The Trick To Being Yourself In Headshots
You might have already spent years building your business, crafting your messaging and building a strong branding strategy. So why is a professional Headshot or Branding session so anxiety inducing? What is the trick to being yourself in Headshots?
Here is the unvarnished truth: Your only real photo experience is from weddings, being on vacation and selfies from your day to day life. In those moments, you kind of know how to be yourself in those particular situations.
But no one teaches you how to show up for a professional Headshot or Branding Session. In fact, until recently Branding Sessions were not even really a thing.
So what do I see typically happening and how is the process disconnected?
Best Case Scenario: You book someone on the internet. You show up at a studio or work on location. The photographer creates some nice images, and. . . You get a few generic stiff Headshots that look like every other corporate headshot on the internet. No personality. No strategy. No specific messaging. Just… a nice photo of a business person.
Worst Case Scenario: You get so uncomfortable with the mere thought of the process that you either use random selfies from your daily life or a photo from ages ago for your business materials. Or you give up and use AI-generated business shots created from selfies with the same backgrounds as every other person using an AI shot.
Do either of these Scenarios sound fabulous for you and your business? I think not. Here is a little secret that no one is telling you about Headshots and Branding Photos:
The Trick to Being Yourself in Headshots Is Shifting Your Mindset
I love working with Karen, a Children’s book author, because she is so authentic, creative and down to earth.
Let’s recalibrate–Professional business photos require a whole different mindset than casual photos. You don’t just need to know your core mission and business purpose. You must believe in yourself and your brand. If you do not, even the most accomplished photographer will have a difficult time creating great Headshots for you. Many business people approach their photoshoot something like this:
“I’ll find a good photographer on the internet. Maybe I’ll even get styled. I’ll show up and it will turn out fabulous and professional.”
And then they’re surprised or disappointed when the photos come back stiff, awkward, too casual, or just… generic.
Yes, it is the photographer’s job to make you look good. Of course. But if you don’t believe in yourself or if you are not clear about your goals, the photos are in danger of being misaligned. In short, you need to show up aligned with what you want your images to communicate to your ideal client. And the only way to be sure you are aligned is to invest some time thinking about what you want to communicate. Then you need to have an open and honest conversation with the photographer about what you need.
Being clear about your business persona is the trick to being yourself in Headshots
What Misaligned Headshots Actually Cost You
Let’s be clear about what happens when your business photos don’t have presence strategy behind them:
First: People don’t believe your positioning.
Your photos should send a clear message about what you offer and what your brand promises. Here are some examples of misalignment:
1. You’re a premium business coach charging $5K+ but your photos make you look casual and on vacation. Mismatch.
2. You’re a luxury brand but your photos look DIY and generic. Mismatch.
3. You’re a serious financial strategist but your photos feel a little too casual or funky. Mismatch.
Second: You will not attract the right clients.
The people who do respond to your misaligned photos are not and never will be your ideal clients. They’re the wrong fit for all the important metrics. Lower commitment. Lower investment. Lower results.
Meanwhile, the clients you really desire are scrolling past because the photos didn’t communicate that you’re the right fit for them.
Third: You waste the photoshoot investment.
Let’s face it—a really great Headshot or Branding Photo Session is not inexpensive. But if you hire a cheap photographer, are you going to even use the photos as much or as effectively as you could? If you are not using your photos strategically, you are wasting time and effort. Your photos should be consistently reinforcing your brand across your website, LinkedIn, email, socials, and other marketing materials.
Fourth: You’re stuck with photos that don’t evolve with your business.
A photo session can be one of the most cost effective investments you make in your business. In six months, your brand may shift. Your positioning may deepen or become more refined. Your ideal client could change. Will your images be able to bridge the gap? A good photographer can work with you to ensure you get mileage out of your session. In turn, this will save you time and money in the end.
Your Headshot and Branding Photos should be able to work overtime for you–different poses and expressions, while remaining consistent is key.
How Can We Fix This?
When clients book me to photograph their Branding Photos and Headshots, we have a call to clarify things somewhat. Here is what we discuss:
Clarity On Brand Messaging Is The Trick To Being Yourself In Headshots
Clarity on Brand messaging is very important in Headshot Photography.
Overall vision on what you want to convey should never be underestimated. How do you want people to feel when they see your images? Authoritative yet approachable? Warm but serious? Innovative but grounded? It is not only just what you want them to think. You want them to feel something.
Second, we translate that into your body.
Body language is subliminal but very effective. On the day of the shoot, if we know what you want to convey, it is easier to pose you to suit that ideal.
Third, you show up with presence.
The photographer needs to capture you—but the version of you that’s aligned with your brand. Not awkward and stiff. Not vacation casual or performing a role. We want to communicate an authentic and intentional version of business you.
Why Being Yourself In Headshots Matters More Than You Can Imagine
Thinking strategically in terms of how you want your clients to feel will help shift your mindset about your session.
Your business photos aren’t “just” pretty pictures for your website. They’re your digital handshake across every platform where you’re building visibility—website, LinkedIn, email campaigns. Your podcast guest photos or your speaking bio. Your social media accounts and your marketing collateral.
Potential clients who see your photos will make a snap judgment about whether they should work with you. And that judgment isn’t based on the quality of the photography alone. It is based on authenticity and trust.
You need more than one shot for your marketing needs.
You Need More Than One Shot
In today’s fast moving online environment, you need to “stop the scroll.” And people get easily bored, so you can no longer post the same image every day/week/month. You need a library of images to pull from that communicates your brand values as well as your level of professionalism and trustworthiness. Consistency is key to strengthening your brand image and building credibility. You need photos that do the heavy lifting for you.
This client is a Life Coach. Her Headshots look very different from a Financial Planner’s photos.
Are you ready to crush your Headshots or Branding Photos? Great—let’s get started! Use our Contact Form or call the Studio directly at (518) 584-4237 today. Your business images are too important to be misaligned.
Saratoga Headshots works with clients to create authentic, professional and compelling imagery for business people in the Saratoga NY area.
