How to Take a Non-cheesy Professional Headshot

The folks at Ledn, a Toronto-based Bitcoin-financial-services-provider, know that their trade might be intimidating. “When cryptocurrency companies ask people to turn over their most precious assets in the form of digital cash, trust and credibility are extremely important,” says Andrew Rapsey, the agency’s chief advertising and marketing officer. “If you look at our competitors’ websites, you’ll see lots of flashy graphics and not many human faces. We wanted our website to clearly communicate that we’re a people-first company worth trusting.”

And but they didn’t wish to look stuffy. Crypto is all about shattering the norms of finance so it was essential that Ledn’s web site didn’t remind clients of a financial institution. (Read: no stern-looking males in three-piece fits.) To that finish, Ledn commissioned new worker headshots. “We wanted the personalities of our executive team to shine through,” says Rapsey.

The firm enlisted the providers of Natalia Dolan, a Toronto-based portrait photographer whose previous shoppers embrace Google and Meta. Last fall, Dolan introduced her gear and crew of helpers to Ledn’s workplace to shoot 10 staff.

Dolan’s first piece of recommendation for Ledn’s employees: Wear what you’re feeling good in, not what you assume folks wish to see. “Pull the things in your wardrobe that best represent you. If you don’t wear ties, don’t bring one,” she says. “I always recommend that people have two or three options, both casual and dressier.” Keep it easy, she suggested the staff, however don’t be afraid to point out your persona—or put on color. “Even when the goal is highly polished and professional, pops of personality and candid expressions can convey authenticity in your portraits,” Dolan says.

When it involves posing, Dolan says it’s usually finest to keep away from predictable business stances, like arms folded throughout the chest. At her Ledn shoot, she performed music and had the staff strive enjoyable poses to loosen them up. She usually recommends some motion, like strolling towards the digital camera as an alternative of sitting in a chair. This results in extra pure, candid-looking pictures. “We had so much fun that some employees asked if they could have some of the unretouched, sillier photos for themselves,” says Rapsey. Dolan fortunately obliged. “I love catching a moment or gesture that feels captured in real time,” she says.

When it involves touch-ups, Dolan says it’s finest to maintain issues pure. She doesn’t consider in main retouching or digital filters. Instead, she makes use of high-quality lights and diffusers and infrequently works with a make-up artist to assist cowl darkness beneath shoppers’ eyes or shine from the lights. Dolan additionally recommends an previous Hollywood movie trick to seem extra recent: ice. “Dunk your face in ice water for 15 seconds the morning of the shoot to reduce puffiness and tighten the skin.”

Ledn’s staff couldn’t be happier with the ensuing pictures, and Rapsey is satisfied they assist the corporate successfully talk its model. “The headshots look natural and authentic,” he says. “That’s exactly the tone we were looking for.”

Dolan’s primary tip for anybody getting a headshot? Leave your internal critic at house. “No one else notices the things we are fixated on,” she says. “That one thing you’re insecure about is probably among the most captivating things about you.”