How to get a professional headshot that feels authentic and better than AI
How do I get a professional headshot that feels authentic and better than AI?
In short: Find a headshot photographer (me!) that has a process and proven results that take into account all of these things: Gender, Age, Personality, Career Level, Trusted Makeup Artist, Knowledge Of The Best Lighting For Different Types of Faces and most importantly helps you feel comfortable and at your best in front of the camera!
First how do you know you need a new professional headshot?
1 - It doesn’t look like you anymore...
2 - It’s from your vacation or a party
3 - It’s more than 4-5 years old
4 - You received or want to receive a promotion
5 - You procrastinate when people ask for your photo
Read here to learn the 5 signs that it's time to update your headshots!
Make Sure You’re Recognizable
An old or highly edited photo that doesn’t look like you erodes trust. You want to look like “you” on your best day, not like the best you from your early 20s. It’s not about being photogenic; it’s about being authentic.
This is the most important! Nothing erodes trust faster than people feeling misled. We all have that one great-looking photo from 15 years ago that we love, but the client or boss hiring you for your next job won’t appreciate your sentimentality, and it may signal the opposite feeling that you get when you see the photo. Especially if it’s very noticeable: Hairline, Weight Loss/Gain, Significant Age Difference.
Storytime:
I was at a conference when the speaker had a great photo during the introduction; we were excited to hear him speak, and when he walked out, he looked significantly different than his photo. He was still a handsome and confident person, but it was obviously from many years back. The fact that he used an old photo instantly gave us mixed feelings about his confidence and trustworthiness. The person next to me immediately remarked on it, and for the first couple of minutes- maybe the most important for a speaker- we were remarking about how different he looked and the story he told with his choices instead of his speech. Trust was broken before he started talking.
Was it the end of the world? No. Could it be the difference in someone listening ot his podcast or buying his book afterwards? Maybe.
We never knew you before, so don’t remind us. A really nice, modern headshot with some cool shadows and an interesting expression would have reiterated the story he was telling, and we would never have thought twice about his hairline.
We're here to meet you and work with you NOW! Don't bring the past you, let's count on the future you!
Real is better, and authenticity is more powerful than perfection.
Humans are extremely good at reading faces, our survival depends on it! It may seem like it's "good enough" but and AI generated headshot or an over edited photo will stand out...in the wrong way. We may to even know we are doing it, but we will recognize something isn't right.
That doesn't mean we just take a quick snap and that's it! A good photo is the product of expertise and process! We work through multiple outfits and expressions to get photos that feel like you and look like you at your best. Sometimes we will look at 5 photos where the difference is a millimeter in a smile to get just the right expression. Or look at three versions of how your shoulders are positioned and the tilt of your head. The culmination of details can make a huge difference.
I show you the photos as we go and we discuss the differences, how we can make it feel more like you and which photos feel like you.
Bonus: through our session, you will learn about how to look better in all of your photos going forward!
What do you need to say? What first impression are you trying to make? What’s your personality?
It’s easy to approach a new headshot thinking just “a couple of snaps” will due or 30 minutes for 1-2 photos and that's it. But that’s the wrong way to look at it.
You want a photographer with a system and approach to accomplish your goals with your new professional headshots. The first thing we are going to do is talk about your personality and your professional persona/brand. This will tell us what photos you need for your session.
For most people these days, I recommend a portrait session where we capture a range of poses and expressions to give you flexibility in front of different audiences. We need photos for so many different uses in our social media and online worlds.
Your external LinkedIn isn’t the same as the internal Slack channel. Being the expert your clients depend on is different from being the expert in your field among your peers. Having a set of cohesive photos that you can share in different environments can be very empowering!
See more examples with photos here.
- Lawyers - What type of lawyer are you and what is your professional persona? Are you the tough Litigator people dread seeing in a courtroom, are you an affable and fair arbitrator, or are you balanced, professional internal counsel?
- Startup Vs Financial - For a startup, you want to appear agile, modern and less formal. As a financial advisor, you need to be dependable and authentic.
- Early Career / Mid Career / Later Career - My younger clients want to maximize their maturity, while my mid-career clients need to balance professionalism with youth and confidence, and my later-career clients need to emphasize their expertise and authority without looking old-fashioned. Each career stage comes with it’s own perspectives!
- Female Clients - how to do balance femininity in more masculine corporate environments.
Are you ready to schedule your professional headshot session in Madrid? Email me!
Read more about the one question a lot of people overlook when getting new headshots!
What my clients say about their headshot experience
“Aaron - The photos look amazing! I think you captured just what I was looking for. For your information- we did these shoots in 2 other countries. One country the client hated, and the other one they didn't love. But they are raving about your images. So very nicely done and a pleasure working with you.”
“Hi Aaron - I never thought I would actually be looking forward to seeing my pictures, but what an absolutely incredible job you have done! I am so grateful-these came out so much better than I ever thought possible!!”
“I highly recommend Aaron for professional headshot photography. Aaron recently took headshots for our global management team, and the entire experience was above expectations.”
“He made what could have been an awkward or uncomfortable process feel fun and effortless, helping to ease any embarrassment or hesitation. Aaron was incredibly responsive, kind, and sensitive to everyone's needs, ensuring that every individual felt confident and comfortable in front of the camera.”
“The results were fantastic, high-quality photos that truly captured the professionalism and personality of our team. If you're looking for a photographer who combines talent, professionalism, and a great attitude, Aaron is the perfect choice!”