Every person who walks through our doors is unique. More often than not, their objective is to get a good, professional photo. We take that objective further. We aim to give them a professional photo that connects and engages with the people they are trying to reach. 

Hence, in every headshot session we do, there will always be three people involved. The photographer, yourself (the client) and a brand marketing specialist who takes on the hat of your customer. Allow us to explain the dynamics of this set-up and why it has proven to be effective in producing the headshot that engages with the customer. 

The first impression that you can make either to us or to other people can either be a positive one or a negative one. If it is the latter, we keep an open mind. As soon as we meet you at the studio, we immediately start getting to know you, what your personality is like, what you do, among others. The most important question we ask you is this: who is your customer and what would that person expect from you? There is no need to stress if this does not get answered in the first few minutes. We interview you even during the shoot so that we understand more about who you are trying to reach. 

Because the brand marketing specialist sees through a monitor the images as it is taken by the photographer, she is able to capture the impressions these images project and how it is consistent with the customer the client had in mind. There will be several discussions within the shoot between the photographer, the client and the brand marketing specialist to zero in on the appropriate expression that connects with the target customer of the client. 

Once we are all in agreement that we have gotten the image we wanted, there is a final deliberation on all the images we have taken on our computer. While we want you to look your best, we also take into consideration how that will come across to your target customer. 

This is perhaps the part of the headshot session where the voice of the customer you are trying to talk to should be heard. There will be that tension in your head that pulls you to like an image because you feel it looks good on you but then another force beckons you to go with an image because it would be more appealing to your potential customer. To illustrate, here is a conversation we had with a gynaecologist as we were choosing the best image for her. She did not choose an image and told us to set it aside before I, Bernie, can say something. Then she said this: 

Gynaecologist (talking to Bernie): Who would you choose to cut you up? (She was also a surgeon). 

Bernie: The person you just did not choose.

Gynaecologist: Hmmm...interesting. Why is that? 

Bernie: Because I've met several gynaecologists in the past and they all seemed to be a snob and it was hard to open up about a personal subject like the ones you deal with. 

In this small snippet, you can already sense the tension between what our client thinks and what a potential customer thinks. We then go back to the purpose the headshot session itself. Is it to show people how awesome you look? Or is there a bigger reason for it? Would it be better to focus on the potential customer who will view your profile photo? 

This process of discussion is never an easy task. Hence, the collaboration between the photographer, the marketing specialist and the client is crucial to the success of the headshot session. 

This brings us now to why do your headshot session with us? While we can go to the technicalities of a great photo, it is more than just a great photo. Our goal is to help you get more business by being noticed by the people you are trying to talk to. Not many would have this goal for their clients. Ultimately, the headshot session is not about you alone. It is about connecting and engaging with your target audience.