London portrait photographer for LinkedIn profile photos, business headshots and staff portraits

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Professional Portrait Photographer in London for LinkedIn Profile Photos

This portrait for a young professional's LinkedIn profile was taken on location close to Tower Bridge in the City of London. We wanted to project a friendly, warm and approachable, but still very professional image -one that communicates confidence and competency.

Should I get a professional headshot for my profile?

Generally speaking, having a great headshot on LinkedIn creates a good first impression and helps brand you and your company. It helps you build credibility with potential clients and is useful when interacting with your existing customers, team, and suppliers; e.g. if your publish a newsletter, you can use it to put a face to a name and introduce your team. It hugely increases your chances of being noticed by a prospective employer: according to LinkedIn research, profiles with a profile photo are seven times more likely to be viewed than profiles without a profile picture.

But what makes a great LinkedIn profile photo or staff portrait?

1. The aim is to show you and your staff in the best light, but at the same time a great profile picture portrays YOU so if you e.g. normally wear glasses, wear them for your profile photo as well -it helps clients recognise you if meeting for the first time.

2. LinkedIn is a professional social networking site so most people tend to err for the conservative look; tailoring, simple lines, classic colours, natural make up. However, if you work in a creative role or quirky, niche business, don't be afraid to showcase your personality, have fun and wear something colourful and eye catching -it will be more approriate to your industry, will help you stand out and appeal to your client base.

3. Business portraits can be head shots, half, 3/4 or full length portraits, but make sure your LinkedIn profile photo is a headshot. i.e your face fills most of the frame.

4. You can be photographed in a studio, in the office or in a more relaxed location (indoors or outdoors), but make sure it is taken against a simple background that doesn't distract.

5. It needs to be a photo of you alone. If you crop a group shot or a photo taken with another person next to you, you may have random arms / ears/ shoulders in the frame, which doesn't look great.

6. Pose and expression are key, but a good photographer can help put you at ease and coach you on this.

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Frequently asked questions about LinkedIn profile pictures and headshot photography in London

What should I wear to my portrait session?

A headshot is used to show the professional side of you -to boost your job search profiles, CV and LinkedIn profile (although I'm happy for you to grab an additional outfit for a dating profile shot, too). What is your current profession / what are you aiming for? If you work in law or finance for example, I would recommend tailoring, but don't be afraid of colour. We could do some shots with a blazer, some with just a shirt and tie. For the ladies, a bit of sparkle or a nice blouse or dress are good too, but bear in mind that some sheer fabrics look a lot more see-through when the flash hits them.

Feel free to bring a few different outfits with you to see which work best as we can do test shots and review these on the back of the camera. The clothes don't need to be expensive, but do make sure they sit well, are clean and ironed or steamed. If you normally wear glasses, wear them for your profile photo as well -it helps clients and your future work colleagues recognise you if meeting you for the first time.

And if you work in the creative industries, what's your "look”? Let's showcase your personality and what you do! If you would like to have a chat in more detail about outfit options or have other questions, please get in touch on info@minnarossi.com or 07984 236 928.

I feel nervous about getting in front of the camera, I always do this weird thing...........

Perfectly natural! We will keep it nice and relaxed, and shoot through it. We can play with reflectors and the lighting, angles, poses and expressions to finetune your "look". I'm experienced in directing subjects through poses and expressions and have a lot of clients who are not used to being in front of the camera -I always manage to help them feel relaxed and get nice shots of them. I hear the experience was not scary in the end, often even fun! :)

Can I see the photos whilst we are shooting, just to make sure my hair is OK and I'm not doing my “nervous smile”?

Of course! Let's do a few, then check that you are happy with the "look and feel" and go from there.

Can we do some full length shots whilst I'm there?

Head and shoulder shots are usually the focus as these kind of shots are great for LinkedIn and other professional profiles, CVs, websites etc., but if we have enough space where we are shooting we can do a few full length photos, too.

So what happens after the shoot and how soon do I get my images?

As soon as possible, usually within 1-2 days: I edit all of your images after the shoot, optimising the colours, contrast etc. so this will take a little bit of time, but I know you must be eager to see your shots as soon as poss so I will fit this work in between bookings.

I tend to leave all my portraits looking very natural and true to life, but please feel free to filter away to your heart's content before posting them on your social media -I'm not precious about these things :) You will receive the images in colour and have the large, print size files (perfect to start using on your LinkedIn profile straight away!).

I will deliver the files to you in a password protected web gallery, which you can easily share with family and friends if you wish to get a second opinion. All downloads are free and just let me know if you would like me to create a 50% off voucher for print ordering: the web gallery is directly linked to high quality, secure online print ordering with lots of sizes and finishes to choose from.

Are there limitations to how I can use the images or for how long?

Not at all, please feel free to use them as you wish to promote yourself.

What if there are a few of us, can we get a small discount?

Sure! This also applies to businesses: I do a discount for groups of more than 10 people.

How do I pay you?

I e-mail an invoice with the business bank details for a bank transfer when I send you the log in details to your web gallery of finished images.

How do I book a portrait session with you?

For enquiries and bookings, please get in touch on info@minnarossi.com or 07984 236 928 (you can ring, text or Whatsapp -whatever works best for you).

I look forward to hearing from you!