Everyone knows that first impressions count.  Do you think that people are judging you when they see your photograph?  As unfair as it sounds, they probably are.  This is why it is so important to make that first impression count.  But how does having a great photo help you?  Here are 5 ways that it can either help you or hinder you.

 1      Trust and Identity.  People like to know who they are dealing with.  When people try to find out more information about you online the first thing they look at is the photo.  Politicians have been doing this forever.  Have you noticed what the biggest component of a voting poster is?  The photo.  There is a reason for this.  The image is designed to project trust and get you to vote for them.

2      A representation of your brand.  There is a common misconception that headshots are just for business people and executives.  Everyone can benefit from having a professional photo.  From the way you are dressed to your expression, it speaks loudly about you in how you portray yourself and your level of professionalism.  As unfair is it is, people will judge a book by its cover and they don’t even realise they are doing it.

3      Capture your client’s attention.  A professional photograph is ‘designed’ and not taken.  It is engineered to perform a function which is to stop a potential client to stop and find out more.  It has been estimated that the average person swipes 8.8km per year.  That is 22.5 meters per day!  It’s like finding a needle in a haystack.  You need a way to have people find you amongst all that noise so you better make that image noticeable.

4      Quality.  You might have the latest mobile phone with an amazing camera.  But somehow it still ends up looking like a mobile phone photograph.  That is because for all the hype you still cannot compete with professional photography in the hands of an expert.  A professional photograph taken by a skilled photographer will look better and different from what your friend will be able to capture on their phone.

5      Expression and coaching.  It is critical for your image to look like it was not posed.  Ironically, this is achieved by coaching you to pose in a natural way.  The same thing goes with expression.  Except for actors and models, nobody knows how to do this, but you can be taught how to do this very quickly if you have the right photographer.

In summary, a professional photographer can give you an advantage over your competitors.  This applies if you are in business, or you are going for a job or even a promotion.  So knowing this, the question is……   Why would you not do it?

If you are ready to get some help in getting the right image for you, click HERE to find out more about how I can assist you with your photography.