With the pandemic largely behind us and our lifestyles steadily returning to pre-COVID norms there has been a surge of interest in headshot photography for professionals across all fields & industries. To better understand why let’s take a look at how the playing field has changed since Q1 of 2020 and a few reasons why headshot photography has become even more important post COVID-19.
First impressions are still #1
Let me ask you this: have you ever purchased an item online without seeing photos first? Booked a hotel stay without seeing an image of the room? Gone on a first date without seeing the person’s photos? Of course not! People love looking at photos & video that quickly convey a story or important information and we love to see the faces of those we plan to do business with. The higher the price or more risky the venture the more we want to know about our potential partners. Humans are hardwired to create first impressions in tenths of a second so it’s important that the photos we represent ourselves with convey the messages we want them to get. In our post-pandemic digital age, your professional headshot creates a first impression with the majority of new potential customers, colleagues, & hiring managers and can be a contributing factor towards whether they want to establish further engagement with you and your brand.
TRUST DIFFERENTIATES IN TOUGH TIMES
Studies have shown that in periods when anxiety and uncertainty are high, the people who make purchasing or hiring decisions tend to lean heavily on the side of safety. People crave consistency, reliability, and trust when they become affected by unpredictability in the outer world. If your first impression (aka headshot) is unprofessional or outdated you’re not just communicating that you have a bad photo, you’re communicating that you don’t care about how you represent yourself. Not caring about your career/image will be read into by a lot of people and make you seem less trustworthy. That impression can make a big difference when looking for a job, buidling a company, or attracting customers online. Especially, if the competition is thick!
Personal Branding Has Become a Must Since the Pandemic
During the pandemic our online presence became the only means anyone had to interact with one another. If you didn’t have at least one good photo of yourself you were at a huge disadvantage. Not only did it make you look unprofessional to your peers on zoom calls, chat profiles, and company directories but there also wasn’t the opportunity to show who you were in-person.
Now in our post-pandemic reality there is a big percentage of professionals that need to update their business photos as an important part of investing in their personal brand. If half of your company or clients are continuing to work remotely, that’s half of your audience that only sees you via online profile photos.
If you’re looking for a job, launching a company, or taking your career to a new level remember that 100% of hiring managers and recruiters will be looking at you Linkedin headshot.
DATING APPS BECAME CRITICAL IN THE PANDEMIC
Restaurants, bars, concerts and literally every physical social venue closed down in 2020 causing a dating app explosion as the only way for meeting new people. This match making trend has stuck around even as public and social venues have reopened. Getting your professional headshot done is a fantastic opportunity to also get a great photo for your dating apps. You can simply change out of your formal business attire into more casual clothing and have some good professional images snapped during the same session.
Our standard session for headshot photography is a great opportunity to gain great business and casual photos at the same time. You can spend half the session taking formal business headshots in-studio and the other half of the session taking more casual headshots in natural lighting outside around the studio. It’s a great way to make the most of your investment! Visit our contact page to reach out with questions.
