Executive Headshots: The Rookie Mistake Series

In our last installment of Executive Headshots: The Rookie Mistake Series, we looked at an image that was a pretty picture, but not an effective headshot. Remember? Because Katherine’s hair was hanging long and loose, the photo was simply too casual to function well in the realm of executive headshots. It was a fine distinction, and one that you might not even have been consciously aware of. This week, our rookie mistake is a little more obvious – but that’s in part because we exaggerated to get our point across. See what you think:

Ah, this puts things in perspective.

The camera was too close; the perspective is distorted.

It certainly doesn’t take a master photographer or an expert in executive headshots to figure out what’s wrong with the photo on the left. Our model, lovely as she is, looks a little bobble-headed. This is the result of the photographer standing much too close to his subject. “Oh, come on,” you might be thinking, “what photographer would do that?” Well, I’ll tell you. Because executive headshots appear, on the surface, to be the simplest of photographs, some are tempted to hire a bargain basement photographer – or to have a friend take the photo in their basement studio. Sometimes, these photographers can’t afford – or don’t even recognize – the proper equipment. If the camera’s focal length doesn’t allow the photographer to back away from the subject enough, this is the end result. Executive headshots done with cheap equipment make their subject look cheap. In business, being conservative is a good thing. Being frugal is even to be admired sometimes. Appearing cheap can be detrimental. The message you send to a potential client with a headshot like this is that you’ll cut corners – and while you don’t want to come across as a spendthrift who will overcharge to fund a plush office, you also don’t want to be seen as someone who will fail to invest sufficient resources in your work.

Executive headshots say so much. Most of it on a subconscious level. And that’s why it’s important for you to choose a photographer who understands that a headshot needs to be more than just a pretty picture. It needs to be carefully crafted to connect with clients and send them the right message in fractions of a second. If you suspect that your executive headshot isn’t working as well for you as it should be, we can help. Learn more about all the headshot options we offer by visiting our Executive Headshots page.

Walter Schnecker, CPP

Walter Schnecker is the owner of C1M Photography, LLC, in Amherst NH. He specializes in Executive Business Headshots and crafts hundreds of headshots each year for businesspeople in a wide range of professions.