Should I get a professional headshot for my LinkedIn or job search profile?
Generally speaking, having a great headshot on LinkedIn creates a good first impression and helps brand you and your company. It helps you build credibility with potential clients and is useful when interacting with your existing customers, team, and suppliers; e.g. if your publish a newsletter, you can use it to put a face to a name and introduce your team. It hugely increases your chances of being noticed by a prospective employer: according to LinkedIn research, profiles with a profile photo are seven times more likely to be viewed than profiles without a profile picture.
But what makes a great LinkedIn profile photo or staff portrait?
1. The aim is to show you and your staff in the best light, but at the same time a great profile picture portrays YOU. I always help my clients relax so they can make the most out of their session and look friendly, warm, approachable and professional.
2. LinkedIn is a professional social networking site so most people tend to err for the conservative look; tailoring, simple lines, classic colours, natural make up. However, if you work in a creative role or quirky, niche business, don't be afraid to showcase your personality, have fun and wear something colourful and eye catching -it will be more approriate to your industry, will help you stand out and appeal to your client base.
3. Business portraits can be head shots, half, 3/4 or full length portraits, but make sure your LinkedIn profile photo is a headshot. i.e your face fills most of the frame.
4. You can be photographed in a studio, in the office or in a more relaxed location (indoors or outdoors), but make sure it is taken against a simple background that doesn't distract.
5. It needs to be a photo of you alone. If you crop a group shot or a photo taken with another person next to you, you may have random arms / ears/ shoulders in the frame, which doesn't look great.
6. Pose and expression are key, but a good photographer can help put you at ease and coach you on this.
I feel nervous about getting in front of the camera, I always do this weird thing...........
Perfectly natural! We will keep it nice and relaxed. I'm experienced in directing subjects through poses and expressions and have a lot of clients who are not used to being in front of the camera -I always manage to help them feel relaxed and get nice shots of them. I hear the experience was not scary in the end, often even fun! :)
What should I wear to my portrait session?
This depends on what you would like to use the photos for: is it to show the professional side of you to boost your job search profiles, CV and LinkedIn profile or does your dating profile need a little TLC? Also, if it is for work related use, what is your current profession / what are you aiming for?
If you work in law or finance for example, I would recommend fairly classic, neutral colours, some shots with a blazer, some with shirt and tie. For the ladies, a bit of sparkle or a nice blouse are good, too, but bear in mind is that some sheer fabrics look a lot more see-through when the flash hits them.
Feel free to bring a few different outfits with you to see which works best: the clothes don't need to be expensive, but do make sure they sit well and are nice and ironed (I have a small steamer and sticky roller for emergencies!). If you normally wear glasses, wear them for your profile photo as well -it helps clients recognise you if meeting for the first time.
If you work in the creative industries, what's your "look”? Let's showcase your personality and what you do! If you would like to have a chat in more detail about outfit options or have other questions, please get in touch on info@minnarossi.com or 07984 236 928.
What is the background colour for my studio portraits? And what is the lighting like?
The background is a lovely neutral, warm grey -a timeless classic. I have included a few sample portraits done in this same studio space below for the exact hue... The soft natural light in the space is beautiful as you can see from this first set of images.
We can play with reflectors and the lighting, angles, poses and expressions to finetune your "look".
If you want to go for a more dramatic look, I can use flash and create deeper shadows -you will always receive all your final images in colour as well as in black and white so you can choose your perfect profile image.
Can I see the photos whilst we are shooting, just to make sure my hair is OK and I'm not doing my “nervous smile”?
Sure! I tether into a laptop so we can do a few test shots and then review what is working best and go from there.
What about Covid-19?
This studio room is by the door and all other areas are closed off. I will be wearing a mask and we have enough space to social distance. We will both use hand sanitiser, all surface areas are wiped clean between sessions and there is free parking right outside so you can safely travel to your shoot.
Can we do some full length shots whilst I'm there?
These studio portraits are very much “Portraits in a Small Space”, head and shoulder shots, where you are in the focus -these kind of shots are great for LinkedIn and other professional profiles, CVs, websites etc.
If you would prefer an outdoor shoot somewhere in London, please get in touch to chat in more detail about this. The prices for location shoots are:
● 1,5 hour portrait shoot on location: £250
● Half an hour mini shoot on location in London: £175
So what happens after the shoot and how soon do I get my images?
As soon as possible, usually within 1-2 days: I edit all of your images after the shoot, optimising the colours, contrast etc. so this will take a little bit of time, but I know you must be eager to see your shots as soon as poss so I will fit this work in between bookings.
I tend to leave all my portraits looking very natural and true to life, but please feel free to filter away to your heart's content before posting them on your social media -I'm not precious about these things ;) You will receive the images both in colour and black and white (a classic, timeless look) and have both the large, print size files as well as the same set as small web sized files (perfect to start using on your LinkedIn profile straight away!).
I will deliver the files to you in a password protected web gallery, which you can easily share with family and friends if you wish. All downloads are free and just let me know if you would like me to create a 50% off voucher for print ordering: the web gallery is directly linked to high quality, secure online print ordering with lots of sizes and finishes to choose from.
Are there limitations to how I can use the images or for how long?
No, they are very much your images so please feel free to use them as you wish to promote yourself.
How much would a little 30 mins studio shoot like this cost?
I charge £100 per person, which includes everything above: editing of your images afterwards, delivery of the high and low res files in a password protected web gallery, full license to use the images to promote yourself as you wish and full insurance (Public Liability, Professional Indemnity and cover for the kit).
What if there are a few of us, can we get a small discount?
Sure! If both you and your partner, housemates or others in your “bubble” are looking for work, I'm happy to do a 10% discount per person for groups. We just need to make sure we comply with the government's Covid safety guidelines so if it is a large group, we can stagger the start times on the shoot day to make sure we only have 1-2 people and myself in the space at any given time.
How do I pay you?
I e-mail an invoice with the business bank details for a bank transfer when I send you the log in details to your web gallery of finished images.
Where is the studio and how do I get there?
I have a small studio set up in Ilford IG3: it is 10 mins walk from Seven Kings station, which is on the TFL Rail line. This runs from Liverpool Street through Stratford and takes about 15mins. If you are driving, there is free parking outside.
How do I book a portrait session with you?
For enquiries and bookings, please get in touch on info@minnarossi.com or 07984 236 928 (you can ring, text or Whatsapp -whatever works best for you).
I look forward to hearing from you!
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