I want to dedicate this blog to talk about something more important that just your headshots/portraits and that is, your business. Too often, people take headshots for personal branding and business lightly. Continue Reading
Backstage.Com is can be a powerful resource for actors trying to keep busy in the competitive entertainment industry. This post is an expert from an article on backstage.com referencing backstage account tips that can lead to better profile presence. Continue Reading
Welcome to the Business Highlight: Vol. 1! These blogs are designed to shine a spotlight on businesses who’ve been my headshot clients, and to talk more about you and what you thought of my headshot photography. We will update our blogs periodically to talk more about different businesses big and small, and what your experiences are like in the field you’re working in, or the business you’ve built. Please, enjoy! Continue Reading
There’s nothing more daunting than taking the risk to start your own business, even more so for students who are still learning the ins and outs of their craft. One can feel quite far from the previous experiences of beginners when looking in comparison to experiences built now.
I was recently invited for the second time to College of DuPage by professor Miles Boone who teaches in the photography department. I had taken many classes at CoD and I was happy to be back to talk to the students. As a full-time real-estate photographer and headshot photographer, I spoke about my journey to become my own boss. It’s not easy and requires not only a lot of discipline, but a lot of things that don’t seem so obvious. A lot of nuances go into building yourself and your brand! It takes more than just understanding yourself and how you work, which is tough in and of itself. While on this journey of building my brand and business, I realize it’s also a journey of self-discovery. While I reflect on the steps I took to be where I am and become who I am, I took an initiative to know more about the people I take photos for. While this interview is about me and my personal experiences, I took this format as a way to dive more into the businesses/groups/organization whom I photograph. I’ve started asking for more information about my models because, it’s one thing to get to know your clients from behind the camera, it’s a totally different experiences to get to know them without the camera.
It was an honor being able to come back and talk to the students. my favorite part was being able to connect with them because I’ve been in their shoes and it made me realize how far I’d gotten, how every year I’ve gotten more and more confident in who I was as a photographer and as a business owner. The biggest takeaway that I want the students to remember is that, show up! Whether it’s meet-ups, workshop or gallery exhibition, show up and make connections. Practice your craft but don’t forget the photographing is just one part of running your business. Understanding your industry and your competitors are vital, make sure to surround yourself with other business professionals. At the end of the day I’m just so excited for the journey that these young professionals are about to go on.
Major thanks to the College of DuPage Photography Department for everything that they do! To learn more about their program visit their page: http://www.cod.edu/programs/photography/
Snap, Ready, Go: If you’re not exploiting what you have in your pocket, you’re missing out on the most authentic way to have your personal brand shine. Continue Reading
It’s no surprise that LinkedIn is widely used by companies to find job candidates and poor professional presentation are among the top profile photo mistakes. In fact, over 3 million jobs are posted on the website in the U.S. every month, and over 20,000 companies use LinkedIn to recruit, according to the company.
As a job seeker, you’re competing against millions of other users to get noticed and have your resume stand out. You might have done a lot to optimize your LinkedIn profile for searches, but you still might be making some big style mistakes. In this article, five experts reveal common LinkedIn profile faux pas and how to fix them.
Resume writing isn’t the most interesting literary work you’ll do in your lifetime, so it can be easy to resort to job jargon. But your LinkedIn profile is a chance to show off your creativity, so avoid using cliches.
“Including overused phrases like ‘team player’ or ‘track record of success’ will make you come across as boring and bland,” said Peter Yang, co-founder of ResumeGo, a company that offers CV- and resume-writing services. “Instead, use more vivid words and imagery to snap the reader out of her trance and really make [her] pay attention to your profile.”
On your profile, talk about a specific instance in which you displayed teamwork, or list out the accomplishments you’ve achieved on the way to success. This type of resume will make you stand out from those of most other people who copy and paste chunks of their templated resumes to their LinkedIn profiles.
The biggest problem with resumes and Linkedin profiles is that people list their responsibilities instead of their professional impact. If you do that, your profile will look like everyone else’s.
“The key here is to mention results from your involvement in a job,” said Tatiana Rehmova, who works for online resume-building platform Enhancv. “What exactly did you achieve in your role? If it’s ‘wrote articles for the company blog,’ mention how many articles, what traffic did they get, how many times were they shared?”
Add some numbers and solid data to your profile. For example, instead of saying “increased sales through the implementation of several new marketing strategies,” write “implemented three new marketing strategies, resulting in a 33% increase in sales.”
Quantifying your achievements this way gives a clear understanding of the extent of your abilities and also makes them appear more impressive.
Recruiters are human, so they likely will be influenced by first impressions. In the case of your LinkedIn profile, that’s your photo.
“As more and more of our communication is pushed online, our relationships are with headshots of people that we may never meet in person,” said Mike Sansone, a Chicago-based headshot photographer. “That thumbnail is what will pop into their head every time they think of you. You have to make sure that it presents you in a way that you would like to be perceived.”
To avoid TOP PROFILE PHOTO MISTAKES, Sansone recommended following some simple tips:
Use a solid background. Backdrops in solid colors are best for LinkedIn profile shots. They put all of the focus on the person. “I prefer gray because colors pop off of it nicely,” he said. “It looks expensive and classy.”
Crop your photo correctly. Poorly cropped photos are among other top profile photo mistakes. From the armpits to the top of the head is the ideal crop for a headshot. “Profile picture thumbnails are square, and even more recently, circles,” said Sansone. “With all of that excess space being trimmed away, a tightly cropped headshot is crucial for delivering the most impact.”
Choose proper clothing. Use attire that a client would see you in. “If you’re an executive in a Fortune 500 company, I would expect you to dress a bit differently than a personal trainer,” he said. “Dressing opposite of what is expected for your industry can cause distrust and lower your perceived value.”
Nail a good expression. Your expression is the most important part of a headshot. It also can be the most difficult. Confidence comes from the eyes, approachability comes from the mouth, and personality comes from the eyebrows, according to Sansone. “Getting good expressions is a process, and it can take a while for the nerves to settle,” he said. “Don’t rush your shoot because of fear, or the thought that ‘this is as good as it’s gonna get.’” Take your time and you’ll avoid another one of the top profile photo mistakes
Read more here.
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