WHAT ARE HEADSHOTS?
It’s a simple question but the answer is anything but simple. Technically, headshots are tight framed portraits that focus attention on a person’s face. And that’s where many people think the story ends. Clients may simply ask for a professional headshot… ‘I just want to look professional’. But they haven’t fully thought through what a headshot is and what functions it performs.
Close cropped, they provide detail and expression so communicate character, mood and intent. And this is important because a professional portrait isn’t simply a likeness, it is a marketing tool. It has an audience and a message. Whether it is a set of team photographs on a company website, your C.V., LinkedIn or even a dating website profile: your headshot has a job to do.
This is where things start getting interesting for us and we'll share with you some information around purpose and how headshots can engage positive emotions. After reading this brief guide you'll know better about what kind of headshot you should be asking your photographer to deliver to you on your next headshot photography session.
Length of headshot session depends on your objectives.
Headshots - The Basics
Although attention is on the face, there are signs (signifiers) and narrative communicated in expression, dress, lighting, background and focus. And we use every element to craft complex messages that transmit emotional meaning. The human animal is highly tuned emotionally (how often have you heard the phrase: people buy on emotion, justify with logic)? And this is really important in a C.V. document. Your next boss/client/HR manager, will take a quick look at your headshot, in a split second experience a set of complex emotions (often subconsciously) and then start to read your ‘personal statement’. If your headshot does not support what is written the manager will feel uneasy and move on to the next candidate.
It is perfectly possible to create a headshot that is at once, professional, relaxed, senior, intelligent and approachable.
How Do We Go Beyond The Basics of Headshots?
First we need to understand your requirements; who you are and what you wish to communicate? Our preparation guides start to get you thinking: what clothing is appropriate for the shoot? What do I wish to communicate? And even on our most basic headshot session we spend time getting to know you, understanding how you express yourself. Looking for the little character traits that make you special, working out the most flattering angles for light, lens and camera.
Lighting creates mood and therefore has to be tightly controlled. No matter if you are using ambient light from a window or catching the last rays of a sunset, the light has to deliver the mood required for your headshot. And, as you are a busy executive and we live on an island in the North Atlantic, the likelihood of being able to wait until the ambient light is perfect is around zero.
But this is where you can have your cake and eat it. Light is a known quantity, we can adapt and modify it for the situation: creating sunset at mid-day and warm rays in winter. It is simply a matter of applying the right components of light.
We will discuss your requirements and create a lighting set (both in studio and on location) to meet them (assuming the perfect light hasn’t magically made an appearance).
Signifiers or signs: these can be found in many places but particularly your pose and clothes. We will take you through a number of poses and show you what your body language communicates. A simple signifier can be the difference between wearing a tie or having an open necked shirt.
Expression: photographic portraits are performance art. Even the most experienced can feel a little uncomfortable in front of camera. As portrait specialists we adapt our performance to bring out the required emotional expression: whether that is a wry smile, steely-eyed glare or warmth and compassion.
Audience
All headshots are marketing documents. They have to communicate the right message to your audience/marketplace. And that audience will change. One day you might be sharing news of record growth with your co-workers, the next discussing cyber security with directors.
- Corporate headshots:
These are usually crafted for companies that need to show their staff to the public, specifically across their websites and digital platforms. This practice is well known in human resources and corporate marketing and is called "staffing". Companies have been more worried in recent years about showing a human face to the public in their platforms. This way, clients usually feel closer to the human side of a company, and this couldn't be achieved if it wasn't for corporate headshots. Each person is different inside a company, yet the whole batch of corporate headshots should correspond to a consistent aesthetic or graphic design.
- LinkedIn headshots:
LinkedIn came to revolutionise the long tradition of CVs. Back in the day we were used to print our CVs or email a copy of it to other people. Nowadays LinkedIn has made this practice quite old-fashioned. Said that, people wrongly think that a LinkedIn headshot could be just like a regular CV, but that doesn't make anyone stand out from the crowd. We like doing that "concept" approach we described above when doing LinkedIn headshots for our clients. This way, people have one single photograph that truly speaks about their professional personality, and it could also be used across other platforms as well, like Gravatar, Medium, Twitter, etc.
- Director headshots:
CEO's and other kinds of high profile corporate directors are usually the best known human face of a company. This makes directors easy to link to a company, and their headshot portraits should be designed with care and precision. Not all leaders are alike, and we definitely know that. When dealing with director headshots we love taking our time doing research and crafting ideas. Don't worry, we have some experience with this, so we won't waste any of your precious time.
- Business headshot:
This one is quite similar to the LinkedIn one, but is usually aimed for internal usage or identification inside a company. Not all companies have the proper lighting or photographic equipment to develop this task, and that's when we come into play.
- Actors headshot:
These are powerful headshots that set you apart and give you the best chance of success in your profession, whether that is of an actor or some kind of performer or celebrity, whether for Spotlight or cinematic US purposes.
Some people get easily confused with all these different categories, so we hope that now it will be a less murky concept for you. We also hope that after reading this brief guide you'll be better known about these 5 closely related genres so the next time you'll pick a better suited headshot depending on what you want to achieve. If you have any further doubts, don't hesitate in contacting me.
Actors Headshot
For Corporate and Business Headshots:
Grey Corporate Headshots London
71-75 Shelton St, Holborn, London WC2H 9JQ
07764 801420
For Actors and Performers Headshots:
Garrick Headshots
75 Shelton St, Holborn, London WC2H 9JQ
020 7407 8776
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