Professional business portraits are published on websites, used in LinkedIn profiles and for other social media. So you will want to ensure that yours are as good as possible. But for one reason or another some people do not take their portraits seriously. Or they fail to prepare for the photoshoot and this can lead to unhappiness with the images.

The number one thing I would advise is to prepare for their photoshoot. ‘An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure’ goes the old expression. And it holds true today with business portrait preparation.

Reasons why people don’t prepare for their professional business headshots

Often I have sitters who sign up on the Doodle poll for a slot on the corporate photoshoot day and then just forget all about it. Normally these people have very busy jobs and aren’t really thinking about these professional business portraits. And yet when the day arrives, they are caught off-guard, wearing clothes that they just threw on that morning. They haven’t had their hair trimmed or highlighted, or aren’t wearing makeup and are then stressed at their photoshoot. Which doesn’t make for happy results!

Or some people perhaps lack investment in the process and do not make preparations. Perhaps they feel like they are just one person in a large organisation and that it just isn’t important. But while they may just be one image of many on a website, they still have feelings. And when they make no effort to prepare and look good for their images, it still takes a toll if they don’t like how they look as a result. So in spite of seeming indifference, they end up feeling unhappy with the results.

Finally I have the type of person who feels silly or vain when it comes to preparing for their business portraits. So they do the minimum in order to avoid feeling vain (or being thought vain) for their efforts. There’s a certain Britishness to this thinking. That being seen to try too hard is just really uncool. So instead of making putting in a little work and ensuring they look great, they just wing it. And guess what? They aren’t happy with their images either.

What you can do

So please, take my advice. It is worth the effort to prepare for those professional business portraits. You will have to live with them for a while, and see them in places where you don’t have control over them. If they aren’t flattering, you won’t be happy. And while it may feel a little silly to make an effort to look good, you will be glad you did when you have portraits you are happy with.

If you put the time in to prepare yourself mentally as well as physically, you will get the most out of your business headshots. They should be good enough to use not just professionally but on your social media accounts and even dating apps. Just invest time in yourself. You’re worth it!

If you wish to arrange a corporate photoshoot, you can email me on serena@serenabolton.com, ring me on 07958511819 or click to book a Zoom or telephone conversation.

Let me tell you the story of your business

CORPORATE HEADSHOT PHOTOGRAPHER LONDON