A Selfie is not a Substitute for a Great Headshot

The camera in our phones today is an amazing tool – it records moments in time, events that in the past would not be recorded, and allows us to share these with our friends, family, and indeed the world. When carrying your phone, you always have a capable camera with you – more people are taking photographs today than ever before, including selfies and headshots taken by a friend.

Using these selfies or headshots for social media, friends, family makes a lot of sense. You’re not really concerned about your brand, your image, the message you’re trying to convey – it’s about being in the moment or sharing something with the rest of the world.

Headshots in a business context has an entirely different purpose – whether on LinkedIn, a business website, a speaking engagement flyer, etc., you want that image to create a positive first impression, and say something about who you are as a business professional, and what your business is about.

Here’s an recent headshot from a Boston area client who had a selfie (done with some assistance), and then upgraded to a professional headshot:

The “Selfie”

Professional Headshot

The selfie is not bad (better than many I’ve seen) – but if we were able to “listen” to our own inner impressions, the professionally done headshot has a more professional “feel” to it. It feels richer, more focused, and impression is one synonymous with success – it looks like what you would expect from a successful business person.

Why does the professional headshot look better?

Headshot Expression/Pose

For the professional headshot, is expression feels more genuine – he really looks like he’s enjoying himself. The expression on from the selfie looks a bit forced or held. When people genuinely smile or are laughing, they “smile with their eyes” – the eyes actually squinch a bit. Combine that with a smile from the mouth, and the impression is that it is genuine.

His pose in the professional image is more complementary to his face, and he looks like he’s looking straight at you – vs. the selfie, which looks somewhat uncomfortable

Lighting

The selfie has some lighting issues – the shadow on the wall, his eyes are a bit dark, the lighting on the top half of his face is brighter than the bottom, and the lighting is generally uneven. The lighting in the professional image is softer, more even – you can see his eyes, and there are no unpleasant looking shadows.

Background

The background in the selfie is somewhat distracting – it’s a pattern, and it’s light – both of which distract the viewer’s eye from the face, which is where we want the viewer’s attention to be (the eye is drawn towards lighter areas of a photo, along with patterns). The background in the professional image immediately tells the view to focus their attention on the face.

For the selfie, it’s clear that the person asked someone to take their picture in front of a wall – whereas for the professional image, it’s just that - professional. Beyond just the aesthetics, the fact that he took the time and money to have a professional headshot done says he’s serious about his business – that he realizes the importance of first impressions, his brand, and that he wants to put his best foot forward.

If you’d like to learn more about what makes a great headshot and why it’s important, you can download my ebook “Best Practices for Professional LinkedIn Headshots”.

Or to schedule your headshot session, visit https://www.barrybraunsteinphotography.com/rates