There’s so much pressure for speakers, entrepreneurs, realtors and people in business to put photos of themselves on their websites and blogs. Lot’s of people fall into the trap of putting amateur pictures online.
You know how it goes – put on a little extra makeup, your favorite outfit and get Cousin Susie’s daughter who took a photography class to take a picture of you next to a tree in the yard. Some people even pay to have those bad pictures taken. They are all over the web – it’s an epidemic of out-of-focus, unflattering, over photo-shopped images with weird shadows, old-fashioned compositions and stiff poses.
Mediocre pictures give the wrong impression and pose a huge risk to your brand. They make you look like an amateur and drive away potential customers and media inquiries without you even knowing it ever happened.
There is another way! Mattison Grey just upgraded her headshot to a HOTSHOT in preparation for launching her new book The Motivation Myth. She’s a great case study for getting a great picture. Here’s how she did it…
Step 1 – Chose The Right Team For YOU
She chose people who were technically sound, professional and most importantly resonated with her.
Mattison chose the right photographer for her. Not only did photographer Robyn Arouty take technically great photos, she “got” Mattison, she was committed to giving Mattison what she wanted, her photography style resonated with Mattison, and she created a super fun environment.
Mattison chose the right style team for her. Beverly D’s hairstyle looked great on camera and most importantly, made Mattison feel like a Million bucks. That feeling came through in the photos and made the pictures come alive. Her stylist (me) assisted her in choosing outfits that made her feel hot, looked good on camera and supported the photographer’s vision. Mattison stepped way out of her comfort zone!
Step 2 – Help Your Team Help You
Mattison released control to her team. She followed her team’s instructions and let the professionals do their job. This is huge!!! When it comes to a photoshoot, the photographer drives the bus. The photographer makes the final outfit/makeup selections, prop choices, directs how the “model” holds her body and composes the set. If Mattison (or her style team) had tried to maintain control of the process, object to a styling choice, or choose her pose, she would never have gotten the Hotshot photos.
Step 3 – BRING it!
On the day of the photoshoot, Mattison brought all of her curiosity, team spirit, and positive attitude. She was connected with her team and stayed totally in the moment. This is the secret ingredient that makes photo magic happen.
Mattison Grey M.Ed. is a professional speaker, author and a Master Certified Business and Performance Coach. In her new book, The Motivation Myth, Mattison offers readers a simple yet powerful tool that unlocks human potential and creates inspired performance. Mattison is fascinated by the gap between high performers and low performers and understands what it takes for people to go from mediocre to masterful in their chosen endeavor.
The final pics from Mattison’s shoot with Robyn Arouty are still being selected and formatted. Stay tuned. As soon as they’re available, there will be a link here to see them too.
It takes work to get a great picture. Don’t let anyone talk you into posting a bad one. No picture is better than a bad picture!