Cricket is the most wonderful coach! Her way of talking you through a problem that might be big, might be a huge wall in your head but not that big in reality, and just helping you get to the next level is gentle and supportive. So when it came time to photographing her, I knew we needed to show equal parts friendliness and confidence. You have to trust her immediately to get to the heart of your own problems – so friendliness is key. But you also need to believe in her and what she’s saying, suggesting, and offering. So confidence is also key!

What do your Portland headshots need to say to your potential and continuing clients? This is the kind of photo that is so much more than a place filler on your website!

I’ve photographed Cher before, but in her words: “It’s time to update my headshots.” What’s great is that since she’s a repeat client, I already know how to work with her. I already know the angles she likes best, the encouragements I’ll give to get her into a great pose in which she feels comfortable and I coax out the best side of her.

In my quest to be the best not-so-corporate headshot photographer (ever), I’ve been talking with a lot of small business owners and entrepreneurs about what will best serve them. I’ve asked how they want to feel first, because that’s always the most important thing when photographing someone. And then I ask how they want their own clients to feel when viewing their photos. Between those two answers is our goal, always. More and more, your clients will turn to those they can trust.

In an online world, vibrant business photos that evoke good emotion are one of the easiest ways to grow your business. I’ve believed this longer than I’ve owned this business. But it’s always affirming to hear others believe the same as well. Take this article Jessica Rea recently posted, “How to establish trust, earn respect, and win clients online.” In particular, her section on having a great website mentions “lots of animated photos of you shot by a professional photographer” and I couldn’t agree more. Don’t be afraid to let your personality shine! I’m so glad Cher did!

So. Is it time to update your headshots yet? Are you ready to take it to the next level and really make a connection with your clients? Are you ready to start building trust and authority so you can work with the rightclients? I am. I bet you are, too. Let’s get this going today!

Mekala is one of the women who graciously offered to be in my first promotional video! I’ve already photographed her lifestyle business photos to show who she is and what she spends her time doing as a custom stationer in the wedding world and beyond. Photographing her modern glamour photos was a natural extension to the photo session we already completed! So she brought a great wardrobe in which to play, splashing color all over the studio. And she laughed A LOT which is always a great addition to any day.

One of the great things about working with Mekala is that as a visual entrepreneur, she fully recognizes the importance of having a strong visual presence. In a less wordy way, she knows how well photos tell the story of her as a business. She knows good business photography help the customer trust you before they’ve even hired you. And to really ratchet it up, she knows everything you put out there should be an extension of your brand.

Mekala’s two shoots form a great package in my newer Portland Business Headshot offerings. The package that includes both business headshots and a personal or lifestyle shoot start at $1200. As you can tell, Mekala took advantage of the headshot + lifestyle offer to show different sides of her business and beautiful downtown Portland studio.