Are you a business owner or entrepreneur?  Have a professional business portrait is a must.  Business portraits are a great way to connect with potential clients as well as colleagues.  Many people use their cell phone as a convenient way to take photographs of themselves...aka selfies.

In today's social media rich environment, it's critical to have a professional business portrait. Your business portrait, which is also known as a Headshot, can be used for your LinkedIn profile picture, your website, your business card, for speaking engagements, and more.

As a business owner or entrepreneur in Los Angeles and surrounding areas, you'll need a business portrait also know as headshots. It is your visual calling card and many of your prospective clients will look at your headshot to determine if they would like to hire or work with you. 

So what does your business portrait say about you?

Last month I had the pleasure of photographing professional headshots in Marina Del Ray.  The location was amazing because of the beautiful scenery.  The park is great due to the boats in the vicinity as well as the shrubbery, and the seals that like to bathe at the pier.  It was particularly windy on this day.  Which was great because it was a built-in hair blowing day. 

Are you a business owner or entrepreneur reluctant to get a new headshot because you hate the stiff frozen look that doesn’t showcase your personality?  Or the last headshot you took was over 2 years ago and you’re hesitate to get a new one because usually you “hate” the experience and you're not fond of the headshots or for us ladies our hair didn't look the best? 

Your LinkedIn profile picture plays an important role in determining how many visits your profile receives. Profiles with professional headshots normally receive 14 times more profile views. They are also 36 times more likely to get a message from other professionals as well. The type of picture you upload on your profile is one of the deciding factors for profile visits and views. Therefore, it is extremely crucial for you to look approachable and professional.

If you’re wondering what makes a good LinkedIn picture, you’ve come to the right place. Since LinkedIn is a professional recruitment platform, you should upload a picture that has a professional tone to it. For that, even if your headshot taken by a professional photographer, you must not think twice. 

​In this article, we share with you some tips that will help you look your best for a professional profile picture on LinkedIn.

​There are so many things that go into preparing for professional headshots; posing, lighting, clothing, and even the location for your headshot.  However, did you know makeup plays a pivotal role in your headshot?  Yes, it does.  So I have written this post to ensure you have the best makeup tips possible so your headshot is far from boring.  You want a headshot that's a freaking rocking portrait. 

Before someone hires you or your company, more times than not, your prospective client will look for a portrait of you; either by looking at your website or social media.  What will you client see if they discover a portrait of you?  You want your headshot to be the best image of yourself; as your face is your name – right.  First impressions are crucial!  That why it’s important to ensure you have the very best makeup tips and photographer when taking your professional headshots.
 
When preparing for your headshot, you want to ensure you start with a clean slate.  Yes, having a freshly washed face is the thing to do. 
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BEFORE:

Last week, I began the discussion of Executive Portraits (also known as Headshots) and What Does Your LinkedIn Profile Portrait say about you.  I'm asked often about updating Executive Portraits and what's the best way to upload and display them on LinkedIn.  I thought it would be helpful to create a list of the worst mistakes people make when choosing an image: 

No Picture:  By far, the biggest mistake is not having a profile image loaded.  This gives the impression you are not trustworthy, extremely private, or not looking to connect and interact with people.  When someone visits your profile and notices there isn’t a profile image, most visitors will move to the next profile when they see this.  It’s always a joke people say, “What do they have to hide?”

The new year is upon us and many may be in need of an updated Executive Portrait.  What does your current LinkedIn profile picture say about you?  Has it been more than 3 to 5 years since your last portrait?  Is your profile picture a picture of you with another person cropped out?  Or worse, do you have the dreaded anonymous profile picture?  When you're introduced to people do you hear, I didn't recognize you or I didn't know that was you?  GEESH!  Perhaps it may be time to have an updated Executive Portrait taken.

Did you know every time you update your profile image LinkedIn, your contacts are notified?  This can be extremely helpful and benefial to remind potential clients and people in position of hiring of you and your fresh look.  This is a helpful reminder to keep your information fresh and up-to-date as well.  

Tamieka Smith Photography would love to help you get the most flattering and updated Executive Portrait.  Contact the studio at (571) 250-5073 for more information.