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!