Corporate Headshots - It Is In The Eyes
Beauty is how you feel inside, and it reflects in your eyes. Sophia Loren
Almost nothing need be said when you have eyes. Tarjei Vesaas
When photographing people for their corporate headshots, it all starts with the eyes. They are the window to the soul, says Shakespeare, Da Vinci, the philosopher Cicero and, it seems a few others over time. Whoever and whatever the origin, we believe that it to be the absolute truth. And while we, as photographers, are not trying to get down deep like a therapist, we completely agree. What is communicated through the eyes can create the tone for how people see you and what you want your clients to understand about you from your business headshots.
True, communicating your essence through a corporate headshot is a cumulative effort. Face, clothes, posture, etc. all have to look right for your website headshots. We look at the whole 'you' . But the thing we are connecting with, the most important element, the thing that we must get right, is how the eyes look. Chances are, when you come into our studio, we will tell you where to stand, how to hold your body, where to put your hands. The last thing we will tell you is where to look. We are seeing your eyes and figuring out how to capture your spark.
Remember, the goal is to engage clients with your professional headshot. You do this most effectively through eye contact. It is amazing how different people can look from frame to frame depending on their eyes. The number one thing we will want is for people to look into the camera. Some people want something more casual where they are looking off to the side. This can work, but it must have a serendipitous feel. It can also be hard for us mere non-model mortals who might not feel at ease in front of the camera to pull this off. We are always game for trying, but you can expect us to give you several safe options for your website corporate headshot.
So we say, make eye contact with the camera. By doing so, you are engaging with the viewer/the client/your audience.
How To Use Your Eyes In A Corporate Headshot
Communication comes from the eyes. Other facial features compliment this, but what is going on in the eyes is very important. Where are you looking? Are you making eye contact? Are you emoting the kindness of a healthcare provider in your website headshot? Are you telling the world you are a hard core litigator through the steely glare of your corporate headshot? Are you using an introspective gaze of a therapist with your website headshot?
How do you want people to read you? Direct and bold? Then a very direct look into the camera matched with a feeling of ease, but no real smile, is the way to go. Do you want people to know that you will care for them? Perhaps you need something softer and inviting - maybe not a full-on joyful smile, but a friendly grin with a 'Smize' in the eyes is the way to go. See Tyra Banks, America's Next Top Model if you want to know what that looks like.
Imperfections
Let's get this next question out of the way right now. Unless you are Kate Moss, who is said to have perfect facial left/right symmetry, you have some kind of uneveness in your facial features. This is normal, typical and varies in range from one person to the next. The goal is never perfection or absolute symmetry. We love everyone's unique faces and are never trying to make anyone look anything but their best selves in their professional headshots.
Getting Technical How We Create That Corporate Headshot Spark
From a technical point of view, we always want to see a little spark of light in the eye. A tiny dot, or catchlight, reflecting our flash can make an professional headshot look alive. This is something that happens when we fire the camera and the flash goes off. It's different than glare, which is a reflection, usually off of glasses, that can obscure the eyes. It's a small thing but it is one of those details that can make a difference.
Once we have that spark in the eye, we can start to adjust other details. We can look at your smile. Are your eyes saying one thing, but your smile (or non-smile) is saying another? How is your head positioned? We often ask our clients to tilt their head a bit to the left or the right. Often this is a correction for an over-tilt. So many people take their posing cues from Instagram where the flirty head tilt reigns supreme. That is fine for social use. For business portraits, we recommend something more direct and professional.
In Conclusion - The Eyes Make The Corporate Headshot
So much of how you come off in your corporate headshot photos depends on the connection we can make with you. This is why we start with the eyes. We know it is awkward and can feel almost confrontational to look directly down the barrel of a lens, but we are here to make that feel easier. We love to get to a point where we can put our subjects at ease, look into their eyes, and know that we have gotten the most authentic corporate headshot spark.
