I help individuals and small businesses create amazing first impressions to attract ideal clients, customers or that dream job offer. In the business world, that first impression is created by a single photograph: your headshot. A successful headshot must tell a story. It’s the story of you, your outlook on life, your experiences, the way you approach your career, and where you’re headed. A carefully crafted headshot is a key part of publicly representing you and your personal brand. As with all first impressions, your headshot must reveal the authenticity of who you are and what you’re about. It’s important that the image reflect the real you, not how you think people might want to see you. Luckily, the days of staged and fake “mug-shot” photographs are behind us. Polished, genuine, and effortless headshots are now expected. Just take a look at my headshot portfolio for some examples. This image must show you at the top of your game – confident, calm and collected. Because that’s who others want to connect with (hire, employ, recruit, publish, interview, cast). How do I know this is critical? Like many of you, I paid my dues in the corporate world, and came to realize that powerful headshot results are in the details. I’ve also learned that the best headshots are really hard to create. In fact, I have discovered that most professional photographers will run the other direction when offered the chance to create a great headshot. The challenge of consistently great headshots drew me in. Following that challenge, I’ve since found photographing businesspeople just as rewarding as my former corporate life. As a result, I get to remain very close to that environment while pursuing my entrepreneurial dream. And, I’ve got some pretty powerful foundation, since my wife is a Fortune 500 executive that shatters glass ceilings in what seems like a weekly basis. Ironically, it was my experiences working on her business headshots (She is a business dynamo, afraid of nothing… yet put her in front of a camera and she locks up) that helped me realize how unusual–and valuable–my corporate experiences are in crafting these images. I have somehow discovered how to draw out the confident and authentic expressions that is at the core of a successful career, and headshot. And, over the last few years, I refined my skills and experiences until I am now able to get “the shot” many times during one short session. I am proud that other professional photographers and makeup artists trust me to create their headshots, as well. They also know its a tough job and details matter. Every time.
