You all must have heard the term headshot somewhere or other. Headshots can easily be confused with portraits but there is a slight difference between the two.
So first, let’s understand the definition of Headshots.
To define headshots correctly we can say “A headshot is a modern portrait produced by a professional photographer or agency. To be used by a professional, business owner, or a team to brand him or herself through social media such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Google Plus, and the ‘about us’ page.”
Headshots can be the whole body or just the face.
They are used to put a face to the name and they can even inspire other people.
Where Headshots are getting used…
before I share headshot tips for men, let’s just understand why and where headshots are getting used.
Brochures
Photo by Reka Illyes on Unsplash
Brochures are one of the oldest and classic ways of promoting yourself, your business, your services, and your products.
The best way to promote your services is to put a face to the business so that people can trust the business more by seeing your business headshot.
You can attract a lot of people towards your business by using a headshot as your customers would KNOW you, LIKE you, and TRUST you based upon your professional image.
Just like in brochures when you take the advertising online you can use your headshots in your blogs or the websites online.
Marketing
You can use your headshots for online or email marketing. Online marketing is the easiest and the smartest way of marketing.
You can do so by just inserting your image at the end of the email or below your article by doing so you can easily create a brand for yourself in any industry.
Marketing online using your headshots can be a great way to interact with your customers or audience as well.
LinkedIn in today’s time is considered one of the world’s top social media websites for professionals.
There are a lot of companies and investor’s costumes on LinkedIn, and if they find a headshot attached to your profile it can certainly increase your chances of success.
see this image as an example…
You might think a headshot is just a picture but this picture can play a very important role in deciding your future.
Facebook is one of the most famous social media websites out there, and hence the best place to promote anything.
Headshots can be a lot of help in growing your business. It is one of the best ways to show the professionalism of you and your team.
Using your headshots on your Facebook page can make the customer or the audience connect with you a lot more.
These are just a few places where you can use your headshot but there are a lot more places where your headshots can reap benefits for you.
As you know “first impressions are the last impressions” hence the first impressions count and headshots can help in making that first impression better.
Now we have talked about what are headshots and where they can be used and how are they beneficial let us discuss some headshot tips for men…
9 Proven Headshot Tips For Men
We all know that clicking pictures whether it be headshots or just like that is easier than men. Hence now we will discuss some tips for men to get great headshots.
- Get professional
- Choose personality
- Indoor Vs outdoor shoots
- Learn some poses
- Clothing
- Hairstyles
- Color combination
- Lighting, Composition, Background
- Editing
now let’s understand each headshot tip for men in detail…
Get professional
The first and most important headshot tip for getting the best headshots whether it be male or female is to hire a professional.
You will not regret hiring a professional headshot photographer for your headshots.
Professional headshot photographers know how to adjust the lighting to get the best results and are also trained to do the same.
I know that hiring a professional photographer can be a bit expensive but in the end, it is worth it if you get good headshots for your promotions.
If you go to any photographer you will get headshots that look like mugshots. If you put these headshots somewhere it will be certainly assumed that you are not driven and do not take your career seriously.
It is better to spend a little money once on a professional and then later pay the price in your career.
Choose personality
There is a common misconception that glamour is preferred for headshots. People in reality prefer personality over glamour in headshots.
A ton of makeup can be noticed easily in a headshot that doesn’t look good. The more you are yourself the more the headshot seems natural and the more it seems to make an impact on people.
Headshots can show people the real you and they want the same.
Hence the choice between personality and glamour is quite clear in the case of headshots.
Indoor Vs outdoor shoots
Now this is the most frequently asked question in headshot photography. The answer to this question is really a simple one it depends on the purpose of headshots and you.
Most professional headshot photographers have the experience and the skill to do both shoots.
Indoors and outdoors have their own feel. If you see an indoor or studio shoot it can give you a more polished headshot but a grey backdrop.
As for outdoor shoots, you can have great natural lighting which is the main reason that some people prefer outdoor shoots rather than indoor ones.
Both indoor and outdoor shoots have their own pros and cons, the choice completely depends on you.
Learn some poses
As mentioned in the article above, it is harder for men to pose for headshots than females.
The main focus is on the poses and the expression while clicking a headshot.
The best professional headshot poses are those that feel natural so that the natural expressions of a person can be captured.
Body language also plays an important role in showing your personality.
If you want to learn more about poses for your headshot you can go on the internet and search for some.
Mostly the headshot photographer can suggest some poses factoring in all the variables of your requirements.
Some of the most used poses for headshots are arms crossed, over the shoulder, lean sideways and many more options are there for you to choose from.
checkout 100+ stunning examples on how to pose with confidence ( with images ).
Clothing
Of all these headshot tips, this is a very important one.
Because clothing plays an important role in headshots, they can create a strong impression of you on people.
Therefore it becomes important to choose the right clothes as the right clothes to get better shots.
One of the most common mistakes that you need to avoid in a headshot is wrinkled clothes.
Wrinkled clothes in a headshot can give an impression of unprofessionalism which is not a good first impression.
In simple words, choose to wear more modest clothing in your headshots to keep the viewer’s focus where it belongs: on the passion in your eyes.
Hairstyles
As of now you already know that for a headshot appearance matters the most and messy hair does not look good on the camera.
It is suggested to have a proper and professional hairstyle while having your headshot taken.
Most headshot photographers suggest getting your haircut at least a week before the day you get your pictures clicked so that your hair seems more natural without the sharp cut lines.
A hairstyle can play an important role in headshots as a neat hairstyle can change your whole look.
Color combination
The colors you wear depend completely on your complexion as well as your hair.
Certain people look best in lighter shades because darker colors give the appearance of the clothes are wearing, instead of the other way around.
This makes people look tired, older, or drained of their spark.
Almost everyone knows by now which color suits them, but it doesn’t hurt to get a second opinion.
want to learn more about color correction, check out these articles to get better at understanding color combinations…
- Beginners guide to color theory in photography | Updated
- Easy Steps To Understand The Importance Of Color Correction
Lighting, Composition, Background
Lightning, composition, and background are the integral parts of a headshot.
While clicking headshots hands in the shot, funky facial hair, and peace signs are strongly discouraged. If shooting outdoors, the background should be blurred and unrecognizable.
Lightning plays an important role as well. Without a few dramatic shadows on the face, a headshot is considered incomplete but focuses on getting the best and clearest shot of the face as well.
Editing
After you select the headshots that you want a few retouching can be done to them by the photographer only.
Some of these retouchings involve contrast, brightness, and color enhancements, white balance adjustments, removal of minor skin blemishes, stray hair removal, and brightening eyes.
You can certainly tell the photographers if you want anything else edited in your headshots.
checkout some of the trading articles to master editing…
- Important photo editing tips for every photographer | Photo editing guide
- 7 Crazy Photo Editing Apps You Need To Know To Grow Your Instagram
- 10 Sharp & Easy Editing Tips To Make Any Photo Look Professional
FAQ(s) about Headshot For Men
Some of the frequently asked questions about headshots are answered below…
Should I research pose ideas before getting my headshots clicked?
You can certainly get some ideas on poses and everything based on the style of headshots you want before your headshot session.
But you also need your mind open to try some poses that your photographer suggests as well to get the best results.
Where can I use my headshots?
There are a lot of places you can use your headshots from resumes to acting auditions.
You can even put your headshots up on your business profile or websites. Some common uses of headshots are even listed in the article above.
Headshot do’s and don’t for men?
some quick headshot tips which you need to remember and some to forget…
Do’s
- Learn to Smile
- Wear a tie if it is industry appropriate
- Bring 2-3 outfits to choose from
Don’ts
- Don’t get sunburned and show up with raccoon eyes
- Don’t wear bright loud colors
Conclusion
A headshot is one of the most important tools for marketing yourself. It can make an impression on the viewer long before you meet them in person.
Hence to make a great first impression you can’t take a headshot lightly.
You can easily make your headshot stand out the only difference is your headshot is going to stand out because you WANT it to because if your headshot is crap, you look bad.
To help you with the quality of your headshots there are some important headshot tips mentioned in the above article, especially for men.
Hope within this article you found some important and required Headshot Tips for Men.
feel free to share it with your friends so they can get better headshots for their professional life.
