Let’s talk a little today about HEADSHOTS.

(Is it head shots or headshots?? Who knows?!)

Headshots are arguably one of the most important photos a business person can have, in corporate or as a business owner. But why? And where do those other “branding” photos come into play?

I think of headshots as a type of branding photography. (I’ll even give you a little hint. Headshots are not only on the list for my “9 Types of Photos Every Business Owner Needs” guide, but they are also FIRST on the list.) While branding photography is more of an “all inclusive” genre for business photography, headshots are a specific type of photos that fall into that business bucket.

First, let’s talk about what headshots actually are. They are…shots of your head. 😀 Usually, you’re looking at the camera. Most of the time, it’s a bust up shot. You can include more of your body if you want, but the point here is to see your face. You’ll want a closer up shot to use for profile photos especially because those profile pics get soooo tiny when you’re looking at them on your phone. If your photo is not really close up, people will not be able to see your face at all…or they may need a magnifying glass, which doesn’t really help the cause, right?

Headshots are used for profile photos, about pages, introductory posts, header images in emails, and even podcast cover shots.

All of this to say…headshots are versatile and can be used for a lot! They are ideal for your customers (not to mention potential employers) to put a face with your name, and that helps to build that know/like/trust factor…which is pretty necessary to turn that prospect into a client.

According to a study by Georgia Tech, photos with actual faces in them are 38% more likely to receive likes and 32% more likely to receive comments.

People are social beings. We want to relate to other people, to make connections, to start a conversation. And all of that is more likely to happen with your face in the photo, so it feels like you’re talking to a person and not a robot.

But where do the other branding photos come into play?? Great question. I have an entire guide that talks about what and how the other types of photos can be used to show off your brand. You can check it out here! Where headshots are typically the “introduction,” other shots like the behind the scenes photos, for example, are more of an “inside look” into how you do your business.