Online Branding and Photos
I always thought that getting professional photos or headshots were for actors or well-known, famous people. After attempting to get a nice, decent photo taken of me by others, I finally made the decision to get professional headshots and avator pics taken.
I posted on Twitter for suggestions of a Phoenix photographer and Erica Lucci sent me Tyson Crosbie. I am grateful to both of my Twitter friends as the photo session went wonderful and Tyson is an artist! He made me feel comfortable and the shots came out amazing!
Here are some of the shots:
Although I tell our clients how online branding is important, I wasn’t following my own advice. With Tyson’s pics, I now can go forth and continue with online branding PearlyWrites as the woman who likes to make funny faces and Shirley Temple curls!
Tyson sure captured the real you.
Good timing on this post! I’ve just been doing a little pondering on the subject of putting face pics on websites. I see so many mugs that I wondered what was behind all the photo-mania!
To be honest, I’m not convinced of the merits of putting your own pic on a business website. For personal sites, absolutely. But for a business site, not so much. Since you’re a writer, depending what kind of book you’re peddling, you can have more leeway in showing your personality. This would be true for many of the more “liberal arts” type jobs.
For one thing, most of the pics look like candid shots taken by a friend with a phone-camera while you were having a good time together. It doesn’t particularly do anything for me if I’m thinking of hiring to do work for me. It’s just another face of another stranger, and makes zero impression on me.
Second, I smell a schmooze. Some stranger online is trying to sell me something and trying to create a bond by showing me what they look like. No thanks.
Third, with all the crazies running around stalking & injuring/killing people, I’m not impressed with the common sense of people who post a lot of personal stuff on their sites. Call me old-fashioned or whatever!
Anyway, that’s my take. I have to say I wish you’d try another photographer and compare the shots. These pics definitely fall into the friend-with-a-phone-camera quality. The lighting is terrible, the angles are strange, and some of the nicest shots of your face are the ones where he cuts off the top of your head. I hope you didn’t pay much for this work!
Good luck with your book coming out!
Alice,
Openness and transparency are difficult concepts to embrace, not only personally but from a business standpoint. Really opening up and attaching who you are with what you do can certainly feel like you are jumping off a cliff.
The observation that most of the shots feel candid and shot by a friend are great compliments to my process. Because I hope that is exactly the result when anyone comes into my studio, that they feel comfortable enough to be themselves.
Personally I feel like when photography becomes a set of rules based on lighting and angles that there is no more reason to hire a photographer. The end result is the discount studios where they never move the camera or lights, and merely memorize a set of rules to get the correct picture. (say cheese).
The difference should be obvious to anyone that is attracted to honesty, truth and open to sharing who they are in real life, and not just who they want to appear to a nameless crowd.
Tyson takes risks with his photography. His clients are then rewarded with potentially stunning shots. Not every shot works out, but most are unique and eye catching.
It is true that some businesses are best served by a logo rather than a face. But for those (like mine) the work that Tyson does is worth far more than what he charges.
Just to clarify, I don’t believe that Alice was impugning your work, Tyson…at least that’s not the manner in which I took it. I believe she was merely commenting on the vast number of images she sees on business-related websites today and that “…look like candid shots taken by a friend…”, rather than having been taken by a professional.
I spent several years as a professional portrait photographer (you’re welcome to check out a few of those images in the “Portrait Portfolio” album at http://www.myspace.com/seekingbalance - should you be so inclined). As such, I can say with confidence that portrait photography is not just about rules and angles. It is, however, important to know and understand the rules in order to successfully cast someone in their best light. Photography is essentially painting with light. As with learning to paint, one must learn some basic rules. Without first knowing the rules, you can’t know how and when to break them.
The fact of the matter is that regardless of how perfect the image is photographically, your subject won’t like it if it doesn’t capture their own unique sense of style and personality. There are a number of critiques I could made on specific lighting techniques, posing, background, etc. That said, it appears that Lisa is quite pleased with the outcome of her portrait session and clearly believes the images have successfully captured who she is - and that is truly all that matters in the end.
Forgot to address Alice’s point - sorry!
In my opinion, there are some industries that warrant a certain “personal” approach to a business website and some that don’t. Placing a picture of yourself on a business website provides at least some opportunity to remind your visitors (and potential clients, as the case may be) that you are a real person - not just a favicon, logo or commercial avatar. The fact is that in this global, digital marketplace, sometimes having a face to attach to a name and/or website could be that little something extra that helps you to build a rapport and generate repeat business.
I believe that a great headshot is essential for those that are in the business of marketing themselves. The majority of people I find using a headshot on their sites are independent contractors of the digital world where there are no corporate constraints and personal style/impression can make or break a deal.
Above that, image recognition is competitively as important as brand recognition when the product you’re selling is you. I find it a compliment to the work that I do when I’m at a social event and someone greets me by citing some of my online work. Often those discussions turn into a strong industry contact or potential client. That means I have marketed myself effectively.
As for the concerns over privacy and safety… If I did not want my face to be known, I’d have stayed working in a cubicle as another number in the tech pool, and perhaps I’d fear bleeding to death from a papercut.
The more open, honest and forthcoming we all are online, the less of a mysterious, crazy place it will be for the loonies to hide. Tyson’s (and others, I’m sure) avatars are an excellent way for us to tie our online presence to our physical one and will lead to the end of days where people hide behind names like xxxCrazyMuthaxxx and more of a free, open place to exchange ideas without fear of retaliation.
And it’s always cool to put a face to a name.
What more personal connection can there be than a face? What can sell better than a personal connection? Well something good to sell, of course, but first impressions on certain products and services come through that personal connection. People need more faces of themselves and their employees on their Web sites and other materials, not less.
I create logos and other graphics - and would like to do more - and on paper or other materials logos look great, with a complete package of branding etc. They get people started in the right direction of knowing what a company is about. But really, they don’t sell anything in and of the themselves. They can inspire a certain sense of confidence or give a hint of the character of the company - whimsical, straight-laced etc etc. But I’m not sure many people can sit up and think, “boy great logo, gotta buy something from them.” Not even Apple.
Taking great portrait photos is ALL about making a person feel comfortable. How people do that is different. if they are comfortable they will look comfortable or they will feel comfortable enough to look anyway they need to / want to be. Comfortable can turn into sexy, into silly, into relaxed, into intense etc. etc.
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