As a professional business headshot photographer, as you may imagine, I get some interesting looks after I explain what I do for a living. At networking events, friend's weddings or just about any other social gathering where I meet someone new, I get the typical reaction of bewilderment along with the often-repeated questions of "that's your whole job? You don't do weddings or family photos?!". This is usually followed by many questions about how I can have an entire photography studio dedicated to corporate portraits and why it's so important to so many people.

1. Digital Era

We have now entered a time when you will most meet someone online before ever seeing them in person or at all. You want their impression to reflect on you positively rather than negatively. Putting a face to a name also gives a more human connection between yourself and others, alleviating some of the cold impersonality digital interactions lend themselves to. If your photo plays this role, you need it to be high quality and reflect on you positively.

2. Vanity

We want to believe that people look for the good in others and that what is on the inside counts most; however, we must be realistic. Those who look the most put together, and attractive get the most attention. It is a sad reality, but it's been shown through scientific studies. A professional portrait will help you because a highly skilled photographer will work with you to get your best angles and poses so you can put your best face forward.

3. Stand Out in a Crowd

In a crowded market, you want to stand out. So wherever your photo is displayed, you will want to show a high-quality portrait; it will instantly give you an advantage over those who used a cellphone snap or an outdated, cheesy portrait.

4. You want to Look Professional

Your portrait should reflect your industry standard. For example, if you are a lawyer in Toronto, a cellphone portrait certainly won't cut it. The same goes with Professors, Realtors, Accountants, Executives, and Medical Professionals. Looking professional means hiring professionals. If you want to give others confidence in your business, it means showing you are professional in all aspects.

5. Customers and Employers Care About your Profile Photo

When both job hunting and trying to close the deal with new clients, how well you present yourself matters; you want to give the impression that you take pride in yourself and know what quality means and that going the extra mile makes a difference. Presenting yourself half-heartedly or semi-professionally can impact how much trust a potential employer or a client has for you.

6. Style Matters

If your portrait is more than a year or two old, your clothing likely shows it; colours, cuts, styles, and hair change over time. Even if the change is subtle, you want it to match who you are currently. Keeping current also gives the impression that you can stay on top of your work and have an unparalleled attention to detail.

7. Cohesive Branding

You want your branding to be cohesive for individuals, small businesses, and large businesses alike; that impressive website template looks terrific until you hit the about page and see an outdated portrait or selfie. Your branding should be consistent. This is significant for individuals or small businesses; you are your brand. Showing that you care about your brand means putting your best foot forward and showing that you do not cut corners.

8. Getting Clicks/Impressions

This links back to vanity; anywhere your image is displayed with others, having the highest quality image will make you stand out. This could also mean using bright, eye-popping backgrounds. It is difficult for an amateur photographer to successfully use a colourful background to produce a professional business-minded portrait. Going to a studio specializing in corporate photography will be your best choice to pull off a bold move like this and help you avoid appearing cartoonish.

9. Confidence

Something easy to pick up in photos is your appearance and comfort level, and your confidence does matter. A professional portrait photographer skilled in naturally posing clients will help you radiate confidence in your portrait in a way a hobbyist or friend cannot do. Finding highly skilled photographers with the experience and talent to do so is hard to come by, which is partly why my studio has seen so much success. I spent over two decades perfecting how I interact with my clients; I know many people despise having their portraits taken. I have made it my mission and life's work to make it a painless and comfortable interaction and remove the social awkwardness ingrained in us through school portraits.

10. Clear Differences

Image quality and editing are two factors that can make or break a portrait. As you can imagine, editing is becoming an issue with many who love filters from Instagram and Snapchat that make you look like some sort of alien and believe me, we have seen it used in profiles and about me sections. Professional editing keeps you looking human and is objective, we fix minor flaws, but at the same time, you still have skin texture. We polish your portrait; we don't turn you into someone else.

Image quality is particularly essential when you are printing an image. The resolution and file size will help determine how well an image prints and how it was processed; cellphones and amateur equipment do not have the technical specs to print with quality. The equipment used by professionals is carefully calibrated. We are fortunate to have professionals in our studio who are experienced in image printing, something that is becoming increasingly more difficult to find.

There's a lot to consider about why your portrait is vital for work. If you would like to discuss what we can do to help you put your best foot forward or how we can help you, unlike any other studio, please get in touch with us!