Why should you have your headshot taken by a professional photographer?

I’m sure you’d agree that the public image of any business is one of the most important things to get right to help get you more business.

Putting a face to your business with professional headshots will give your business that professional image.

If you use amateur headshots not only will photographs look awful, they could also give potential clients a really bad perception of your business.

Bad headshots can make potential clients see you as unprofessional, not credible and cheap. Using no headshots will hold you back because nearly all business owners put a face to their company so people will wonder what you have to hide.

Contrary to popular belief not just anyone can take a photograph -not a professional one anyway. Yes, anyone can point and click a camera but it will be evident in the results that an amateur was involved. This simply won’t do if you are trying to portray yourself professionally.

A talented photographer will have the skills, technique and equipment to capture images that will show their clients’ in the best, most appropriate manner.

Thanks to the rise of social networking sites everyone now knows what everyone else looks like, but this doesn’t have to be a bad thing. In fact, when you’re in business, it can be a great way to connect with your clients or potential clients.

When you have a professional photo-shoot, the photographer will be able to capture your personality and highlight qualities that you want your prospects to focus on. I’m sure that you yourself will have seen a photograph of a complete stranger and instantly warmed to them. In the same way, if a photograph isn’t taken by an expert, it is all too easy to end up with a cold-looking image that people won’t relate to. If you are able to portray these positive parts of your personality, people will naturally see your company as having these traits too and therefore be more inclined to become a client.

If you think about some of the most successful businesses out there you will always be able to put a face to the company. For example, when people think of Virgin they automatically think of Richard Branson, likewise, when people think of Chanel they will also think of Karl Lagerfeld.

It may be clichéd but a picture really does say a thousand words, so it is important that you invest in this area of your business. Take the time to find the right photographer for you. A true professional will be able to put you at ease in order to obtain the best representation of you; this is really important for a business portrait.

For a lot of people having a photo taken isn’t up there on a list of favourite things to do. This can be for many reasons but the most common reason is that the subject doesn’t think that they look nice in photographs or that they’re not photogenic.

Many photographers would argue with this, saying that in the right environment and feeling at ease, anyone will look great in a photograph.

If anyone disagrees there is the magic of retouching. A professional photographer will be able to arrange for unlimited retouching of your images. This can be used to even out skin tone, remove blemishes or give you a complete makeover, the option is yours. Retouching allows you to add that extra touch to photos that an amateur wouldn’t be able to offer.

When your business images look great, it will speak volumes for the company and outsiders will view you as having attention to detail, high standards and a professional approach to whatever it is you do. It’s almost like two candidates turning up for a job interview; one in dirty jeans and a scruffy t-shirt and one in a suit. Which one would you be most likely to hire?

It’s true that a picture paints a thousand words; this is equally true for a good picture and for a bad picture, only a bad picture will speak a thousand negative words -to your potential customer!