How to Take a Professional Headshot! Tips from Expert Photographer Donna Coleman

Professional Photographer Donna Coleman
The photo you use on LinkedIn sets the tone, initial impression for your profile. Expert Photographer Donna Coleman shares tips for a professional headshot!

The photo you use on LinkedIn is important because it will set the tone and initial impression for your profile. Check out these numbers and statistics that back up my advice. According to LinkedIn.com, you can get up to 21 times more profile views than members without a photo.  As important as having a profile picture is, having the right picture means using a head shot. 

You might ask, “What is a head shot?” My first response is that a head shot is most certainly not a selfie. Sorry.

In fact, in my career I have been surprised by the number of professionals who ask the same question: “What is a head shot?” The head shot for LinkedIn should be from your shoulders up and have a solid background. I recommend having a professional photographer take your photo, especially if you plan on using the photo for business cards, your professional website, brochures and any additional personal branding. A professional will also ensure your photo is low resolution which will create a pristine look for your web content.

 

And I’m excited to have my friend and professional photographer

Donna Coleman of DonnaColemanPhotography.com

share her tips to have your headshot stand out!

As she always says – Your Image Matters!

 

Guest Blogger, Donna Coleman – 

Tips for Preparing for Your Professional Headshots

 

Your headshot is the first impression you make on your LinkedIn Profile.   Preparing yourself and your clothing is important so you can look your best for your headshots. Your confidence will show in your photos.  Here are some tips to choose the right clothes and be prepared so you get the best results.

 

Clothing

Make sure your shirt is freshly ironed and wrinkle free. If you wear a suit jacket, make sure that it fits you well and consider a light or bright shirt under it to create some pop. Solid shirts work best.

 

For women wearing blouses without a jacket, I always prefer color.   Jewell tones look great in photos and a vee neck can be very flattering.  Jewelry creates a polished look, just avoid anything too big that will draw attention away from your face.

 

 For men a tie with a small pattern looks better than one with a busy print. If you wear a button-down shirt without a suit jacket, I recommend wearing color, not white or black.

 

If you are having a full headshot session bring a couple of different looks -changing the color of your shirt or tie can make a big difference and it’s nice to have options.

 

Hair and Makeup

 

Your hair should be clean and neatly styled. Bring a comb or brush to the shoot to take care of fly away hairs. For woman, consider having your hair and makeup done professionally before your shoot.

 

 If you wax your brows or lip, try to do that a couple of days before the shoot so that any redness can calm down. Trim nostril hair if needed.

 

Avoid getting too much sun before your shoot to avoid redness.

 

Get a good night’s sleep and drink a lot of water. If you don’t get a lot of sleep and have puffy eyes in the morning of a cold compress can help with the swelling.  Another hack to help swelling is putting spoons in the freezer and holding them under your eyes for a few minutes.

 

If you have dry skin, moisturize the night before – it’s best to avoid moisturizer the day of your photos to avoid shine from the lights.

 

 

Uploading Your Photo to Linked In

The optimal shape for your LinkedIn profile photo is a square.  Ideally you can have your photographer give you a square crop of your headshot including your shoulders.  The minimum size is 400×400 pixels and should be smaller than 8 MB.

 

The last tip I can offer is smile. You want to look approachable. 

Here is the link from LinkedIn to walk you through adding and editing your profile photo: https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/1615/adding-or-changing-your-linkedin-profile-photo?lang=en

 

Until Next Tuesday…

 

 

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