Expressions in headshots!
What expression are you displaying right now? Yes, while you’re staring at your computer you have an expression on your face. Chances are, from the beginning of this article you’ve already changed your expression. If you didn’t, you have now, and you’re even testing it out. Do you know you have 43 muscles in your face? All those muscles work together to display your feelings. We won’t deep dive into feelings and emotions, but emotions are strong and we feel them everyday. It amazes me how one phone call, one conversation, a song, or one news article can completely change how we feel, which in turn changes the expression we display for the world to see.
Within a headshot, expression is everything, and I mean everything. This doesn’t mean you have to showcase a huge smile. Some individuals have a big beautiful smile that is displayed everywhere they go. Others don’t display their feelings that way. This doesn’t mean the latter individual isn’t happy, but as an individual, they’re wired to display themselves differently.
While I realize there is much to write about this topic, I also realize the importance of keeping it short, so I’ll be as brief.
There are 3 things I always look for within a headshot: confidence, approachability, and competence(thanks to my mentor Peter Hurley).
Confidence comes from the eyes, we’ve all heard the phrase, “Deer in the headlights”. What does that mean? In essence, it means to be scared, stopping us in our tracks(a blank stare). Within headshots, we don’t want the deer in the headlights look, you MUST be coached to get out of it. Have you ever been asked to greet a crowd of people that you were not expecting to greet? You do it because you were asked, but don’t feel confident because it was given to you 30 seconds before. Some people are great at this, others struggle with it. Chances are, some struggle with it because they’re not confident with doing this task and most of the time others can see it. If you really pay attention, you now know the secret to catching others when they’re displaying or lacking confidence. You will see it in their eyes, and when they’re eyelids come together slightly, this typically means confidence. When they’re eyes open wide, this is uncertainty and discomfort. The same is true when taking a headshot. You must be coached to showcase confidence. If you’re interested in learning more, I’d love to discuss this with you!
What is approachability? Approachability is typically located around the mouth. We’ve all seen people that we wouldn’t want to meet in a dark alley. Again, this doesn’t mean you need a big smile. This means, even if there was no smile, does your face shout out your approachable? Micro expressions are small movements of the mouth to showcase small expressions that help with approachability. This is another topic we hit within headshots sessions because it's foundational to how your clients perceive you and how well they’d want to work with you.
The last ingredient is competence. This has to do with the overall feel of your headshot. Whatever you do as your career choice, you must look competent! If you manage a team or lead a project, chances are you know what you’re doing(at least I’d hope so! :)). Your team can tell when you're competent. Your headshot must showcase you displaying competence!
Confidence, approachability and Competence are 3 ingredients to an amazing headshot. If your headshot is displayed on Linkedin, promotional material, websites, brochures, or billboards you MUST hit these 3 ingredients. I realize this is a lot of information, especially if you’re just wanting to stop by a studio for a headshot, but I want you to realize it's important your photographer understands these key things. If you’d like to book a discover call, please schedule here: https://www.rojasphotography.net/alfonsos-discovery-call
If you’re interested in learning more, please follow our hashtag: #Rojasheadshots
You can also email me directly at Alfonso@RojasPhotography.net or visit our website at www.RojasPhotography.net
I look forward to connecting with you!
-Alfonso
