The Importance of Business Portraits.

As a small business owner, I know what it’s like trying to make ends meet. Arguably still a start-up, having been in business for less than 5 years and not born with an innate business sense, I know I occasionally have to make executive decisions on where my hard earned money goes.

Business planning experts will tell you not to scrimp on advertising. It is, in fact, one of the most important areas to plan for because if people don’t know about you, they’re never going to hire you. And part of that advertising is you. Your image. This is particularly true in the services. If you are building client relationships, along with face-to-face networking, you need to have something to anchor the potential client. Something that presents you as the person they will be working with, something that gives them an impression of who you are. It makes you a familiar face (many people are creatures of habit and comfort. So if you’re not already a habit to them, you need to make them comfortable with you) and should present you in a professional way.

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There are many excuses for not arranging to get yourself a good portrait. It’s expensive. I don’t like having my picture taken. It’s just one more thing to worry about.  I’ll just use this picture I have on my cell phone. While expensive is a relative term, and certainly everyone has a camera these days, professional photographers can have high overheads for their camera equipment, their studio spaces and lighting equipment, printing and shipping costs and as an industry that is constantly changing, photographers are constantly adding to their education through seminars, webinars, and books. So while it’s more expensive than one that you have already, you’re paying for their expertise and the tools they use to execute the job like any other business owner.

Some people don’t like having their picture taken. I used to be one! Whenever a camera appeared I was the one holding up my hands defensively, saying “Get that camera out of my face!”. After several years, I started to notice that there weren’t a lot of nice pictures of me out there and most of them had me either with my hands up in the air or awkwardly dodging the camera. I realized that if I at least put in some effort and just tried to smile, that some of the photos would turn out okay. This goes double for having them done by someone who knows what they’re doing. I make a point to pay one of my professional photographer friends to do pictures of me once a year usually. Professional photographers not only have strategies to make you look good (and I don’t just mean photoshopping you until you’re unrecognizable to your own mother), they also genuinely WANT to make you look good. Remember, photography is THEIR BUSINESS and it does them no good if they have images that make YOU look bad because it makes THEM look bad. And, don’t forget! We’re our own worst critics!

Here are some examples that should really illustrate why the cell-phone-selfie is never good enough…

This is a good example of a quick snap-shot that may be cute and will get a laugh from my family and friends, but it's not appropriate on my website. The lighting is bad, there are distracting elements in the background, and while some customers might think "oh, what a cute Pug, I love Pugs..." it doesn't necessarily translate to "I love this business person!

Here's one that while I kind of like the photo because it's a bit funny and evokes memories of the classmate in photography school who took this picture, my potential clients don't have those memories associated with it. Nor do they necessarily cheer for the Riders. Plus looking at it now I sometimes forget that I'm 10 pounds lighter than I was in school, and man... my cheeks look chubby. Which is a good example of being our own worst critics. Someone else who knows me isn't necessarily going to say "Hey Andrea, you look fat!" but because they know me, they might just say "having a good day, were we?"

Like a writer, you have to consider the tone for your audience and again, remember that the viewer doesn't have the same emotional attachment to the portraits you might.

This one is probably getting closer to the mark. I did this self-portrait in my kitchen last year and it's an okay image, it shows me pretty well as I am, though maybe could use a couple tweaks here and there and even as a photographer, I still tend to find it very difficult to pose myself (or make myself laugh for that matter). Some might say I look a bit snarly, or uncertain. And to really send home the fact that I'm supposed to be a professional, professional clothing would be better suited for it. Though that said, there is occasionally some leeway *depending on your business and overall personality*. You don't necessarily want to give the impression you're someone you're not (like with photoshopping, it's not helpful to edit your face to the point no one knows it's a picture of you).

And here is one that I might include on my website. This image is a bit older, but not to the point that I look greatly different/unrecognizable in it. My friend Vienna, another graduate of the program at SIAST did this for me (You can check out her website here) and I had a fabulous time. While you will not generally find me all dolled up like this at any point, because my business is photography, a flare for the dramatic is, in some cases, appropriate. But the photo is engaging and draws the viewer in and might be enough to make the potential client think "I might like to learn more about this person."

Most importantly, as a business owner selling something, and particularly if you are selling intangibles, try to keep in mind that you are focusing on client relationships and if you are trying to bring in clients that you can’t meet face-to-face, you need to give them that first impression that makes them want to start to build a relationship with you. The portrait is just one of many ways to do it. Whether it's simple or dramatic, in studio, in the outdoors or at your place of work, it can be the first step to lead you to the first handshake.

Are we agreed? Think you might want to get some business portraits done or updated? Well tune in tomorrow cause I’ve got a heck of a deal for ya!