Have you got a page on LinkedIn?
Have you given much thought to your profile photo? And have you updated it recently?
LinkedIn is the largest professional online networking site.
Anyone who’s anyone in the business or corporate world has a profile on there – and if you haven’t, you can sort that out today – join here!
The importance of a professional headshot for LinkedIn
LinkedIn photos matter. Your LinkedIn profile photo is a powerful marketing tool.
A professional, quality headshot of yourself is important because it is your first chance to impress the people that visit your profile.
Potential employers, employees, colleagues, potential customers, and journalists – can make a judgement about you in seconds!
So many people do themselves a disservice by not using a quality, professional headshot in the little square box on their LinkedIn profile.
Is your LinkedIn photo creating the desired impression?
Common traits of bad LinkedIn photos
There are so many bad LinkedIn profile photos out there. Here are some of the common traits that I see letting people down:
1. Selfies
Selfies have their place but they are not suitable for LinkedIn.
Even if you work in an informal job, a poorly-taken selfie or a snapshot of you taken on your camera phone is unlikely to create a great impression.
And please don’t use a crop of yourself from a group photo – the image could end up all pixilated, which looks terrible!
Make an investment in professional headshot photography and it’ll be worth every penny 🙂
2. Photos that were clearly taken years ago
You can spot this a mile off! Everything from the clothes, the hair styling, the makeup and the style of the glasses the person is wearing reveal a lot about when the photo was taken.
If you appear to not take your online profile seriously by not updating your profile photo with something that looks modern, how can a potential employer/client/journalist be expected to take you seriously?
To stay on-trend I would advise you to be updating your LinkedIn profile photo at least every three years.
3. Photos that look nothing like you in real life
You are doing yourself no favours if people come to meet you in person and you look completely different to how you appear in the photo on your online LinkedIn profile.
Try to embrace the person that you are now. A professional headshot photographer will know how to look for your best angles, relax you in front of the camera, and make you feel confident and look your best. Have a look at my top tips and find out how to look good in your professional headshot photo.
It’s always best to be up to date and appear the best version of yourself now.
4. Photos which don’t show your face clearly
I’m a great believer in the fact that your LinkedIn profile photo can and should convey your personality. But a photo of you crossing the finishing line of a 10K race, or of you on a snowboarding holiday at the top of a red run is unlikely to show enough of your face to allow people to see what you look like.
These kinds of photos reveal what you may be like as a person (sporty, adventurous etc.), but if your face can’t be seen clearly, then you haven’t shown people who you really are.
So, my advice would be to avoid using any photo on LinkedIn in which your face is obscured – whether it’s too small in the picture, or if you’re wearing swim/ski goggles, for example.
5. Fake smiles or awkward expressions
I never ask my clients to smile but if they do I will always try to catch it. Natural smiles are always far better than fake, awkward grins. If you’re genuinely enjoying your photoshoot, your face will look relaxed and natural, and like you!
I pride myself on creating a good experience in which my clients can feel comfortable. If you visit me we will talk about how you feel about yourself in photos, so that I know if there is anything you don’t like.
I will ask you to let me worry about how you look. It is a fact that the less you care about how you look the better the results are likely to be. I will guide and direct you how to stand, which way to look, and how to position your head, all the while trying to take your attention away from the fact that I am pointing a camera at you!
I shoot headshots with my camera attached to my computer so during the session, we pause to look at your image and check that you like the results we are getting too.
If you would like to know more about what happens during a professional headshot with me have a look here
Creative LinkedIn photos
Your Linkedin profile picture need not be boring and straight-faced.
As a professional headshot photographer, I offer both corporate and a more relaxed not-so-corporate portrait and can aim to capture both styles during your photoshoot depending upon what you require.
I consider it a fundamental part of my job to ensure that the headshot photos I take of my clients show your personality.
I love the chance to be creative too, both inside the studio and out.
Studio and on-location headshot photography in london
I often use a plain white or dark backdrop, since the simple background is less distracting to the eye and puts the focus very much on YOU. But, having said that, you don’t have to have a plain white or black background and I am happy to discuss your thoughts.
When you hire me as your professional headshot photographer, you are welcome to my studio or I can travel to you.
So, as well as the various options of backdrops I have in and around my West London-based photography studio, there is also always the option to have your corporate headshot taken outdoors or within your work environment.
Is it time you updated your LinkedIn photo?
I really hope that this has given you food for thought and if after reading this, you have realised that your LinkedIn profile photo could do with an update, then get in touch here.
I am a specialist in headshot photography and offer headshot photography services, focussed on creating contemporary portraits that are ideal for your LinkedIn profile.
A headshot photoshoot experience will result in you having lots of professional but fun, creative and high-quality images of you that will truly enhance how you are perceived online.
When your LinkedIn profile photo is such a powerful marketing tool, why wouldn’t you?
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