Digging out and climbing up in 2021

It’s still bitter cold in north Texas, but the ice is melting and it feels good to be making plans for the future. For a significant number of people, that means a new job or a new business plan as we pivot, adjust and re-focus.

Along with these plans comes the need for business photos, headshots, work environment images and illustrative images of all types as we continue to innovate and work from home (or other places we don’t want to show to the world). We have photographed all sorts of entrepreneurs since the Covid pandemic started –everyone from Etsy.com shop owners to Therapists, Designers and Financial Advisors. All gearing up for whatever business is going to look like as the pandemic retreats and life begins anew.

We’ve even photographed some products for websites and outdoor headshot sessions. Sunny winter days are great for headshots (with carefully positioned architecture in the background) and can send the message that you’re a professional ready to get to work.

When you’re ready to start building your new website (or blog) and it’s time to give your branding a refresh, be sure to start with good photography. That first impression has never been more important. http://www.headshots.teresaberg.com 972-250-2415

Headshot Sessions for Entrepreneurs

Most self employed (or even contract workers) line up as ENTREPRENEURS at some point or other. Whether you sell handmade one-of-a-kind somethings on Etsy.com or you run an executive search firm or own a firm, there are always opportunities to expand your brand with a business headshot.

We offer two different lengths of headshot sessions and it’s frequently the Extended Headshot session (40 minutes in front of the camera for $395 with 4 digital images) that works for entrepreneurs. This extra camera time allows for more than one outfit or “look” –meaning different lighting scenarios – and sometimes even in studio and and outdoors.

Being located in Addison, Texas is a real advantage when it comes to choosing locations as the studio is surrounded by beautiful architecture, parks and outdoor art. We can easily choose from a variety of looks to work with the message you are planning to convey. We can even use a little humor in the midst of a pandemic to grab some online attention for you.

Leaving negative space in a headshot image for the easy addition of text or a quote is a quick way to add professionalism to just “posting an image”
Friendly, but approachable is the look most people want – but did you know the angle of your chin can make you look 100% more confident?
Close up, but off-center, is interesting to the eye and makes the viewer or reader pause and wait for the message. Used with a caption, it’s even more effective. See what I just did there?
Looking off-camera gives a casual, confident approach to a speaker’s photo or a blog. It’s almost conversational without saying anything!

In short, your photos need to work for you in ways you might not even have considered, so it’s best to have a good handful you can use for whatever speaking engagement or guest blogging situation that arises. And don’t be afraid to be creative –it may be just what your potential new client is looking for!

Call us at 972-250-2415 and we will help created the style and the “look book” you need. Visit our website for headshots, here.

Five ways to make your headshot work for you

Why invest in a professional headshot? Let’s think for a moment about how you get the most good out of the time and money you spend being photographed.

  1. The obvious first and best place to use your new business portrait is LinkedIn. This is where it gets seen by your peers and professional contacts.
  2. Social media. If your recruiting or HR contacts haven’t already told you – CLEAN UP YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA before launching your next job search. If it’s on the internet you never know where it will end up, so do your best to remove anything that might be offensive or misconstrued. You just never know. And while you’re there — use your new headshot as a profile pic for a consistent look across all platforms.
  3. Blogging might seem so last decade, but a well written blog can support your personal brand and make it easier for peers and potential employers to SEE you in the role you’re looking for. Blogs are free (or almost free) and the search engines love them, so why not look like an expert? Oh, and there’s a good spot of a professional headshot on your ABOUT page.
  4. You might think Speaking engagements? Me? I’m never going to do that… but be ready. The more you get out there and meet people, the more opportunities you have to tell them what you know –and that could include speaking to a group at some point.
  5. Your email signature. When you’re the new kid on the block, make sure they remember you. It’s an easy way to look like you deserve the job your asking for if you already look the part – so dress like a boss in your business headshot and people will start remembering you in that context. Your professional portrait could become your bio pic on the company website!

Bonus tip: Keep your headshot on your phone in case you need to send it to someone you meet unexpectedly. Keep it on your desktop in a folder (think EMERGENCY CONTACT KIT) with a current resume and cover letter and I guarantee you will find opportunities to use it.

#DALLASBUSINESSHEADSHOTS #TBERGPHOTO #HEADSHOTSFORBUSINESS

New Year + New Look = New Job?

The first quarter of the year is always the busiest for new business headshots and executive portraits. Often it’s just that everyone feels that it’s a waste of time to try and hustle a new job during the holidays when everyone is away with family and taking vacation time.

But in the new year, there’s also a new budget! A marketing/branding/ advertising and yes, hiring budget that kicks in and so it’s time to dust off the resume and freshen up your LinkedIn profile. How do you stand out? We can help you be ready when opportunity knocks.

Be ready for speaking engagements, print media, and press releases with a sharp black and white image.

We shoot crisp beautiful images in our studio in Addison or in your office and always include complete photoshop editing. We want your 2020 business look to work for a variety of purposes –all reflecting your brand.

Visit our website for more samples and information: http://www.headshots.teresaberg.com

Your Business Headshots in Your Office | Teresa Berg Photography

We visit offices all over the Dallas area to photograph business people so we see every imaginable business set up and have drawn up a short checklist of what makes a great space for in-office or “environmental headshots.”   So often the people tasked with hiring a business headshot photographer have never hired a photographer before, so even though talking about square footage and lighting doesn’t make a very exciting blog article, it will make a big difference in creating great business portraits.

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  1. Floorspace.  An open area like a lobby or conference room is usually enough space if we’re only photographing one person at a time.  Think 10×15 feet.  Some conference rooms have the size but there is a giant unmovable table in the center of the room –often we can shoot over it, but if we’re setting up a backdrop instead of using the view behind our subject, we’ll need more empty floor space
  2. Light.  We love to use natural light when we can but we usually bring supplemental lights to fill in the shadows.  The samples here were a mixture of daylight and flash, taken in the client’s Boardroom.
  3. View.  If you’ve got a great view and it works with your brand — we need to show it off!  Best to choose a day (or time of day) when we are not competing with a ton of hard sunlight. Bright indirect light is best, so if you have several rooms to choose from, we’ll probably opt for north facing windows or early morning.
  4. Message.  Sometimes the location of the business portraits needs to include a logo or another signature element that relates to branding.  A sculpture, a portrait of the Founder in the background, etc.  Just let us know and we’ll bring whatever lighting equipment is needed to give you a truly professional photo.  You can visit our business portrait portfolio here.

Regardless of the lighting setup, we coach people on how to stand, what to do with their hands, even what to wear , if needed — and our image files always include our expert Photoshop work.  We are available to discuss your particular needs and setup any day during business hours, just call the studio at 972-250-2415

teresa berg dallas business portraits

Using colorful headshots to send the right message

First, there is an art to looking relaxed and professional at the same time! For a young, technology based company like RKD Group, we used the bright colors in their offices, natural light and relaxed body language to create that “it’s fun to work here” look. They didn’t want all the backgrounds to be the same, so we worked our way through their open areas incorporating color and light where we found it. The results were bright and full of energy. They look like the fun professional people that they really are.

Using primarily natural light, we shot waist-up portraits and left plenty of room for cropping so their web designer had lots of options and the images could also be used in a variety of ways. These can be square images (for LinkedIn) or dropped in to PowerPoint presentations as needed.

Good employee headshots should work hard for you! See more examples of what we do for Dallas area businesses, here: http://www.headshots.teresaberg.com

#businessportraits #headshotsforbusiness #dallasbusiness portraits #dallasportraitphotographer

Nervous about getting a business portrait?

No one enjoys it and we all know a good business photo is worth it’s weight in gold — so maybe it’s just that you don’t trust your photographer? Or maybe you don’t know a photographer other than the neighbor that does snapshots of the kids?

When we began photographing business people in 2006, we approached it scientifically. Starting with an idea board of all the great CEO and business portraits we could find (think magazine covers from Forbes, Wired, and Business Week) and started mapping the commonalities. Position of the shoulders, smile or no smile, angle of the head, how much body showing, etc. Soon we had a formula for success. Next, we started tweaking this process for different industries and made all sorts of observations regarding what was effective for what types of businesses. So when our client steps in front of the camera they get concise (almost SCIENTIFIC) information about how they need to look.

Fast forward 13 years and we feel pretty confident about what we do –and that puts people at ease–another bullet point we pay attention to. Call us and let us work with your marketing team, advertising agency or branding consultant, we’re ready! 972-250-2415

Teresa Berg Dallas Business headshots
Dallas Business photography since 2006

What should a business headshot cost?

Pricing for headshots can be all-inclusive (like our studio) or a la carte. We recently visited several websites that appeared to have a really great $100 headshot, but after looking carefully we realized they were charging extra for some very important features that most clients assume are included.  Their service ended up being $150 more expensive than ours ($375 vs. $225).

Our standard business headshot session is 20 minutes long and for $225 includes two fully retouched digital images. We also offer 24 turnaround and an online gallery at no additional cost so you have the time to look through your proofs at your leisure before making a final decision. We have a brick and mortar studio so when you arrive for your session you have a variety of background and lighting options and we go over samples with you to assure the best result. But not all photographers offer this service. They charge extra for the second digital image, the photoshop retouching and add on fees for quick turnarounds — so compare apples to apples!

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You should always choose a photographer based on the quality of their images, but then make sure you know what you’ll be spending.

What are the elements of a good business portrait? Look for a crisp image with even lighting –for online use you don’t want uneven shadows. Light in the eyes, and no clothing distractions like excessive wrinkly clothes is always important. Good skin tones (orange cast to the skin is a sign of underexposure), eye contact and a general overall attractive smile. A good headshot can work for you for years — but a bad one is just a waste of your time AND your money.

 

Locations for business portraits

Choosing a  location for your business portraits is almost as important as what you choose to wear. If you work from home, you  can still choose a great business look for your next headshot -maybe a bright office lobby with nice furnishings, or an outdoor setting with impressive buildings in the background.  If you’ve got access to a great view, don’t be afraid to use it!

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With a few photoshop edits we can remove distracting elements from the background and give your potential clients a glimpse of what it’s like to do business with you and your firm.  If your partner group or team is needing a more youthful look, we will help you choose a bright more high-tech look to add interest.  Need to add a feeling of prestige? Let’s use a scene with artwork or a courtyard with sculpture or interesting architectural elements.

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business headshot after editing

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With professional lighting, even an interesting piece of art can flatter your people, lend interest and convey a message without distracting from the primary message.  We can help you send the right message.  Visit our online portfolio for more samples:  http://www.headshots.teresaberg.com or call us at 972-250-2415.

Are Business Casual headshots too casual for your business?

It depends. The obvious answer is to match your headshots to your brand and match your brand to the industry you compete in.  But what about standing out in your universe?  Do you want to send a subtle message that you’re just a little bit more hip than your competitors?  Or that your firm is younger and leaner than the bigger guys?  Or maybe than you’re still “young enough?” We can help.

dallas business photography teresa berg

 

We live in the world of visual cues. Sometimes something as simple as the angle of your shoulders or the color of your clothing sends a message.  What type of lighting tells the story that is right for you? Not every business has a marketing department focused on these things.  If you need to sit down and study some sample business headshots and discuss the options –give us a call. We’re always ready to offer suggestions and go through the options.  We can even help you create a ‘style book’ — because maybe your sales people need a slightly different look than your C suite, or maybe you have multiple uses for your business headshot that require slightly different looks? As your business grows, your new employees can come to us and get the same look, lending continuity and building confidence in your firm.