As Kansas City’s resident web design experts, we love to nerd out on anything to do with websites. We work with a lot of businesses in all types of industries, and a common thread among them all is that they need professional headshots to showcase on their site.
There are a number of reasons our team at Lifted Logic always encourages photos of team members. No matter the field you’re in, a professional headshot is going to take your site to the next level.
As the leader of our photo/video team, I want to discuss the why and how of executing a great business headshot.
Why do I need a business headshot?
To be honest, in a world where anyone can take a photo at any time, it’s weird and kind of sketchy to not put a photo of yourself and your team on your website.
So you might say, “Okay, I get it. Does this bathroom selfie suffice?”
No
So let’s explain why. Below are reasons to get professional headshots for you and your team, in our humble opinion.
Professionalism
No matter your industry, you want to come across to your potential customers or clients as a professional who knows what they’re doing. Whether you’re looking for straightforward corporate headshots or you own a brewery, you want to communicate some level of professionalism through your photos of yourself on your company site, LinkedIn profile, Google My Business, and other online platforms.
Transparency
Remember how I said it’s sketchy to not show photos of yourself on your site? What I mean is that it comes off as suspicious to users who expect photos for everything these days. We look at photos of the food before visiting a restaurant, the hotel before booking a trip, and we appreciate putting a face to the name of someone we’ll be giving our business to. Professional headshots give your customers a sense of honesty, transparency, and connection with you as a fellow human being.
Show that you’re a human.
Speaking of human beings, you are one, and you’ll create a connection with online users a lot easier through photos of yourself rather than something like stock photos. Professional headshots give your website a humanizing quality, something that isn’t always easy through a computer screen.
Why you should have headshots on your website
Present day, users expect a lot of things out of a website. It needs to be simple, easy to navigate, and have enough information to be useful without being overwhelming. Something we frequently talk about at Lifted Logic is that people have different styles in how they best absorb information. For some people it’s through listening, for others it’s long chunks of text to read, and for many of us, it’s through impactful visuals.
Your professional headshots are integral visuals for your website, especially for something like the Meet the Team or Contact page.
Benefits of Headshots
Invest in your employees
Providing professional headshots for your employees is a great way to invest in them as team members. They have the benefit of a professional photo that they can use on LinkedIn, in email signatures, and other professional outlets.
Featuring photos of your employees on your site can also foster a sense of pride and ownership. It makes people feel a part of the team and shows that you care to showcase everyone in the best light, while also providing continuity with everyone’s headshots matching in the same setup and style.
Showcase the personality of your business
Professional headshots are a great way to project some of your company’s personality onto your site. But depending on your industry, how you show personality varies. For something like a medical practice, warm and friendly photos can reassure patients working with your doctors and other medical staff; while a physician at a medical spa (below) might go for something that is both professional and in-touch with the beauty industry.
Take advantage of this branding opportunity
There are a lot of possibilities for style choices when it comes to your headshots, and this is a great opportunity to align your photos with the rest of your company’s branding. A boiler company may have a more blue-collar type of feel, while a business that provides beauty/aesthetic services might go for photos that are more glamorous. Whatever industry you’re in, the style of your professional headshots should complement the established branding.
The professional headshot above showcases this med spa’s branding of timeless beauty using a grey background, black clothing, and a classic necklace.
This headshot for a custom cabinet company portrays their down-to-earth brand identity while showcasing their product and business logo.
Establish your image
There’s a level of control you get when you take hold of how you are portrayed online. Take advantage of this! If you want to come off as a serious expert, establish that in your business headshot. If you’re looking to come off as friendly and down-to-earth, the best way to portray that is through (you guessed it) an image.
Professional Headshots Tips
Background
There’s a lot of freedom and options when it comes to the background of your headshots. Again, you want to think about your branding, what your company is all about, and the story you’re trying to tell. Most of the time, you can’t go wrong with a blank, clean background.
If you choose to go for a background that has a unique quality to it, make sure it fits in with your brand. Whether it’s inspired by location, the services or products you provide, or another quality of your business, it should fit seamlessly into the rest of your story.
The professional headshot above is an example of a Lifted Logic client who chose to showcase the natural environment of the area in which their business is located. The branding elements of their website already incorporated greenery and botanical motifs, so this background choice fits well with their story.
Clothing
For clothing, wear whatever best represents your company in an authentic way that matches who you are day to day. We’ve had some clients all wear company-branded clothing, others are more casual, or you may all choose to wear the same neutral color.
Our biggest clothing tip is to avoid super bright colors (like neons) and patterns. Patterns can get “wonky” in the camera lens and look distorted or distracting, so solid colors are best!
Posing
Posing is probably one of the best things to be prepared for when you have an upcoming business headshot shoot. If you’re not used to getting your photo taken, the following tips can help you feel more at-ease and comfortable for taking your photos.
Lighting
Though your headshot photographer will guide you through this and set up the proper lighting, the general rule of thumb for optimal lighting is to always face toward the light to make your features look best.
Try not to look stiff
You’ll keep your shoulders squared, meaning that they are even and one isn’t in front of the other. It can feel a little difficult to remember to do this and not look stiff, so just try to relax as best you can. It may be worth practicing in a mirror.
Eye tip #1: If you struggle to keep your eyes open with a camera flash, tilt your head downward slightly and look up.
Eye tip #2: If you want to avoid eyes that look a little too open and strange ( ), tilt your head slightly up to naturally move your eyelids down a bit.
Facial expressions
Try to decide beforehand if you’re going to smile with teeth or not—you can even practice to see what it looks and feels like with an expression you’re happy with. The facial expressions you choose can depend on your brand’s personality and your industry.
If you plan on having some “silly” photos or photos with props based on your role, decide what you’ll be doing before the shoot. In our experience, it’s difficult for people to think of what to do in the moment with the camera in front of them. There’s no shame in planning/practicing a little beforehand to be more prepared!
What happens when I need headshots for new employees?
There’s a few things to consider when planning for the future to make sure the photos on your site are cohesive. If the employees you are showcasing are there for the long term, you may feel comfortable having a background/setup that’s challenging to recreate if you love the photos.
If your team changes frequently or if you just want to be prepared for whatever lays ahead, consider choosing a background that’s easy to replicate for new headshots. This can be as simple as a certain blank wall in your office building. You can certainly have Lifted Logic come out again to replicate the photos, or, if you’re interested in recreating the shot yourself, read our tips below.
When you need to take a headshot yourself
There are times when you may need to DIY/MacGyver a professional headshot on your own, most often after you’ve already had the photo shoot and you’ve added a new team member. It looks best on your site if you do not leave the photo blank, and yet you also don’t want to have a new employee’s photo not match the others already on the site. And you definitely don’t want it to look like a casual selfie
There’s no need for a fancy camera
In our opinion, an iPhone will get the job done nicely. If someone has the most recent model you can use, even better.
Lighting is
For DIY lighting, a ring light can be your best option. They may be worth the investment if you find yourself taking new headshot photos often, but they’re also a versatile piece of equipment that can be used for videos, Facebook or Instagram lives, product photos, and more.
If you want to purchase a ring light, we recommend one with temperature settings so you can use the correct lighting for your background. For example, if you have a cool-toned blank wall, you’ll use a cool temperature, and a warm temperature setting for a warm-toned background.
Boost your online presence with professional headshots in Kansas City from Lifted Logic’s talented photographers.
Lifted Logic is a professional web agency that does all things websites. From SEO content, to design, and professional photography and videography, we’re here to make you look sharp and present your best self online as a business. Professional headshots for your business show a lot of things about you, like professionalism and transparency.
You also get a lot of benefits from having these photos, including:
- Investing in your employees
- Showcasing the personality of your business
- Using it as a branding opportunity
- Establishing your public image
Don’t forget to use our professional headshot tips to prepare for your shoot or even DIY a photo if needed. As always, don’t hesitate to contact us for professional headshots in Kansas City; we also work nationwide.
Weston Vitt, Lead Videographer
With a background in event photography, audio engineering/sound mixing, podcast structure and marketing, and brewing beer, Wes is the Lead Videographer & Photographer here at Lifted Logic. His focus on visual and brand storytelling makes him an ideal media collaborator, no matter the client's industry.
