As an executive, you might be very familiar with the notion of branding. And even if you are out of the corporate world, we all know and remember brands by their logo, colors, shapes, music etc.
Let's take a minute to look at one quick definition of branding: 'The marketing practice of creating a name, symbol or design that identifies and differentiates a product from other products. An effective brand strategy gives you a major edge in increasingly competitive markets."*
It might sound harsh to say but in the professional and entrepreneurial world, the 'product' is very often: you. So why not step up your game and having that 'major edge' with a proper personal branding photoshoot and headshot to differentiate yourself from all the others?
One very important aspect of branding is its visual aspect.
And in today's world, we know that, in most of the cases, the first time you 'see' someone (a client, a lead, an applicant, etc) is through internet, through professional profile pictures and photos you use online.
So you definitely need to have those 'under control' to make sure your personal branding is on point and at your advantage.
It's like creating your own logo and each choice has a meaning and matters :
The location: Are the photos taken outside? in a street? in a park? near some water? Are the portraits taken inside? in an office? in an apartment? At your desk? in a meeting room? Or finally, are they taken in a studio? with what kind of light and mood?
The background (what you have behind you): Depending on the messaging you need, do you need an 'environmental' background or a backdrop? And if it is decided to have a backdrop behind you: what color should it be? Should it be plain ? or have texture?
Light: I won't go into details on that one as it is totally your photographer's job but there are 1000 ways to lit a subject in a studio and they all lead to various moods and results.
Framing: Would it be better to have your hands in the frame (meaning on the picture) or out of the picture? What is best adapted to what you want to share: headshot? upper body shot? full length?
Colors: Like Coca Cola or Starbucks choosing their colors of logos, you should be aware of the colors you wear on your executive portraits. Either you have a 'scientific mind' and you know that colors are actual waves and frequencies. Either you have more a 'metaphysical analysis' and you would also agree that colors have energy and trigger feelings and emotions.🤓
Body language: The professional portrait photographer you work with should absolutely have knowledge of posing, but even further: of body language and its meaning. The way you tilt your head on your photos, the way you place your chin, all of that matters. It could make you look arrogant or well-grounded, very friendly or confident further, closed and shy or empowered and open...
Accessories: Are you working with specific accessories that means a lot in your brand? Or the jewels you are wearing are part of your personality? Think about those details with your photographer.
Facial Expression: Your expression will trigger emotions in the brain of the viewer of your executive headshot. You want that person to want to speak with you, work with you, hire you, know you more.
HOW TO KNOW THE ANSWERS TO ALL THOSE QUESTIONS :
The answer to all those questions will depend on your needs in terms of messaging. Your executive portraits photographers should be the one guiding you in those decisions and choices as she or he will be the one creating those images. You can also consider working with a personal branding consultant if you want a deeper analysis and strategy.
All those elements also help you to actually choose your portrait photographer: either you choose one that matches the style you want for your brand, or even better, you choose one that can completely tailor the shoot to your various needs.
We all have different paths, expertise, energy, so we should all have our own personal branding and executive portraits.
Oh! One last bit of information, your Linkedin profile will be more visited than without a picture: a profile including a photo receive 21x more profile views and up to 36x more messages.