In today's digital age, high-quality business photography is crucial for making a strong first impression. However, many professionals make common mistakes that can tarnish their brand image. Read on to discover these pitfalls and learn how to sidestep them for a polished, professional look.
You've worked hard to build your business. Don't let easily avoidable photography missteps sell you short. Let's talk about the most common blunders I see in business photography and, more importantly, how you can sidestep them to ensure your brand always looks its absolute best.
Choosing the Wrong Outfits
Choosing the right outfit for a business photoshoot is critical. The wrong attire can distract from the professional image you are trying to project. Avoid overly bright colors, busy patterns, or casual wear. Instead, opt for classic, well-fitted clothing that aligns with your brand’s image. Neutral colors often work best as they keep the focus on you and not your clothing.
The Blunder: Showing up to a photoshoot in clothes that don't align with your brand, your industry, or even the message you want to convey. Think a casual t-shirt for a high-end financial advisor, or a stiff suit for a free-spirited yoga instructor. Or worse, clothes that are ill-fitting, wrinkled, or simply distracting.
Why it's a mistake: Your attire is a powerful non-verbal communicator. It instantly tells your audience something about your professionalism, your approach, and your brand's personality. A mismatch creates confusion, undermines credibility, or simply makes you look out of place.
How to Avoid It:
- Know Your Brand's Vibe: Is your brand playful and creative, or serious and authoritative? Your clothing choices should reflect this.
- Consider Your Audience: What would your ideal client expect to see you wearing? Dress to resonate with them.
- Wardrobe Consultation is Gold: A good photographer (like me!) will offer a wardrobe consultation. Take advantage of it! We can advise on colors, fabrics, and styles that photograph well and align with your brand strategy.
- Prioritize Fit & Comfort: Clothes that fit well look polished. Clothes you're comfortable in allow you to relax and radiate confidence. Always bring options, and ensure everything is clean and wrinkle-free.
Consider the context of where these photos will be used. If the photos are for a corporate setting, business formal attire is usually the safest choice. On the other hand, if you are in a creative industry, you might have more flexibility to express your personality through your wardrobe while still maintaining a professional appearance.
Settling for Cheap and Poor Quality Photos
In an attempt to save money, some professionals settle for cheap and poor-quality photos. This is a significant mistake. Low-quality images can make your brand look unprofessional and can negatively impact the trust and credibility that potential clients or customers have in you.
The Blunder: Relying on blurry phone selfies, poorly lit amateur shots, or outdated images that look like they belong in a different decade. This often stems from believing that photography is an unnecessary expense or that "any photo will do."
Why it's a mistake: In an instant, low-quality photos convey low-quality standards for your entire business. They diminish your credibility, make your brand look unprofessional, and create a subconscious doubt in the minds of potential clients. Pixelated or poorly composed images are a major turn-off in a world of high-definition screens.
How to Avoid It:
- Invest in Professional Photography: See it as an essential business investment, not an optional expense. Professional photographers have the right equipment, lighting expertise, and eye for composition to create high-impact images.
- Research & Vet: Look at portfolios. Do their images resonate with your brand? Do they produce crisp, well-lit, and engaging photos consistently?
- Understand the Value: Professional photos pay for themselves in increased trust, perceived value, and client attraction.
Investing in a professional photographer ensures you get high-quality images that effectively represent your brand. High-resolution photos with proper lighting and composition can significantly enhance your professional image and make a lasting impression.
Neglecting Hair and Professional Makeup
Hair and makeup might seem like minor details, but they play a crucial role in the overall quality of your business photos. Neglecting these aspects can result in photos that look unpolished and unprofessional. Professional makeup not only enhances your features but also ensures you look your best under the photographer’s lights.
The Blunder: Thinking you can just "do your hair and makeup" quickly before a professional shoot, or opting out entirely. This applies to male grooming too – a quick trim and tidy can make a huge difference.
Why it's a mistake: Professional camera lenses, especially high-resolution ones, pick up every detail. What looks fine in the mirror might look flat, shiny, or uneven on camera. Professional hair and makeup artists know how to apply products for lighting, reduce shine, enhance features subtly, and create a look that lasts through a long shoot, ensuring you look your absolute best. You don't want to be 'washed out' by the lighting in the studio.
How to Avoid It:
- Prioritize Pro Hair & Makeup: If your photographer offers it, accept their pampering, the HMUA will pamper you and prep you! If it's not included, consider getting a professional hair and makeup artist to do it! It's an investment in the final outcome of your photos.
- Communicate Your Desired Look: Discuss your usual style and how you want to appear on camera. You still want to look like you, just a polished version.
- For Men: Consider professional grooming (haircut/trim, beard tidy) a few days before the shoot. A clean shave or well-maintained facial hair makes a big difference.
Recycling the Same Photos Over and Over Again
Using the same photos repeatedly across different platforms can make your brand appear stagnant and outdated. It’s essential to refresh your business photos periodically to keep your image current and engaging.
The Blunder: Using the same 2-3 headshots on every single platform, post, and print material for years on end, even when your business evolves or you've had a new shoot.
Why it's a mistake: Repetition breeds boredom. It makes your brand feel stagnant and uncreative. Your audience will quickly tune out if they see the exact same image repeatedly. Moreover, if your business has evolved, outdated photos create a disconnect.
How to Avoid It:
- Plan for Variety During Your Shoot: Work with your photographer to capture a range of shots: different outfits, locations, poses (action, lifestyle, headshots, candid), and expressions.
- Create a Content Calendar: Plan when and where you'll use different photos. Rotate them regularly across your website, social media, email newsletters, and print materials.
- Schedule Regular Updates: Aim for a professional branding photoshoot every 1-2 years, or whenever your brand evolves significantly, to keep your visuals fresh and relevant.
Regular updates to your photo library not only keep your brand looking fresh but also provide new content for social media, websites, and marketing materials.
Using All New Headshots at Once
When you receive a batch of new headshots, it can be tempting to use them all immediately. However, it’s more strategic to stagger the release of new photos over time. This approach keeps your online presence dynamic and continually engaging.
The Blunder: Receiving your beautiful new gallery of 50 amazing headshots and immediately swapping out all your profile pictures, banner images, and website photos.
Why it's a mistake: You'll run out of novelty. You won't have fresh headshots shortly. Then you land back in the same boat with your brand feeling monotonous. Your brand is multifaceted, and your visuals should reflect that. You miss the opportunity to showcase your personality, your work in action, or the broader story of your business throughout a strategic timeline.
How to Avoid It:
- Think Strategically About Placement:
- Profile Pictures: Use your strongest, most engaging headshot for your main profile pictures across platforms.
- Website: Use a hero shot (often a wider, more dynamic photo), then sprinkle headshots on "About Us" and "Contact" pages. Integrate action/lifestyle shots throughout your service pages.
- Social Media: Mix it up! Use your new headshots for profile pictures, but then incorporate lifestyle shots, behind-the-scenes glimpses, photos of you working, and even detail shots of your products or tools in your regular feed.
- Email Signatures: A concise headshot is perfect here.
- Print Materials: A headshot on a business card, but perhaps a lifestyle or action shot on a brochure.
- Curate for Purpose: Each photo should serve a purpose. Does it convey approachability? Expertise? Creativity? Choose the right image for the right message.
- Tell a Visual Story: Use the diversity of your gallery to paint a richer, more engaging picture of your brand. With a robust marketing portfolio of images, you'll be able to pick and chose as you see fit.
Plan a schedule for updating your profiles and marketing materials gradually, rather than all at once.
By being mindful of these common missteps, you can elevate your business photography from "just pictures" to powerful marketing assets that truly attract, engage, and convert your ideal clients. Invest wisely, plan strategically, and let your amazing brand shine!
Love,
