Welcome to the third and final installment in our Headshot Personality Types series. If this is your first visit, to recap:

Your headshot is vital to the overall picture and first impression that clients, potential employers, and others get of you.

In this series, we’ve been concentrating on providing you with tips, tricks, and posing suggestions to help you get a headshot that depicts the true you and stands out from the crowd.

In each installment, we’ve offered different “personality types” along with guidance on how to pull it off, as well as the pros and cons of each.

If you missed the first two installments you can find installment one here and installment two here.

So, without further ado, let’s introduce you to:

THE COOL KID

Are you someone who doesn’t follow the trends—you make them?

You’re not like anyone else—you’re fine with that—and your headshot shouldn’t be either.

The easiest way to show you’re not bothered by a photographer pointing their camera in your direction is not to look at the camera—anytime you look off-camera it can create a sense of “I am too cool to look you in the eye.”

The cool kid headshot should appear relaxed but not sloppy. Don’t try too hard, let it come naturally, by leaning against a wall or fence with your hand in your pocket.

THE CONFIDANT/LISTENER

Do you listen for a living? Are you a coach or therapist?

As the Confidant or Listener people confide in and trust you with their secrets, goals, and dreams. Both trustworthy and attentive, you want your headshot to show you are ready to listen and understand your client’s situation.

I recommend sitting behind a desk for this one, but if that’s not possible simply lean forward and tilt your head in.  You can take this up a notch by extending your arm out like you are waiting to receive them.

One bit of body language that works to show active listening is the head tilt.

To differentiate for the confidant, you add a level of secrecy to the image. To do this, tilt your head like you are listening for a secret. Another tip is to close your body down a little for the confidant as if to say your secret is safe with me.

THE COMBATANT

Are you out there going to bat for your clients?

The combatant pose conveys a sense of readiness to defend or strike and is on target for a lawyer, and even a realtor—hey, have you checked out the housing market lately?

This is one of those headshots that lends itself to more formal attire, but that’s not to say you can’t take off your jacket and roll up the sleeves of your dress shirt. After all, you’re ready to do what it takes to get the deal done.

The nonverbal clues to this pose are crossing your arms and standing in a defensive position. This is the only pose where it makes sense to cross those arms. As photographers, we see a lot of arms crossed, it can be overdone, so make sure you know why you are doing it and what it portrays.

Recapping The Key Takeaways

Thanks for sticking with our series until the end! Hopefully, we’ve helped shed some light on how the experts use all the tips and tricks at their disposal to bring out your headshot personality in your poses. Here’s a recap of some of the keys:

• Make your wardrobe work for you—wear the right styles and colors, and dress up or down to create a mood.
• Be a body language master – Are you closed off? Open and receiving? Make sure the way you position your body sends the message you want the viewer to receive.
• Location Matters. Sitting behind your desk says you’re all business while leaning against a wall says you’re more relaxed.
• Add props when the situation calls for it.
• Show your emotions. Use your entire face, not just your smile or lack of one. Your eyes, the set of your chin, and even your eyebrows can express what you can’t say with words in a picture.
• BE CONFIDENT – trust us, it shows.

 

 

WE’RE HERE TO MAKE YOU LOOK GOOD

At Worthwhile Media, we take the time to get to know every client. We take your trust in our ability to help make you look good very seriously. If you are interested in working with us, click here. To receive announcements about all of our blogs, more tips, and tricks, and to keep up to date with what is going on with Worthwhile Media subscribe to our email/newsletter list. And don’t forget to follow us on Instagram for the latest.

Worthwhile Media is a full-service branding agency focused on custom content creation through effective storytelling in the mediums of photography, video, and the written word. Offering subscription-based services and single photography sessions, they provide images and content for web, print, social media, and public relations. From headshots and banner reels to seasonal marketing campaigns, Worthwhile Media is available to meet all your content creation needs.