The last few weeks I've had some interesting conversations, which sparked the idea for this text. Often when people hear I am a portrait photographer, I get to listen to their experiences and feelings about being photographed themselves.
This week, one woman told me she had recently had photographs done of herself, as the spokesperson for her brand. While she was fairly happy with them - they were flattering and she looked approachable - they lacked in her own words “the drive, the spark, the I'm-going-to-change-the-world-passion I know is in me”. A second woman, who has just booked me to capture her portraits, spoke of how she hadn't had a single flattering photo of herself in a decade. There was actual sadness in her voice as she spoke these words, like she conflated her worth with her appearance in the medium. She told me one photographer had said she was “difficult to photograph” (I think the problem is you, photographer). A third woman exclaimed “I need photographs of myself for the business, but I'm putting it off, I don't look 35 any longer…”
These three people are like so many, SO MANY, that I come across in my personal and professional life. I hear stories like this all the time. It has prompted me to write this text for you today and solidified in my mind how I can use my photography skills for good. Let me talk to you about the difference between a headshot and an entrepreneurial portrait and then share how I responded to these three women.
I think I can leave the “why is it important to have updated, flattering and authentic professional photographs of yourself?” to another text (I have too much to say). I will merely state that usually people come to me because there is a commercial need to commission new photos of themselves or their team. I firmly believe that there's a benefit aside from the photos themselves. It can be empowering to see yourself through another persons eyes. The experience of leaning into what is GREAT about you and your work, can come with an unexpected amount of energy. The photographs will serve as a reminder of that power, injecting momentum into the everyday work.
Have you ever had a headshot done? I'm talking the corporate version of five minutes in a room, a line of your colleagues waiting and studio lights intimidatingly close to your face? I have been that photographer, capturing 100 people in a day against the same white background, a new person's emotions around being photographed to be handled each time. I don't photograph that way anymore, as I don't believe it serves the business (or their people) well.
But those shoot days in offices all around London taught me so much. They gave me the insight that women and men are equally anxious about how they appear. It taught me to quickly build trust, to listen and see what each person uniquely needed. I've carried a lot of that experience through to my current work. But let me tell you, a headshot done that way and an entrepreneurial portrait are nothing alike.
There are three major differences between a headshot and a professional/entrepreneurial portrait. Number one, the portrait (if done right) has depth and power in what it communicates. It has to take into account the industry, the viewer and the required impact the photographs need to have. Take my client Kate for instance, who is an arbiter. She recognised that her competitor's headshots were dated and lacked personality, often captured a decade ago, looking nothing like the person today. When we explored her industry and what would give her the edge with her imagery, it became clear that we needed to pair professionalism and experience with personality and femininity. We made considered choices around clothing, light, framing, backgrounds, colours, textures and expressions, to make sure the photographs would come out representing her, but also be impactful to the people they needed to impress.
The second difference between a headshot and a portrait session is your own experience of the shoot. The idea of spending a couple of hours standing in front of the camera might seem intimidating, but what if those hours were creative, enjoyable and would leave you inspired and uplifted? My experience has taught me that how you feelwill immediately be reflected in your photographs. Nerves can be expected, but if you are relaxed and confident, you will appear relaxed and confident.
The third major difference is the quality of the photographs. A hasty headshot captured under pressure, with no previous relationship between the subject and photographer, doesn't make for the best work. In a session capturing an entrepreneurial portrait, the photographs will come out considered, flattering, varied and full of expression.
So let me come back to the three people I introduced at the top. The first woman, whose photographs were flattering but didn't reflect her personality: this tells me she worked with a photographer who understands posing and light but didn't manage to create the connection and trust needed for her to truly relax. A photo shoot is like a creative play - the photographer is responsible to setting the stage that this is a safe and fun place - and the trust and atmosphere will allow the subject to reveal their full personality, without judgement.
The second woman I spoke to - and I absolutely can't wait to transform the way she sees herself - stumbles upon how much we put into our “image”. It is easy to put yourself in a box of “I'm not photogenic” and with today's social media standards of perfection and youth, feel like we're not worthy of existing in that space. So can I ask you this: If you were to receive a whole bunch of incredible photographs of yourself, would you say “that is a fantastic photographer” or would you not redefine and reflect on previous disappointing photos and think “maybe that was just a poor photo-taker/poor light/poor choice of posing and angle” and “maybe I've been magnetic in real life, it's just that no one has been able to capture it correctly until now"?
The third woman spoke of aging and prevailing beauty standards. No, we don't want to look 35, or 25. The people that buy from you will want to see who they are dealing with, that means the current, real, approachable and professional version of yourself they will meet when they work with you. There is power in aging; experience, confidence, caring less what others think. It would be a shame, to our families and our businesses, if we were held back from appearing in photographs (and putting ourselves out there), because we felt we didn't measure up.
This was a lengthy text on a subject I am so passionate about. We can't allow ourselves to be held back by a lack of powerful portraits in entrepreneurship. We have to exist in photographs for our children. Thank you for reading this far (and I hope you get some great portraits done this year).
Speak soon,
Cecelina