Executive Headshots: The Rookie Mistake Series

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Executive Headshots: The Rookie Mistake Series

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Welcome to the third installment of Executive Headshots: The Rookie Mistake Series. By now, you might wonder how many ways there are to miss the mark when crafting a headshot. Just wait until you see!

Here, once again, is the lovely Katherine, who was kind enough to help us with this series. On the right is one of our well-composed, polished, and professional executive headshots. On the left, we have an example of a mistake that even some pros make: Katherine is turned the wrong way with respect to the light.

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The immediate, and perhaps most obvious, effect of this is that the viewer’s eye is drawn to the wrong spot. Katherine’s face is in shadow, and her white blouse is catching the bulk of the light, meaning that attention goes immediately to her chest. Now, there are times when it is desirable to light a shot this way. But not when you’re crafting executive headshots. Dramatic lighting has its place in portrait work. Lighting that highlights the wardrobe is sometimes the aim of fashion photography, or even wedding photography. After all, fashion photography is trying to sell the clothes – and in wedding photography the bride’s lovely confection of a dress is an important player. But what are executive headshots trying to sell? You. As we’ve said so often before, the job of an executive headshot is to connect with potential clients in fractions of a second. Connection happens primarily through the eyes and facial expression. Anything that draws attention from your eyes is a mistake in an executive headshot.

The second issue is that Katherine is turned so far away from the camera. This is the stance of someone who is about to walk away. You’ve caught just enough of her attention that she’s turned her head in your direction, but her body says that she’s headed out the door. Clearly, this isn’t the feeling anyone would want to give a client. We’ve all been in those meetings where it feels like the other party has disengaged before the meeting is really through. It’s uncomfortable. It makes you feel like an inconvenience. It breaks connection. A savvy businessperson would avoid making a client feel this way at all costs in person. But executive headshots serve as a first point of contact with those who aren’t your clients yet. If you ever hope to get that in person meeting, your headshot has to create a sense in your audience that you are attentive and engaged.

If your executive headshots aren’t doing their job, we can help. Learn more 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.

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