The thinker...
A valuable portrait doesn’t always require you to look directly into the camera.
Looking away and thinking to yourself works, too.
One of the keys to creating a compelling and comprehensive image portfolio is visual variety.
Variety from shot-to-shot can be achieved in several ways, whether through adjustments to lighting, composition, body language, facial expression and activity captured in front of the camera.
Another way to create variety involves the gaze of the subject.
While a large portion of an expert's image portfolio is dedicated to headshots and wider portraits where they’re directly addressing the camera, there’s still a need for candid images where they’re not paying attention to the camera at all.
Why?
Too much of one thing becomes predictable, repetitive and boring.
Also, candid images also offer immense value when leveraged strategically across your online presence. More on that a little bit later.
Now, this need for candid visuals is partially satisfied through photos of experts on stage, in front of the room facilitating and other in-the-moment, doing-their-thing scenarios.
But during every branded lifestyle photo session, I bake in an opportunity to capture other types of candid photos by capturing them working on computers, brainstorming ideas, consulting/coaching clients, and several other scenarios where the camera acts as a fly on the wall during the activity.
In addition, I also capture clients simply looking off into the distance and thinking to themselves.
And that’s what I did with Executive coach, Kathryn, during her recent branded lifestyle portrait session.
In between shooting her headshots, wider portraits, and other lifestyle images, I would break from the shot sheet and ask her to look up and away from the camera.
I’d prompt her to think specifically about certain moments, activities or emotions to generate a variety of expressions on her face as I moved around her and captured a variety of wide, medium and close-up images.
We were able to create a wide variety of sentiments throughout these images, including:
Aspiration
Questioning
Introspection
Visualization
Vulnerability
Hope
Here’s what those sentiments look like on her face:
As I mentioned earlier, there is ample value within these types of photos.
First, they give your audience a different look into aspects of your personality.
When someone stumbles across you online and are qualifying whether you’re a fit to solve their problem, they’re looking to get a deeper sense of not only your level of expertise, but who you are as a person.
They want to know if your personality compliments their disposition, and photos like these help fill those gaps in their minds and will inspire them to get on the phone to chat with you.
In addition, these types of images offer your design team creative flexibility.
Notice how each of the photos shared above shows Kathryn justified to one side of the frame or the other. This type of composition offers ample amounts of negative space where your designers can add text, logos, branding elements and buttons directly onto the image in that space.
This flexibility allows your team to leverage these photos quite easily for website banners, digital ads, images on pdfs, presentation slides and other promotional opportunities.
Also, these images also are ideal to be leveraged for online content, as well.
Just imagine a quote from your keynote, facilitation or book being printed within the negative space of the images above to create a compelling piece of content.
The key to making this type of content pop involves complementing the emotional sentiment of the image - aspiration, vulnerability, introspection, etc. - with copy that parallels that sentiment.
The image, then, visually punctuates the sentiment of the story conveyed in the copy on the image as well as the story in the caption. It’s a magical combination!
While photos where you’re directly addressing the camera are an absolute must, keep in mind this idea of acquiring candid, thinking to yourself photos during your next branded lifestyle portrait session.
They add a unique flavor to your portfolio and gives your designers something different to leverage throughout your entire online presence.
For more visual storytelling strategies and insights for experts, I’ll talk your eyes off through my blog. Sign up to receive them directly in your inbox, and if you have any questions, set up a time to chat with me and then I’ll talk your ears off, too :)