Business Portraits - To smile or not…

A good portrait sends a message to your customers that you are serious about presenting professionally, it puts a face to a name and voice, and provides a memory prompt for people you have met or spoken with.

Very few people enjoy having their portrait taken, but it is worth collaborating with the photographer to get the best out of a portrait session. For most uses, you will want to project a calm and confident demeanor. Hence the title of this piece, you want to look approachable and happy in your work, but the portrait needs to look authentic rather than forced. It can take some trickery to ensure the portrait looks spontaneous. This can involve engaging another person to distract you from the camera, taking brief breaks and moving around between poses, and taking time out to review what you are getting with the photographer to see what is working and what isn’t.

What to wear: While you want to reflect your personality, prints or patterns can be quite distracting in a photo. Darker or neutral colours tend to work well and look good against skin colour. Fine repetitive patterns on clothing can also cause a distracting ‘moire’ pattern in images. If you are unsure of what to wear, take several outfits to the portrait session.

It helps to keep in mind the type of client you are trying to appeal to. Regardless, the clothing should make you feel comfortable, fit well, and be in good condition.

Posing: I use a few standard posing techniques such as turning slightly side on while looking directly at the camera, one foot more in front, chin slightly down. I take time to demonstrate poses to try at the session, aiming for a look that appears natural and unforced. It is important to try a few diffent things to see what works for your portrait.

To see a selection of portraits I have taken click here