When I first started my business all I wanted to share was my clients and their photos. I shied away from talking about myself much less sharing photos of me. It made me feel so awkward and self conscience. There’s nothing that points out your flaws the most then a photo of yourself to stay true to your style and brand.

I was scrolling through one of my favorite Instagram feeds when I realized I loved her story and work but didn’t even know what she looked like. You had to scroll several minutes before even getting to a photo of her. Also they were mostly shots of her looking away and never a great profile shot. This taught me a couple of things.

Photos create connection. When you see someone’s face you immediately feel closer to them especially when you can see their eyes clearly.

Professional head shots can get pricey and take time. I found a great solution to this. Ask another photographer in the industry with the same skill and style to swap head shots. You take their’s and they take yours. You can even swap out camera cards at the end and edit them yourself.

Take your own. If you don’t have another creative to ask, try taking them yourself. I found this amazing tool on Amazon that has changed everything for me. It’s the Canon remote release. It is wireless so no fumbling with cords, all you have to do it point it at the camera. I set up my tripod and set my camera to “timer.” You stand in front of the camera and point the remote. It will take a second to focus then you have two seconds to pose and drop the remote before the shudder fires. The best part? It’s only $20!

A few extra tips. Make sure you wear and incorporate your brand colors. You can do that with your clothes, fresh flowers or creative wall. Try several poses and angles. Take some full-length and close shots. Also switching out your outfit can make it look like two completely different shoots and allow you to share them later.

All of these profile images were taken with the remote and only in ten minutes.

I hope this was helpful and if you have any more questions about settings, just let me know. I would love to chat!