your network. Refreshing your online image is a great way to meet new clients, and employers, and increase your interactions. Natalie Roberson Photography offers a wide range of services for you to update your headshots with an onsite visit from their mobile headshot service, an in-studio session, or at a location of your choice. Contact Natalie Roberson Photography today for a free consultation!
Natalie Roberson is an award-winning photographer with ten years of experience who has gained a reputation as the most sought-after headshot photographer in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Natalie and her staff work hard to create a special experience and her customers feel cared for throughout the process to get the best possible results. Former clients have described the superb quality of the pictures and the excellent customer service they received and have posted over 700 positive online reviews. Call Natalie Roberson Photography to make an appointment for your professional headshots photography session today!