Photography Advice: 4 Tips for Great Photos

Everyone needs a professional photo of themselves these days for marketing. It used to be just models and actors, now everyone is in the spotlight and having a set of photos for promotional purposes is key. Here are 4 tips:

1. Get a Great Photographer

No matter what the price, get the best photographer you can afford. These days everyone who has a digital camera is a photographer, and often are willing to shoot you for free. Or perhaps you have a cousin who just got a new digital SLR. Only go down that road if they are really excellent. The problem is you’ll be using these images to market yourself and if they look amateur, you will be perceived as amateur. I have seen countless models in particular do trades for prints and then use these as a portfolio, needless to say they get little to no work. This is your visual resume, so make sure you focus on great shots above all else.

2. Pick Your Photos

After the shoot its OK to get some opinions, but in the end you’ll need to live with these images. After everyone throws in their two cents, you’ll need to look at the pictures for months and months. Make sure the ones you want out there marketing you are the ones you love the best. Otherwise you’ll not be as confident sharing them and you’ll tend to hold back. If its a shot you love you’ll have no problem sharing it with the world. And sharing your photo with the world is exactly what you need to do. Also chances are if you do a photo shoot you’ll have many to choose from, and chances are also you’ll drive yourself crazy trying to choose “the right one”. Don’t worry…whatever you choose will be fine.

3. Don’t Go Photoshop Crazy

A little goes a long way. If you airbrush too much then when you actually go to meet with the person who you’ve sent the picture to they may not recognize you, leading to disappointment and getting the meet off to an awkward start. Touch-ups are fine and are standard procedure these days, but tweak…don’t transform.

4. Update Often

I’ve seen so many headshots that are literally five years old. I recommend getting photos done yearly, you may not notice the changes, but others will. You want a very accurate representation of yourself. Also styles and clothing change, as does your hair and features, so you’ll want to look current. Most people get better looking and improve their style as they get older and learn what looks good on them, so make sure you have updated images that accurately portray these advances.

Franklin McMahon Studio is a creative agency located in Portland, Maine specializing in broadcast video, web video, web design, photography and marketing. Our three divisions, Maine Video Production, Maine Web Design and Maine Photography, provide professional services including commercials for TV, web design, SEO, web development, on-line web video, commercial photography and social media marketing. Call us at 207.772.5724 or drop us a note via our contact form and say hello!

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Franklin McMahon is a director, producer, web developer, writer, podcaster, designer, photographer, career development speaker and coach with an extensive client list that includes Microsoft, FOX, Time Warner, Yahoo and Amazon.com. He specializes in complete web design and development, full HD video production, podcast production, on-line video, new media marketing, commercial photography, talent promotion, self development consulting, publication writing as well as design and multimedia client work.