Step 1 - Be Clear About your Target Audience and Branding

To get the best headshots for your business it’s important to first be clear about what your brand is. What is it about you/your business that you want to convey? Most businesses want to convey professionalism, so that’s a given – so a high quality, professionally composed and shot headshot is a must – no iphone selfies, or people in the parking lot , in their living rooms or at the country club wearing sunglasses , or backgrounds that distract the viewer.

Beyond professionalism, it’s important to understand who your target audience(s) are – are they customers, investors, partners, potential new employees – all of the above? And within that audience, what is it about your business that you want to convey. For example a law firm involved in litigation or criminal law is targeting a difference audience than an e - commerce services company. The branding for the law office is likely one that conveys power, competence, the ability to fight/win, and a level of seriousness and confidence that says to the viewer we are winners in areas where the stakes are high.

On the other hand, the e - commerce services company likely wants to convey energy, competence, an understanding of the internet/social media along with technology, and creativity. You want them also to convey that they are approachable and easy to work with.

There can also be more subtle differences – an experienced software consultant may want a more casual yet professional look that’s a bit more serious, whereas a career consultant may want a look that is more energetic, yet still professional both are consistent with their defined branding.

Step 2 - Translating Branding Into a Look for your Headshots

Many elements go into creating a look that supports your brand. For example, if you’re a startup software company focused on the restaurant business, your brand include elements of youth, friendliness, flexibility, energy, etc.. That may translate into a look that includes casual clothing, expressions that show laughter/emotion, energy – the background color could be a lighter color/white. Lighting would be very even so as to be non-dramatic.

Contrast this look with that of a criminal attorney’s office, or wealth management company for high net worth individuals. The clothing choice would likely be business formal with darker colors, with expressions that show confidence, a level of seriousness/professionalism, with darker colored backgrounds, and complementary lighting.

Background/Background Color

The background color/look should also work well with the overall design of the website, marketing material, etc. where the images will be used. For example, if your website is already pure white, having headshots with a white background may require additional design so that the images don’t just fade into the background without some border definition. If you’re looking to incorporate more environmental type shots, it may be helpful to storyboard the various looks and how they’ll fit into the pages. From this you can develop a shot list, which is important for your photographer to understand.

We generally recommend a neutral colored background (grey/black/white) for several reasons:

It is less distracting, keeping the viewer’s eye focused on the subject
It looks good across a variety of skin tones, hair colors, makeup, and clothing choices
It is easy to replicate as a background for new or remote employees

Expressions/Poses of the Subjects

Expressions and poses also play key roles in defining a look. For most businesses, you’ll want the subjects to convey confidence and approachability. For the restaurant business software company, smiling employees, perhaps some laughing with a relaxed pose reinforces the brand. Each subject may have a different pose to convey more of a relaxed culture as well. Contrast that with the criminal attorney or wealth management firm, where you’d more likely show subjects with a slight smile in a more formal pose, with each subject showing a similar look. The pose and crop should also be chosen, mostly as a matter of style, but also how the images will be used. For example, if the images are primarily to be used on LinkedIn, a literal headshot (ie, tight crop of the head with little body showing) is better than a ¾ length portrait as the size of the image on the LinkedIn Profile page is fairly small - if you include more of the subject’s body, the head will be even smaller proportionally and if viewed on small screen (eg, smartphone) will be difficult to recognize. Deciding on the pose and type of expression you’d like your subject to have impacts how we work with each subject to elicit and coach them on the desired expression during the session.

Lighting

Different lighting, in conjunction with background color, has a significant impact on the overall mood/feeling of the subjects. Lighting with some shadows, generally used more for men, conveys a sense of seriousness and drama, while more evenly lit, softer lighting is not only more forgiving to skin color/condition variations, it also conveys more energy and a lighter mood. For most business applications where you’re shooting a number of people, a soft complementary lighting generally yields the best results. If you’re shooting a number of subjects, studio lighting is the best approach as it allows for greater control of color, intensity, and consistency from person to person. It also allows for the lights to be placed properly so as to be complementary to the subject’s faces.

Clothing/Hair/Makeup

While the “norms” for clothing have changed significantly over the years, it still plays a major role in how people and businesses are perceived, and generally says something about the company culture. And while business casual is becoming more and more accepted, there are instances where what you wear changes depending on the situation. When Mark Zuckerberg testified before Congress, he wore a suit and tie, not the t-shirt and jeans he is often seen wearing in other settings. Deciding on the type of clothing people will wear for their headshots should be made with both your brand and the usage of the images in mind.