Tips For Your Next Corporate Portrait

A headshot is an important part of your business branding. It’s quite often the first point of contact someone has, whether it be in an email signature, LinkedIn profile or on your website. So it’s a good idea to plan for this photo, so that it can create the right impression for your ideal client. You’re not taking the photo for yourself to have on display at home, that’s what family portraits are for. This is a photo selling you to your next prospect. If you're targeting some different clients, then maybe you need a different profile shots for each. Here’s some tips on what to think about.

Location

OK, this might not be relevant for you if you’ve been given a brief where you need to provide an image on a white background – so if this is the case concentrate on your pose and clothing to tell your story.

If you have an open brief, lifestyle or environmental portraits are a great way to go. It lets us incorporate some more personality into the image, we can start to tell a story about who are you and what you’re about. People want to do business with people. If they see something you have in common or they relate to, this can help them remember you.

One example is if you are focused on a particular area/region. A recognisable part of it can help people in an instant know where you are based. This image of Meena Silk from The HR Dept is an example of this, she needed to show she was based in the Fremantle area, so we have used iconic High Street for her images.

You want to portray an image of someone who deals in big business? Use some modern architecture for a powerful backdrop. Targeting families? A softer image in a garden could suit.

These days a lot of business is done mobile, so perhaps an image meeting up with a client, or working from your local coffee shop adds to your story? If that’s where your target audience goes for their favourite coffee every morning, you already have something in common.

Real estate agents are a great example of where you need a combo of the formal studio shot as well as something that shows a bit more of their personality. Here we have some images we’ve done for William Porteous Properties of Olivia Porteous, Peter Robertson and Mark Dimmock – we’ve a mixture of studio images for brochures etc, but also utilising their office signage for some formal images to reinforce their brand. The there are the contrasting environmental portraits. Peter is in a local Dalkeith café with laptop and phone ready as this is his specialty suburb, and Mark is a riverfront specialist for Bicton, so we used that as a backdrop.

Clothing

Yes, we have all been there. What on earth do I wear?! You are dressing for your target audience. Are they going to respond to someone who is wearing formal business attire? Or will that turn them off and think you’re not for them. This can depend on your industry as well. Accounting, legal and financial services etc are industries where you expect more formality. But if I am looking for someone creative, or a life coach or a tradie then I’d connect better seeing them dressed differently to that. If you have a company uniform great, that adds strength to the brand.

Colour is also important. You need a colour that works with your tones, as well as your branding. Strong colours can work in the right situations, especially if that is a colour in your logo and prevalent on your website. But we usually recommend softer tones, pastels are great and if you are having a group photos done you might pick a couple of subtle colours that can then be mixed in. If you’re not trying to find something to match black, then try some tones like navy and blues, maroons, charcoals and tan tones. Don’t be afraid of patterns, just in small subtle doses. Also think of the setting and what colours will work best with that.

Layering can work well, and then you have some variety in clothing to work with, try some different poses changing up what you’re wearing. We usually suggest having sleeved clothing, that will bring the focus to your face being the main area of skin tone on show.

Also think about your jewelry. If you have darker skin tones, silver jewelry will look more high end, whereas lighter skin tones show off yellow gold.

Hair and Makeup

If you can fit it into your budget, professional hair and makeup is great. But you need to know what you want the final look to be and communicate this to your stylist/s. But make sure you still look like you! You want to embellish on your natural, every day look so that you still look similar when people meet you in real life.

Don’t worry if you are doing a DIY, we suggest to apply your makeup a bit heavier than you would day to day, if you have some spare powder with you that will be great to take away any shine. If you are having your portrait taken outdoors, take this into account too. A windy day, or windy location will mean hair can get a little unruly if not restrained!

Posing

Once again, think about who you are wanting to reach out to. Do you want to look approachable? Serious? Laughing and engaging? This then gives us direction for the posing that will work best. A serious headshot works best with very strong posture, quite often facing straight to the camera. There would be a neutral expression, a big smile wouldn’t suit. Arms folded can work when done the right way, you might want to show you are a strong leader, but not too imposing that people are scared off! And if you are going to use a couple of different images, try one natural and not looking at the camera.

A few other posing tips – always find something to do with your hands. This may just be having one by your side, one resting on your leg, but then at least they have found a home! Once the hands are sorted, you’ll feel more relaxed. Also try to always have a bend in your limbs – so arms, hands, fingers. Legs we’d leave one straight, but then cross the other, or have it out to the side, depending on the overall pose we are going for. Ladies, it’s great to put one foot in front of the other, and the weight on your back foot. And whoever taught people back in the day to lift your chin for a photo has a lot to answer for. Quite often this is the worst thing to do for flattering your face, as the skin under your chin is lighter from less sun exposure, so it stands out more and your neck doubles in size!

Props

Props can be amazing for a photo, but not done well can also create something pretty cheesy. Make their use subtle. This could be something as simple as a notebook or iPad with a cup of coffee in a café setting. If you are a tradie, having a photo with your work car in the background with signage is enough of a prop. Quite often we would incorporate a tool of the trade into an action shot, or an image where you’re interacting with a client in a case study, so it’s complimentary to your main profile photo.

Here’s some examples of props adding to the story we are telling - a winemaker with his produce (Olive Farm Wines), the Manic Botanic florists in their store, and real estate agent Angelica McKenzie with one of her St Ives Realty brochures next to her.

So hopefully that’s given you something to think about for your next headshot. If a professional photographer isn’t in your budget right now, still put in the effort to make your photo the best it can be, not just a quick selfie in the hallway. It gives me a nervous twitch when I see those. I’ll do another post soon on some lighting tips for doing a DIY photo.

And keep your headshot up to date! Yes, you have aged in the 10 years since your last photo was taken, but think of all the experience and learning that you’ve gained in that time (along with some wrinkles perhaps) that are going to help your clients! For my last portrait I hadn’t been to a hairdresser in 10 months (cheap balayage?!) and that dress actually doesn’t fit still after having a kid, but you can’t tell in the photo!

Here’s a couple of my recent headshots - one is used for our corporate photography business, and the other was a quick shoot to get something light and fun to suit a speaking tour I was a part of that was targeting family portrait and wedding photographers. I've got some great ideas for other shots I want to do, I need to practice what I preach a bit more.