In this post I am going to discuss why professional headshots are more powerful and worth the extra money.
What is a professional headshot?
A professional headshot is a headshot taken by a photographer who solely, or almost solely works in headshots.
There are a lot of genres of photographers; wildlife, or sports, or landscape, etc. Each of these has aspects that are particular to that genre, and they need to be mastered in order to get what we would call a high-level image in that genre and headshots are no different.
Different skills are needed to get a great headshot that other genres don’t require.
One is understanding different shapes of faces, how to get the different angles that work for different faces, and how to light them to get the best result.
There’s also posing involved. Different body types look better with different poses, so we need to understand all of that.
In addition to that, when a person steps in front of a camera, they typically become someone other than themselves. This is pretty natural.
It’s the headshot photographer’s job to get that person back to who they truly are in front of the camera. This requires guiding them to reveal their authentic nature with a look of confidence, and warmth, and in a way that shows them as trustworthy.
This skill takes a natural talent along with a lot of experience. It comes out of being good with people, and understanding how to work with different personalities, and guiding them to the desired expressions.
That’s a pretty big talent that you will not find in other most other genres of photography except portraiture.
Here are some examples of my professional headshots https://peteroharaphotography.com/portfolio/.
Why is a professional headshot better?
So, why are professional headshots better than a selfie or a budget headshot taken at JCPenney’s?
Well, number one, they show that you take yourself seriously. No one’s going to take you seriously unless you take yourself seriously.
You also don’t want your headshot to look like it was taken for your high school yearbook. That was great back then, not much was riding on it.
You may not have even cared what you looked like but now you’re in a different ballgame. There is more at stake now and you want to look the part. A professional headshot is going to do that.
It shows that you’re willing to invest in yourself, and that’s important, especially if you’re running a business.
Prospects want to see that you’re investing in yourself. It implies that you’re investing in your business, which means that you’re always making improvements to put out a better product or service.
That’s something people want to buy into. They want to work with that type of person.
Professional headshots also portray that you are successful in what you do.
Let’s say you’re shopping for a home. Now, who would you prefer to work with? A real estate agent that pulls up in a Honda Civic, or one that pulls up in a Mercedes? The car speaks about their level of success, and a professional headshot speaks about your level of success.
Why would I want to pay more for professional headshots?
In addition to everything I’ve said so far, they are a good investment. A good investment is something that will give you a return that is greater than the initial cost, and I say that a professional headshot’s going to do that.
Looking at all the headshots out on the internet, I’d say maybe 5% are professional headshots, and your professional headshot will put you there. You’ll raise yourself to the top 5% right off the bat!
That means more engagement from prospects, some of which will eventually become clients.
When considering cost, sometimes in the long run, it can even be cheaper.
Let’s say you get a mediocre headshot, and over time, you realize that it’s not revealing your personality very well. You aren’t looking very engaging, successful, or special in any way.
Now you’ve got to go back and get it right. At this point, you’ve spent money on the first headshot, and now you’re spending money again on the second headshot.
So, in the long run, it can be cheaper to get a professional headshot from the start. A professional headshot will get you noticed above your competition. Remember, you’re going to be in that top 5%.
How important are professional headshots really?
Today, due to various aspects of life, and what’s going on, more connections are made online, and your headshot is the first thing that people see, and they’ll make a judgment based on it.
Science says that judgments are made in less than a second of viewing your headshot. Science also says that this first impression tends to be long-lasting, meaning it’s resistant to change.
So, what would you rather do? Give a good first impression, or give a mediocre impression, or maybe even a bad first impression, and then have to work at trying to change that impression?
First, it is more than likely that you can’t reverse a first impression. And second, it’s just not in your best interest to go about it that way. You want to make that first impression be a good one, right from the start.
Remember, decisions on whether to pursue a connection with you or not are being made by that first impression.
This means that whatever you are trying to achieve with your headshot, a professional one will get you far more of the results you are seeking.
Wrapping it up.
You want to get a professional headshot photographer to do your headshots.
They show that you take yourself seriously. No one else will take you seriously if you don’t take yourself seriously, that’s a fact.
They’re also a great investment, and like I have said, in the long run, it could even be cheaper to get a great headshot.
They create a first impression and that’s the big point I am making here. You want that first impression to be a good one, because it tends to be a lasting one. That’s why I think professional headshots are more powerful.
Now, go out and get that professional headshot!
