How Many Headshots Do You Need?
Do you need one headshot or a bunch? The answer depends, of course. So here’s how I approach the question with my portrait clients here in Detroit.
What’s the Goal of Your Headshot?
What does your headshot need to do for you? Are you trying to find a new job, perhaps in a completely different industry or different job culture? Or, are you trying to attract applicants to your organization?
Are you working a social media campaign on LinkedIn to broaden your reach as an expert in your field?
Are you publishing a book?
Are you applying to a super competitive theater program?
These just a few of actual client needs. Some of these cases might just require one great image, others, a few more. For example, if you’re dusting off your LinkedIn profile for a new corporate job — one image is the goal. And be sure to follow my friend and LinkedIn coach, Brenda Meller, for all the latest LinkedIn tips.
Who’s Your Audience?
If you can easily come up with multiple audiences, then you likely want an image for each one. For example, an orthodontist is going to want one image to appeal to parents and teens (prospective patients) and another look for professional peers.
Image Format
Some clients need a tight square crop and full length vertical image in different places throughout their marketing. Technically, a single image can be cropped down, but it doesn’t always look the best. Or perhaps your image must have a couple different backgrounds?
Wardrobe
As you start thinking about these questions, you may realize that different outfits are best to meet the needs I’ve just mentioned. A suit for your peers, a relaxed casual look for your clients or patients. For examples some dentists like their patient facing images to be in scrubs while they wear a suit for professional appearances.
As an actor, a different outfit helps get you in a particular mindset for a look. Even if you’re not an actor, your outfit will help drive your mood. A casual outfit will help you relax and vice versa.
Just Because
Sometimes it’s just nice to celebrate yourself and enjoy some variety. You partner may really enjoy a particular look while your kids might appreciate something else, while you might love a particular angle.
This is why I like to remind clients that a the studio is where we capture as much as possible. We’ll edit later. If you try to edit your smiles (because you’re trying to hide that tooth you hate) in front of the camera you’ll get a bunch of forced looks. But if you let your guard down a bit, you might get some some amazing looks. And we can fix your tooth in photoshop!
So as you can see, the answer depends on a range of factors. My goal here is to get you thinking about the possibilities and questions that will come up during your session.
