Corporate headshot trends & tips from a Vancouver headshot photographer
TREND ALERT: Corporate headshots in the Pacific Northwest are smokin’ hot these days.
It’s true! I’ve been seeing an influx in requests for corporate business headshots at my portrait studio in Vancouver over the last 6 months. Very specifically, the requests coming in for corporate headshots have been from business people looking for something that is almost a little bit of an anti-corporate, corporate headshot.
To put it another way, I’m getting a lot of requests at the moment for business headshots that bring in the client’s personality and a sense of individuality and I’m loving it.
In fact, I recently had a company come to me for group corporate headshots and the VP of Marketing told me what he wanted were headshots that were ICONIC (he also forbade me from using the term ‘corporate’ to describe them 😂). And you know what? The results of this project were amazing (and hit the mark of iconic) because the people I photographed were allowed to bring their personalities into their corporate photos.
Similar requests have been coming in from individual business people and other professionals from all over the Lower Mainland who want to come into the photo studio for individual corporate sessions. I honestly think that this trend (that I believe is the result of a heightened awareness of the importance of how we present ourselves online) has a lot to do with so many of us having to take our presence online so much more during the pandemic.
To say that as a photographer I am ready to get behind this more sophisticated trend in corporate headshots is an understatement.
I feel I should also make a quick confession- in the past I would sometimes feel a tiny little pang of disappointment when I’d get an inquiry for corporate headshots because it would mean neither I nor my client could bring in much creativity to a corporate session the way we could if it were a glamour or boudoir portrait session. But not anymore.
These days, I am so excited when I get the opportunity to do a corporate headshot session because clients now want something that is both very slick and professional, while also creative and something that will showcase their personality. And I adore rising to that challenge to create something that they’re going to LOVE.
Are you considering updating your corporate headshots?
If so, there are a few key things I recommend you consider and speak to your photographer about:
What qualities do you want your clients and peers to see in you when they view your LinkedIn photo?
Are there any elements of your personal style that you feel like you’ve had to leave at the door in the past when getting corporate photos done? For example, I had a corporate client recently who loved the colour pink but assumed she should only wear dark colours for her corporate session. But after we discussed it, she decided she actually wanted to do some corporate headshots that were a little more relaxed where she would wear her favourite pink sweater. She loved the results!
Very lastly, remember this: although it can feel a bit scary, I always encourage my clients to fully bring their personalities into the room for their photo shoot and this goes for my corporate clients as well. When you do, it’s going to translate into headshots that are truly memorable and that you are going to be sooo happy with. And you know what? People who see them online are going to remember them too.