The Process

Business Headshots will take between 15 minutes to an hour (60 minutes) and it primarily depends on the decisiveness of the subject when selecting the image for your professional business portrait which you will get with four (4) different backgrounds [white, black, gray, old masters color]. Please note the displayed image just shows the 4 different backgrounds, each background will cover the entire image, this image is just for illustrative purposes.

Please contact the studio via e-mail (info@plumeyer.com) or call us to schedule your appointment and discuss the needs of the appointment (such as clothing, times, etc).

The Difference of a Professional Business Portrait

A genuine smile, a multitude of backgrounds on your images for your marketing department to use for your advertising pieces with an image or two that have the wrinkles that are ironed out, zits zapped, rogue strands of hair removed, along with the eyes enhanced plus teeth whitened up some and the eyes enhanced all make a creative portrait that will enhance the professional business portrait.

Are Professional Business Portraits Necessary?

Hiring a professional who knows what they are doing is the key to a great shot and a great experience. Looking natural, good lighting, genuine expressions are so important to a great professional business portrait and a professional should be able to help guide you through the process.

Why Hire a Professional?

This is why when you contract a business portrait photographer, they will know how to capture the message and essence of your brand. Therefore, professional business portraits are worth it because they will tell a small story of who you are within the fine details of the picture.

Even for professional business portraits, smiling both with and without your teeth work, so smile whichever way you feel most comfortable.  You should be able to recognize a 'real' smile through a person's eyes.

Ask a professional photographer what they think about the importance of professional business portraits and they will probably express their despair at all the bad photographs out there.

The first thing to ask someone who questions whether a professional business portrait is necessary should be: “would you allow the person building your extension at home to build your company's website?”  Each of these jobs are skilled professions in which the person has hopefully gained years of expert knowledge and experience in doing the job to a high standard.

A set of professional photographs of you, your staff and your products, along with your website, branding and social media are all parts of your PR toolkit. If you really want your business to succeed to it’s fullest potential, why would you be satisfied with a sub standard toolkit with worn out, shabby old tools that simply don’t do the job anymore? Particularly when it’s highly likely that your competitor has a set of shiny new spanners.

Surrounded by Visuals

In today’s world, both business and personal, we are surrounded by visuals like never before. Our social media profiles are filled with photographs and videos of our lives, we are constantly inundated with ads and pop-ups from brands trying to sell to us, and business marketers know that content with images, charts or videos bring the most conversions. If quality visuals are key elements to our personal lives and corporate business, shouldn’t it also be essential in our professional life? Below we discuss 5 ways a professional business portraits can be advantageous to your career and put you on the launchpad to success.

It’s an Introduction

Your professional business portrait is your introduction and first impression. Social media platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter are hunting grounds for recruiters and prospects alike. People not only use these platforms to present themselves as Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), but it’s also an opportunity to learn about and connect with new people throughout the world. Recruiters in particular utilize social media to discover new talent and learn about their skills, personality and ambitions. Before meeting with someone for the first time, recruiters will do a quick Internet search to find out more about prospects in advance. Going the extra mile and having a polished, professional business portrait that represents you well and you’ve already made a positive impression on anyone who has discovered your profile. Keep in mind the implications of not having a polished business portraits. Maybe your avatar is a blurry selfie from last year’s holiday party. What kind of impression does that give? How does that represent the personal brand you’re building?

Your Business Portraits Tells a story

Business Portraits are the perfect opportunity to tell your story, allowing your personality and expertise to shine through. From the angle and location to the expression on your face, your photo tells your story. When choosing a location or background, work with a professional photographer to pick the location that best suits your career and desired visual aesthetic. One of the most important things to keep in mind is that your business portraits should align with your brand, whether that’s personal, professional or both.

Branding

What does aligning with your brand mean? Whether we’re talking about your personal or professional brand, your professional business portraits should be representative of the visual style and persona you want to reflect. For example, if you work for a professional services firm who maintains business professional attire, your attire and business portrait's location should match that. Whether your business portraits location is in-studio or on-location, it’s important to keep the background business portraits in mind. It’s smart to avoid any backgrounds that are similar to flesh tones, meaning any colors that are too similar to your skin tone. These colors can wash out the photo and provide a poor visual representation. When working with Michael, you are working with an experienced photographer, he will be able to help talk you through the style you want to portray, but also provide insight on appropriate locations, lighting and other visual aesthetics.

Why Are Business Portraits Important to Have Ready?

Having an updated business portrait is crucial. The first that comes to mind is social media – your avatar is the first thing people see on your profile. Or, your current employer could request a business portrait for their website or as part of a blog or social media post about you or written by you. Special company announcements or press releases may go out that require your business portrait as well. Sending along a selfie or having your friend take a quick photo against a blank wall not only shows lack of preparation but a lack of professionalism as well. Having a high quality business portrait ready to send at a moment’s notice shows you think ahead and represents who you are and your personality.

It’s a Worthwhile Investment

Choosing to get a professional business portrait is choosing to invest in your future. And, a quality business portrait does more than just make you look good in the eyes of recruiters or potential employers. It infuses confidence in your own professional capabilities. Recruiters will see you as strong, confident and put together, and knowing you were prepared can ease your stress and inspire you to be as confident and professional as that photo implies. To be clear, a business portrait is a financial investment as well, but one that will undoubtedly be worth the cost. Thinking beyond the initial investment, if you land that job or secure that project, which leads to a promotion, the professional benefit and ROI will far outweigh what you paid up front. If you look at your business portrait as your first introduction, a representation of who you are to potential connections or employers, do you think you’re representing yourself well? If you were on the other side, would you be impressed by you? Take the time to invest in yourself and your future, and I guarantee you will be happy with the results.

So How Often Should You Refresh Your Business Portrait?
As a general rule, you need to stay recognizable. If your weight has fluctuated, you have a completely new haircut/color or change to your facial hair, or have had any cosmetic work, it is best to schedule an appointment for an updated Business Portrait.

Like dating profiles, nobody appreciates somebody who lies through their business portrait. If you were 10 years younger in your business portrait you create a sense of distrust when people finally meet you.

Every other year or so is pretty standard to refresh business portrait if your appearance hasn’t changed in any major way. It keeps you recognizable, trustworthy, and shows your how professional you are.

Staff Portraits for the Trades

When you have a work force that regularly visits customer's homes, it helps for the customers to see who is coming to visit them, whether on your website or in an e-mail that is sent to them.

Rather than a snapshot with the phone in front of the company vehicle during lunch with horrible lighting & posting, Studio Plumeyer is able to create a professionally lit portrait, in the studio or on location with one or more of your company vehicles behind them.  A professional portrait of your employees / techs will further impress your customers of how professional you are and how you are definitely worth your fees.