Rising above your competition is always a goal in business. You want your business to be better, provided better quality products/services, have better employees, and make more money – but how do you do this?

There are many ways you could try to outdo your competition, but you should first try updating your headshot by using a professional photographer. Even if you have had a headshot done professionally in the past, it most likely will need to be updated due to a change in what’s expected from professional headshots.

Traditional headshots for companies were made to be straight-faced, no emotion, and very basic colored backgrounds. Most men wore black suits in a business-dressed company, and women usually wore one color dress or a suit as well.

Nowadays, professional headshots are about showcasing the emotion, the feelings and thoughts of a person conveyed in a photo. This is to gain the trust of new and old clients, build your network with people interested in working with you or are in the same industry or network.

Customers want real people they can know through a photo that shows the true nature of a person to build trust with so when they do business with your company they have a face for the brand they buy from or the service they use.

Changing your professional photo can be tricky – after all you want to capture the right look and expression, but to do this, you’ll need a photographer who knows what they’re doing. “You get what you pay for” is true in this instance, a professional photographer won’t be cheap, but they will make sure your headshot is just the way you want, but also capture the right mood and atmosphere while keeping the right amount of lighting to enhance your features.

If your competitor hasn’t updated their old-style headshots (or doesn’t have any) this will boost you far ahead of your competition. When photographs are done right – they look good and they make you feel good. It’s the same for your customers. Seeing professional photographs of the people where you shop or do business builds an instant connection and link to the company, making yours stand out is one step above the rest.

You’ll still need to work on marketing tactics and newsletters, but updating your headshot to a current style makes you more likeable, trustworthy, and generates a new audience drawn to your image. It won’t happen overnight, but you’ll start to see an increase once you change your headshot to your updated professional one.

One way to tell a professional headshot photo is to look and see if you see the gleam in the eye, the spark in their smile, the passion for what they’re doing – chances are that if you can, it’s a professional photographer who can make you headshot the perfect one. If you are looking for a professional photographer in the Orange County area then contact us, Val Westover Photography, at 949-367-0077.