So 2021 Is Well Underway!

So 2021 is well underway. Hopefully your 2021 has started out great compared to the crazy year 2020 we just had. As jobs were lost, many small businesses closed, 2021 birth a new desire for many to live their authentic life. Many Raleigh and Durham professionals are exploring entrepreneurialism and their creative side, therefore NC Headshot Studio is here to capture that “NEW YOU OF 2021” professional headshot and business portrait. Don’t let that camera phone picture keep you from living the life of your dreams.

Call us today at NC Headshot Studio at 984-365-3599 or email us at Bookings@NCHeadshot.com, let us help you get onto the path to success with you new professional headshot.

A Business Portrait or a Headshot, Which is the Right Choice for You? | Durham | Raleigh | Chapel Hill

A Business Portrait or a Headshot ? Which is the Right Choice for You ?

You might be an actor, a plumber, an artist, a CEO of a Fortune 500 company, a salesperson, musician or physician and you need of a new picture for your professional use.

Do you need a business portrait or a headshot?

To answer that I'd like to tell you one of the most important pieces of advice I've ever received and it's the foundation of why virtually every successful business is successful. No matter if you are an actor or doctor or baker you are an artist. What you do for a living is your art/skill/craft/vocation - call it what you will - this is your passion - it's your art. If you focus only on your art you may love doing it, but you are on a course to fail. If on the only hand you say "I own a business ... and it just happens to be a deli, or a doctor's office or creating art" you realize that you must balance the books, do marketing to get clients, dream up new ideas so that you will continue to be able to do what you love to do.

Anyway, that's where I start my thinking when someone comes in for a headshot - how is your business structured and what type of picture will best help you achieve your business goals.

The Business portrait and the headshot - The Difference

First lets look at both, how they are the same and how they differ.

Both types of images need to get the feeling that you want to get from whomever seeing the picture. Are you welcoming, commanding, solid, sincere, in charge, affluent, competent, stunning, handsome, friendly, "the buck stops here",?

The Business Portrait - formal dress, professional pose, elegant props, lit with some drama and has rich colors. This is the type of image you might see in the lobby of a hotel or on the board of directors page of a company's website.

The Headshot - To be candid, it'a a product shot and you're the product. You'll typically smile or (in the case of an actor) be in character, but the look is fairly generic and welcoming. But I suggest the headshot even for the executive so they will something less formal, maybe for a company seminar they are hosting or blog post.

And then there is the headshot which is purely for commercial use; such as a print ad, website or brochure. These are very fun and bright.

Both the business portrait and the headshot can be critical parts of every company's business marketing plan. Just a nice picture of the person without finding out what the person wants the image to convey is not enough. Today many potential clients are surfing the net and choosing their vendors on the strength of an image.

So think about how the images will be used to help you reach your business goals and you will know what types of pictures you need.

NC Headshot Studio is a premiere headshot, business portrait, and commercial photography studio located in Durham, North Carolina.  We serve Durham, Raleigh, and the Chapel Hill areas.   You can see more of his work at http://www.NCHeadShot.com

Using Professional Headshots Online

Affordable Headshots - Visit www.NCHeadShot.com

You likely have an “About Me” or “About Our Company” or “About Us” page on your website. And you certainly have a thumbnail image that you use for your social media profiles (if you’re not using a logo or brand). Occasionally you might be asked to be interviewed on a blog, or an article may be written referencing you. In each of these circumstances, you’ll want a photo of yourself displayed. In a physically disconnected world, where many of your networks and connections are made online, it’s more important than ever for people to sense your authenticity and your personality.

And you don’t want a terribly lit & slightly inebriated photo of yourself taken at a friend’s wedding, or a snapshot of you on the beach during your vacation to Costa Rica to be the way you represent yourself & your business to the world. And definitely NOT A CELLPHONE SELFIE / CELFIE.  I once had a client who wanted to use a photo of himself at an event where he was clearly snozzled – yikes!

If it’s your personal Facebook profile and you regularly update it to show a recent snapshot of you at a speaking engagement or giving a presentation, that’s one thing & you can get away with something less formal. If it’s the only headshot of you on the website of your business, that’s another thing entirely. This isn’t to say it needs to be stuffy, or nostalgic for Sears photo shoots circa 1981… you want it to reference your personality and that of your business. 

For example, if you’re an investment banker, you’d likely meet your potential clients face-to-face in some level of business attire. Maybe not a suit, but something appropriate. If you’re a bee keeper, you’re likely wearing something appropriate for that work, etc… In each of these cases it’s not much of an investment of time or money to hire a photographer to take a professional-looking headshot of you in your environment.

Usually, a professional headshot session either takes place in the studio or in the field. Personally, I like shots that aren’t against a solid white backdrop in the studio or that feel too contrived. I prefer shots taken in an appropriate environment – maybe in your office, or maybe outside with a natural backdrop.

There’s no magic formula. You don’t need to be an actor. You don’t need $1 million dollars or an entourage.

So, how do you find someone local to do this for you whose work you like? Well first, if you see a headshot you really like, and you know that it was likely taken in your area, find out who took them! Sometimes there’s an attribution, and other times you can just send an email and ask. Secondly, search for someone & review what you find.

A simple Google Search for Durham Headshot Photography or Raleigh Business Portraits in your local area would suffice.

You can expect to pay anywhere from $175 to $1500 depending on how many poses and/or outfits you want, where you live, and the experience of the photographer. The most important thing is that you find someone whose work shows the kind of headshot you’d like to end up with.

So, throw that modesty out the window, find the right photographer for you, and be happy when you’re being represented in your best light online!

NC Headshot Studio is a Durham Headshot, Business Portrait, and Commercial Photography Studio servicing the Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill areas.  We are your professional headshot studio!

Creative Director / NC HeadShot Photography