Every city has a personality, a culture, something it’s known for – and often it’s reflected in the people, how they dress, talk, the social and business norms, etc. I’ve worked with people in many cities around the world, and have lived in New York, Florida, Texas, and Massachusetts – and can reliably attest that they are all very different.

I love Boston – it has a rich and vibrant culture (and great sports teams), and active business community. It is liberal in many ways, yet in others one could call it conservative. There are businesses that have been around for over 100 years, along with a very active start-up community, particularly in the biotechnology area.

headshot photographyBarry BraunsteinJanuary 9, 2020Barry Braunstein Photography

Headshots Should Amplify Your Brand

OK, I admit it – I’m a bit of a LinkedIn junkie – reading articles, researching businesses and individuals, and of course looking at profile photos as well as headshots of management/leadership teams on their LinkedIn Profiles and business websites. The good news is that businesses and individuals are starting to realize that posting any image is not an effective strategy – indeed, it’s not a strategy at all.

Like it or not, we all have pre-conceived notions about how things are supposed to be – we have internal biases (rightly or wrongly) that are the result of many factors (and are not the subject of this post). Yes, these evolve over time, and being introspective means that we acknowledge these and then make conscious decisions on how we will (or will not) act on these.

headshot photography, photographyBarry BraunsteinDecember 6, 2019Barry Braunstein Photography

Brand Amplification thru Employee Posts on LinkedIn

LinkedIn is arguably the most successful social media platform for business, growing at a phenomenal rate and now boasts over 610M members worldwide (with 160M US workers). In the past it was a job search tool/engine – over the last several years, businesses/brands are using LinkedIn to grow relationships, promote themselves, raise awareness, keep people informed, post jobs, make announcements, etc.. And with good reason – some interesting statistics (from LinkedIn):

Over 50% of Americans with a college degree use LinkedIn
45% are in upper management
Over 30M businesses have LinkedIn Profiles
50% of web traffic originating from social media came from LinkedIn

headshot photography, photographyBarry BraunsteinNovember 19, 2019Barry Braunstein Photography

Team Headshots Improves Social Media Marketing

Web designers will tell you that one of the keys to a great company website is consistent, high quality headshots of your team. Headshots that exemplify your brand, and provide an insight to your values, culture, and who you are send a powerful message to prospective customers, partners, and future employees.

A consistent look across all your marketing channels multiplies the power of your message and stands a greater chance of a lasting impression. Iconic brands such as Coke have been using this strategy for many years – the Coke logo, color scheme, messaging is consistent throughout the world, in different languages, whether on social media. packaging, on billboards, magazines, TV ads, etc..

Professional Headshots for Employees as a Perk

Successful businesses are always looking for creative, competitive edges to differentiate themselves from the competition and rise above the noise, particularly when it comes to attracting and retaining both customers and employees. With unemployment at historic lows, and a hyper-competitive market for new employees, many companies are providing an ever-expanding menu of perks to make the workplace more attractive and enhance their employee’s careers.

Professionally done headshot photography is an increasingly popular perk many companies are offering to their employees. As a perk, it not only valuable to the employee, but also provides businesses with many ongoing benefits in three primary areas – Hiring, Retention, and Attracting Customers. Let’s look at these in more detail to see how businesses can benefit.

7 Reasons Why Great Headshots Differentiate a Business

Business is more competitive today than ever before, requiring more emphasis on differentiation – how do you stand out from your competition in ways that matter to your prospective customers. Learn the 7 reasons why headshots differentiate a business.

Time to update your LinkedIn Profile/Headshot

With the new year approaching many people are reconsidering their current job situation and beginning to explore new opportunities. This often involves updating their resume, LinkedIn profile, and beginning to explore the job market. In today’s increasingly visual world, it also makes sense to revisit your headshot or portrait on LinkedIn if it isn’t very recent.

Quality Team Headshots Speak Volumes

The overall quality and consistency in lighting, expressions, and look help to reinforce your corporate brand

Preparing for your Headshots

Preparing for your headshot session is important - hair, makeup, clothing, and an understanding of where/how the images will be used all play a key role in providing the best headshot of you.

The importance of your LinkedIn Profile

Having a professionally done headshot for your LinkedIn profile is an important part of your overall personal branding and digital footprint.

Create a Great LinkedIn Profile

A LinkedIn Profile should include a professionally done headshot that reflects your level of experience and personal brand.

Headshots and Your Branding

Your brand is what you want people to see, feel, and think about you or your company - headshots of you or your team are a critical element of that branding.

Headshots for Facebook vs. LinkedIn

Your Facebook/social media image is likely different than your LinkedIn profile - the latter shows the professional you, and your headshot should show you as a professional.

Headshots and Corporate Branding

Your corporate branding, particularly in businesses that involve person to person interactions, should highlight your employees/key staff members. Consistent, professionally done headshots are an important element of that overall branding.

Leadership Team Headshots Consistency

High quality, consistent headshots of your executive team conveys a level of professionalism, attention to detail, and cohesiveness that are important elements of successful branding.

Consistency (and quality) is important for corporate headshots

I was researching a number of different Boston-area company’s websites recently, looking at executive/management team individual headshot photos. A number of the sites had a very consistent look to the images – backgrounds, lighting, clothing options, and expressions. Many others seemed to take the approach of asking each individual to provide the best photo of themselves, whether it be a selfie or one taken by a friend or colleague.

On one these sites, the CEO is sitting outside with sailboats and water behind him, one of the founders (CTO) is wearing a dark colored T-shirt shot against a blue background, the Chairman is wearing a collared shirt shot against a grey background, and an SVP is posed sitting down on a couch with what appears to be a wide screen TV off to the side perhaps shot in a living room. Other supporting cast (advisors, etc.) had many shots where they’re not even looking at the camera, some shot in color others in black and white, different colored backgrounds (including red), etc..

“Off with (the top of) his/her head….”

Headshots are often cropped so that the top of someone’s head is out of the frame - this is a particular style that is successful as it focuses the viewers attention on the eyes and mouth, which is where confidence and approachability are conveyed.

How will your Headshots be Used?

How headshots are going to be used is important to understand in order to create the right look.

Natural lighting vs. flash

Natural lighting can be beautiful if used correctly - but the same can be said for flash photography. Choosing which one is best is a function of the type of look, how/where the images will be used, and a collaboration between the photographer and subject.

More on Choosing a Headshot Photographer

Not all photographers are created equal, and there is specialization. If you’re looking for a professionally done headshot, be sure the photographer specializes in that and can discuss their process.