Unlock Your Personality: Pittsburgh Professional Headshots for Dynamic Working Professionals
Professional headshots are getting a facelift, and here's why it matters
Professional headshots have undergone a much-needed makeover. Old, stuffy headshots are out – and that’s good news because in today’s online world, standing out is the name of the game.
Your profile photo is often the first impression you get to make. And a thoughtful, well-crafted image is so much more than having a snazzy picture of yourself – it’s about setting the tone for your personal brand.
While "personal brand" is a relatively new idea birthed from the digital age, it’s not a new concept.
A personal brand, in simple terms, is your reputation. In the olden days pre-internet, our reputation was built on how we interacted with people IRL.
With the internet essentially creating a window into parts of our lives that were once private, understanding how we are showing up online and understanding how that impacts our reputation becomes imperative. Thus the birth of personal branding – your personal brand is the active intention of curating your reputation in the online world.
Which brings me back to why professional headshots have changed for the better and what you need to know when getting your own.
What makes a creative headshot different from traditional corporate-style headshots?
So what is a creative modern headshot? A portrait that really captures your personality in a way that is still professional.
A successful creative professional headshot does three things:
Captures your personality
Is professional
Feels authentic (aka you don’t look plastic or fake)
The Power of a Great Headshot
Touching back into being an active participant in building your personal brand (aka reputation online), you want to have a set of headshots that feel genuine and capture your personality. When your profile lacks personality, what sets you apart gets lost in a sea of online sameness.
While headshots are getting a makeover, so is the word professionalism. What was once considered stuffy, impersonal, and formal isn’t the case anymore. MANY organizations and companies current with the times understand and value individual expression.
This doesn’t mean you can show up to work in fluffy PJs and slippers – but it does mean that there’s way more freedom of expression for your headshot.
Professionalism isn’t being super corporate or stuffy – professionalism is the pedigree to which you hold yourself and your work.
A professional headshot sets the tone: I’m an expert, I’m qualified, and I know what I am doing.
Filtered selfies, candid photos taken by friends subtly diminish your professionalism because it'd be similar to attending a work meeting in a swimsuit. On the beach, a swimsuit is great but at work – not good.
And finally, as I already mentioned, your headshot is so much more because it sets the stage for signaling to people “this is me” in our digital world; our personal brand is our way of carving out a space in a noisy, crowded online world.
Personalizing Creative Headshot Sessions
But here’s the thing: in my experience, most people really don’t like being in front of the camera, and a 15-30 minute session just isn’t enough time to relax and feel comfortable in front of the camera.
That’s why my creative headshot sessions are more like a mini-personal brand photoshoot.
Between chatting and getting to know you to brainstorming poses and coming up with backgrounds and outfits that represent who you are, we’re able to capture photos that feel genuine and show off your personality while still being professional AF.
And because it’s not a one-size-fits-all sort of approach, you’re going to have photos that really feel like you.
Take my three clients: Amanda, Candice, and Mable for example.
Amanda is a free-spirited natural who doesn’t wear a lot of makeup and loves color. She reads astrology for women and runs events.
Candice is COO of a cutting-edge robotics company. She’s strong, empowered, and does love makeup. We focused on capturing professional, empowered photos for her to share.
Mable, a medical student in residence, is warm and approachable with a touch of edgy seriousness.
For each one, we created a series of portraits that highlighted different parts of their personality – perfect for sharing and using on different platforms and in different situations.
No matter what you do, the digital world has changed the way we connect. With the ability to connect with people all over the world faster and at a larger volume, the way we show up online matters.
TLDR; Professional headshots have evolved to reflect the changing dynamics of our digital world and honestly it’s for the better. They are no longer just formal portraits but essential tools for personal branding and standing out online presence. By capturing your personality authentically while maintaining professionalism, modern headshots set the stage for you to stand out in a competitive landscape.
Ready to elevate your professional image with a headshot that truly represents you? There are two ways we can make that happen 👇🏻
Get on the waitlist to hear first when spots open up for my next round of Creative Headshot Minis. Each client featured above was a Creative Headshot Mini.
Don’t wanna wait for the next round of minis reach out now to schedule your session and take the first step towards enhancing your personal brand.
