2 Headshot Myths

Myth #1: “Wow, now that I’ve met you in person, you look so much different from the photo on your eHarmony.com profile” is a compliment.

You should always look like yourself in your headshot so people can recognize you on sight at networking events, conferences, on sales calls, or on multiple websites or social networking platforms-- it's like branding your face as a logo. A headshot should also be “organic:” it should look like a natural you that’s nice and fresh with no additives or preservatives.

Myth #2: An iPhone snapshot works just fine as a headshot.

You can always tell who took a snapshot on their iPhone and started using it as a headshot- their photos are simply flat and unprofessional. If you want to be seen as flat and unprofessional in your work and give the impression of someone who doesn’t care enough about their business to get a nice headshot, then by all means, use your iPhone. But a professional photo on your website, blog, and on social media profiles will set you apart as someone serious about what they do and their online presence. And an iPhone shot won’t cut it when you need to print a photo in a press release, newsletter or program for a speaking engagement or convention. 9 out of 10 phone calls I get for headshots are for professionals using iPhone shots who suddenly need a professional headshot by the end of the week for a speaking engagement or other event.

You look nice today.

On Friday Organic Headshots had a booth at the BizNetExpo in Buffalo Grove, IL- where area professionals, entrepreneurs and small business owners learned about social media, online networking, and new ways to market yourself and your business in a social media era.

I hear the presentations were amazing and lots of good information was shared... I didn't get to see them myself because I was busy snapping some headshots! I brought my camera and a studio light to my booth and snapped some quick headshots of attendees who didn't yet have a nice photo for their LinkedIn profiles. People seemed to like the idea, especially when I emailed them their new photos over the weekend and they had a fresh new face to put on their profiles.

"Oh, how important it indeed is to have an updated headshot for your LinkedIn profile, blogs, Twitter accounts, and more," one attendee was heard saying, "it's as vital to a professional as the wind is to spreading the dandelion seeds, the sun is to the budding flowers, and the rain is to the roots of the mighty oak." That attendee just might have been me.

Hot tea and headshots

The other day I took some headshots outside in the courtyard of the building, taking advantage of the perfect weather: about 67 degrees and overcast with perfectly diffused sunlight for a natural light portrait. That night I was going through the "negatives" (I never know what to call .jpgs sometimes, since I'm such a purist and miss my darkroom...) and sipping some hot tea. I got chilly, turned the heat on in the studio, then had a kind of Hemingway moment of sad reflection.

I thought about how the leaves are changing and the days are getting shorter and chillier, and it won't be long before it's too cold to take headshots outside. Well, to be fair, there are some brave souls willing to snap some photos outside in the winter- and I am looking forward to getting some great snowy portraits this year. It's the finger de-thawing after outdoor winter shoots that turn me off to snow-themed headshots I guess.

One thing I try not to do is "date" the headshots in any way-- you shouldn't be able to tell what year it was when your headshots were taken (no fad fashions or haircuts in them), unless you're going to update your headshots every year or so to match the times. Seasonal headshots are okay- meaning you can tell that it's spring because of flowers in the background or winter because of snow on the ground... as long as it doesn't look like a Christmas card with a bright red sweater. Everything needs to be subtle and in the background so it's not the first thing you notice in the photo. If the first thing someone notices is "oh, what a nice photo of an autumn day," and not "hey, that's a headshot of Geoff," then you've got a problem.

Show that product!

Last night I took event photos at a ChickChat event at Mars Gallery. And I ate a lot of cupcakes. ChickChat puts together different types of networking events and soirees mostly for women to meet each other and build their professional skills and connections.

The theme for last night's event was "girls giving back," and featured non-profit organizations who connect young girls with powerful women role models. And cupcakes.

To make these events happen, the ChickChat organizers need the support and contributions of sponsors- who also get to have booths at the events where they can meet the patrons and promote their products or services. And naturally, to help the organizers attract more sponsors in the future, they're going to need photos of them and their booths at an event so future sponsors can get an idea of what kind of exposure they would be getting.

So that's what I did- I took lots of photos of the booths and the happy young women enjoying cupcakes, cookies, chocolate, and other snacks. I love my job, by the way.

Instead of a blog post, how about a little jig?

How do you take photos of an Irish folk band? With a camera.
Well done, One of the Girls- you put on a great show, and thanks for letting me take your photo.

You have the right to own photos of you

I think a lot of people who choose me for their headshots do so because I actually give them their photos when we're done taking them. Strangely, this is kind of a revolutionary idea for photographers: that the person hiring you to take their photo should be allowed to have, keep, and use that photo however they wish. I've gotten a lot of phone calls from very wary headshot shoppers who choose me over another photographer because the other photographer wanted them to sign away the rights to their own photo for a certain number of years.

That just seems rude to me. "Alright sir; we just spent an hour taking photos of you and you have paid me a ridiculous amount of money. What? You want copies of all the photos we took today so you can put them on the internet, print them, and use them for stuff? HA HA HA!"

Most people come to me for headshots not because they weren't doing anything better that day and thought it would be fun to have their photo taken... but because something is going on in their life that they need to have their photo taken- a bio page for their website, a job search on LinkedIn, a program photo for a conference, etc... So they already have a use for the photo in mind, and it would be insulting for me to say something like, "well here are some low-resolution images with my watermark on them that you can't print or use for anything... if you want to use them, I own the copyright and you have to pay me extra for a high-enough resolution copy of it without a watermark."

Now I understand why most photographers want to retain the rights to their photos- even utilitarian photography like headshots is still an art form and a learned craft. And frankly, if you've ever seen a photograph you've taken appear in a newspaper or on a billboard without credit given to you as the creator of that photo... it feels a little like your boyfriend just cheated on you or something. See the above photo of "Comedians You Should Know:" a comedy troupe I took photos for, as an example.

But from the client's perspective- this comedy troupe had me take their photos BECAUSE they needed something to give to newspapers and booking agents, and should be able to submit photos of themselves to these places without worrying about an angry photographer beating down their door later. The job of promoting yourself is difficult enough as it is.

So use your photos, I say! You have the right. Viva La Revolucion!

Michelle does not do weddings... except for when she does.

I get asked now and then if I photograph weddings, since everyone's looking for a good wedding photographer to have in their rolodex. And I usually don't book myself for weddings... Because I eat way too much cake at weddings and end up with a sugar hangover.
This weekend, however, I found myself at a lovely wedding for two Neo-Futurists: cast members from a local Chicago theatre company with a 21-year run of the production of "Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind," a collection of 30 rotating short plays done in 60 minutes. (A great show if you haven't seen it yet. Go see it.) The highlight of the ceremony was a short comedic play on love performed by two other cast members, just before the rings and vows were exchanged.

I was the second camera operator for my good friend and fellow photographer, Johnny Knight, who does more weddings than I and ate more pecan pie at this wedding than I ate. I am, naturally, including an embarrassing photo of him that I snagged as he walked across the dance floor balancing a couple cameras and a piece of pie. Now that's talent.