The Power of the Headshot
This business headshot photography help guide offers you tips, tricks, and insights that ensure you get great business headshots that put your best foot forward.
Business portraits (also known as headshots, business portraits, and sometimes environmental portraits) are an important aspect of your marketing. Allowing potential customers to see your key staff members puts a friendly, smiling face your organization and makes your firm more approachable and relatable. When a nice headshot is combined with a small bio on your company website, it allows clients and customers to put a name with a face, and get to know your key personnel a little better. The most important element to a good headshot for business is building trust.
Do-It-Yourself Headshots?
You absolutely can do your own business headshot photography, if your marketing budget is tight. The proliferation of quality photo equipment and cell phone cameras in recent years has many trying their hand at marketing photography. Unfortunately, many are disappointed in how their photos turn out. Why? It usually has to do with a few things:
- experience working with people
- experience with posing
- experience with advanced lighting techniques
A professional photographer who is experienced at working with and posing people is able to bring out that something special that makes the personality of the subject shine. Also, the advanced lighting techniques used by pro photographers gives depth, dimension, and style to the image, and that is very challenging to do without pro lighting equipment.
Headshot Investments: Time & Cost
If you hire a photographer to do business headshot photography for a large staff, you’ll likely need to limit each person’s time with the photographer to about 5-7 minutes. The photographer will need this time to determine and capture the subject’s best side (yup, everybody has one) and adjust lighting accordingly.
If your headshot sessions are planned for only the executive team, you can expand the time per subject to about 15 minutes. This will ensure plenty of time for the photographer to get your c-suite team looking their best.
The cost of business headshot photography is usually calculated per person, and most photographers will offer bulk pricing if you need more people photographed. For example, if you only need one headshot, the photographer will probably charge around $150 for the session, but if you needed 7 headshots, you could probably get your cost down to $95 per person.
What's included in the cost for a headshot session?
The cost per subject is comprehensive when you use Schnebly Hill Media for your professional business headshots, but other companies may charge more for these services. Here are the elements included in our standard business headshot photography sessions:
- pre-production planning
- color-correction
- color-grading
- photoshop treatment
- digital delivery
- media release
Color correction and exposure compensation ensures that your colors and lighting are accurate and even. Advanced color-grading is sometimes requested to stylize images to align with company branding guidelines. Photoshop treatments can include anything from removing small facial blemishes to making a person look 20 years younger, or 20 pounds lighter. All of these services are included in your one fee when using Schnebly Hill Media.
Best Outfits for Business Headshots
There’s no question that your clothing makes a statement. Before settling on an outfit for your business headshot, you should ask yourself a few questions:
- What is my profession and how does that affect my outfit selection?
- What is the background of the photo going to be?
- How will the image my cropped?
Your profession may influence whether a suit or a polo would be more appropriate. Remember that tight patterns, logos, and images on clothing can be distracting.
Best Backgrounds for Business Headshots
Color Backgrounds
White backgrounds are basic, but fit most use cases. Black or dark grey are also common, and provide more drama and contrast.
Natural Backgrounds
A natural background, like a wall, foliage, or building-front is interesting, but can distract from the subject, if not selected carefully. It really depends upon the feel you want to put forward for your company culture. Natural backgrounds make staff appear more natural and approachable.
Best Poses for Business Headshots
Posing for a headshot may be intimidating, but it’s simple when you know how. When you’re being photographed, don’t be afraid to try a few different poses. One of the most basic poses involves turning your shoulders about 25 degrees from the camera and ever so slightly leaning toward the camera. The second most basic pose is similar the first, but you cross your arms. This gives an impression of power. A more casual pose is one which has you facing sideways and pulling an over-the-shoulder look.
Putting your hands on your hips sends a message that you work hard and take your work seriously, whereas holding a prop can provide an intentional, thoughtful look. If you’re not sure what to go for, we recommend angling your body to the side slightly and leaning in a little bit. It’s a great all-rounder.
Displaying Your New Headshots
You can use your business headshots on all your social profiles as well as your website. A great looking headshot with a small bio on your website is a great idea. Your new headshot can also be used to make your email signature look great. You could also use it in the author’s section of your blog, and on your business cards. For more creative headshot ideas and samples, see the Schnebly Hill Media Instagram Page! Also, check out our Business Headshot Photography Page if you’d like to book as session!
