Let’s face it — there’s nothing worse than a bland, soulless headshot. For a headshot to be successful, it should be memorable. And to be memorable, it needs to be filled with personality. At Morton Visuals, we believe that every single headshot should show a little of the subject’s personality. Here is a little inside look at how we infuse personality in professional headshots.
Personality in Professional Headshots: Tips and Tricks
Movement is Dynamic
Instead of having you sit in a frozen, unnatural position, we try to allow for some natural movement. This will help you to relax a bit and be yourself. Soon enough, some of your personality should trickle back into the photos. We usually have you standing, and may ask you to walk, turn, or even move your head. (Count on that last one!)
Read the Body Language
Body language is always a good indicator of how comfortable someone feels. However, if someone gets really comfortable, they’ll probably be slouching. So our directions may feel a bit unnatural, but trust us — it will look much better.
Make You Laugh
The camera picks up emotion better than most people. In order to make your photos look genuine, we try to make sure that the emotion is also genuine. Simply asking you to smile won’t do the trick. Instead we’ll entertain you with jokes from only the smartest first-graders!
Highlight You in Your Environment
Nothing kills personality like a boring blue backdrop. While you may prefer this style for your team’s headshots, consider taking the headshots in a more natural location. We can bring a mobile photo studio to your location, complete with studio lighting and backdrops. But you can even set up the photos within the context of the office to create a scene that is true to life, and better establish your team and what they do.
Want to Nail Personality in Professional Headshots? Discover Morton Visuals
Ready to take some headshots of your team that are bursting with memorable personality? Find out more about how Morton Visuals can help.
What makes a perfect headshot? As far as we’re concerned, great headshots don’t need to be hard. In fact, the recipe for a great shot is pretty simple. Here are three elements that every good headshot should have.
If you’re considering getting some new corporate headshots for your company, you may be wondering — what makes a perfect headshot? As far as we’re concerned, great headshots don’t need to be hard. In fact, the recipe for a great shot is pretty simple. Here are three elements that every good headshot should have.
Rules for the Perfect Headshot
Personality
Every great headshot should have buckets of personality. The image should show off the person’s unique qualities. By looking at the image, you should get a sense of who the person really is. Do their eyes reveal a laughing, friendly personality? Or does their expression give a hint of their determined, alpha qualities?
Uniqueness
A good headshot should be unique. Try not to follow a cookie-cutter formula with your subject standing in front of a background smiling at the camera. Think of clever ways you can keep the image clear and professional, while making it unlike other headshots. The last thing you want is for the picture to be forgettable.
Quality
Finally, every good headshot really has to be taken professionally. No matter how great you think your holiday photos are, you’re probably not equipped to take a headshot of a high standard. A professional photographer can help you to take a super high quality photo that will speak for itself and give your business added credibility.
Get the Perfect Headshot Today
Here at Morton Visuals, we specialize in taking extremely high quality corporate headshots that will help your clients to see you at your best. Our unique action shots show off your team doing what they do best. Find out whether Morton Visuals can help you get the headshots of your dreams by contacting us today. Or, take a look at our portfolio to get a better idea of what we can offer.
In Part 1 we discussed the increasing prevalence of video in business marketing. Google loves it, and rewards it, so it stands to reason that if you want to promote your business online then you should incorporate video. First let’s talk about how you can use video for your online marketing.
There are different types of videos that a business can use. We won’t go in to things like feature films or documentaries here, although they can certainly feature companies and products. But we’ll talk about videos that can be shared on a company website, social media channels, or even on television.
Produced Videos for Your Business
Commercial Video
Most people are familiar with marketing and advertising videos. They may be similar to what you’ll see in TV commercials. They are usually featuring a product, service or company and aim to influence potential customers to invest in whatever they are marketing. In the example below, employees describe how they can help someone shopping for a new car.
Why buy your next car from Sam Pack Five Star Ford?
These videos for businesses usually have a longer shelf-life, and are worth investing a bit more in because they will get more views over a longer time – whether they are on the company website or your social media channels. They are also excellent for telling your company’s story, explaining your mission, or providing valuable reasoning why you are the best option for that customer.
Customer Testimonials
These are marketing gold mines. We all know that a referral is the best source of new customers. A referral is the least expensive way to gain a new customer, and is trusted far more than a random advertisement. Potential customers hearing one of your previous customers describe their (great) experience with your company carries a lot of weight. Particularly if it’s a “real person,” rather than an actor or spokesmodel reading a script. We can help you document these, and if we’re able to film several of these back-to-back then they can be quite cost-efficient. Below is a compilation of several customer testimonials for a local business, Tax Clean Up.
Promotional Video
A promotional video for business usually has a shorter lifespan. It’s designed to generate publicity and promote a specific event. Because these have a shorter lifespan it makes more sense to keep these simpler and less costly. Many businesses will invest some of the production savings on these in to boosting a video’s exposure online. Since it will typically be relevant for a shorter timeframe it pays to display it to as many people as possible. The example below is promoting a Christmas toy drive, which is particularly time-sensitive.
Chevrolet Toy Drive for Christmas 2020
Educational Content
A trend over the last few years has been to produce videos that are more educational than “salesy.” Show how well someone can use or take advantage of a product, and what it can do, and you’ll create desire for the product without looking like a sales pitch. You’ve probably even seen this in action at your local Home Depot or Lowes, as they get outside on Saturday mornings and teach people how to build something. (Then they watch people go inside to buy the tools they’ll need to do the really cool thing you just demonstrated.) A tutorial is similar, although some separate that into its own category.
Company Training
Many companies like to produce training videos for new employees. All employees see the exact same training, regardless of when or where they learn. This provides consistency, which is particularly important the larger the company is or the more geographically dispersed it may be.
If you’ve flown anytime in the last few years you may have noted that some airlines now show a video of the plane’s safety features at the beginning of your flight. All passengers get the same instruction, in every airport, every day.
In current times, training may be done entirely online – whether via a live “Zoom” webinar or a self-paced series of videos.
Live Video for Business
Live video has become the norm now. Conferences are live streamed, webinars are held to educate, and teleconference calls are finally commonplace. We’ll touch on just two of these applications at the moment.
Live-streamed Events
Thanks to the pandemic, in-person events have largely disappeared for the time being. Yet companies still want to engage with their employees, customers, or shareholders. So many events have turned to live streaming as a solution.
Morton Visuals is working to fill this need. We currently have three cameras that can be used show your team (or viewers) different views of speakers, events, and the like. Much like watching a late-night talk show, we can set up cameras for a host, guest, and wide shots of a set and help you live-stream that action online. This could include anything from a CEO’s announcement (like Steve Jobs introducing the iPhone) to internal training sessions.
We have worked with a prominent makeup retailer to present live classes with a well-known Artist demonstrating makeup techniques. In the studio we had a camera with a large zoom lens showing a close-up view to the class on a large flat-panel TV. With additional cameras to show the wide view and close-ups of the products this presentation can be streamed live to Facebook, YouTube, or the outlet of your choice.
Professional makeup artist BJ Batterman demonstrates makeup application
Business Webinars
Webinars are great video opportunities for customer demonstrations, discussions, online meetings, and so on. They can be streamed live initially, but also be recorded and available online for playback on-demand for those who were unable to watch it live. This is a bit of a hybrid, with the technological advantages (and challenges) of both immediate distribution and archival use.
Hopefully this gives you some ideas of ways you can utilize video for your business. You can communicate in your own voice, either live or on-demand — and more effectively get your message across. And Google will love it. Call us or email us and let’s talk about how Morton Visuals can engage your potential customers.
Brand consistency is a crucial thing to consider for any business. Providing a consistent tone and image for your company helps your clients to place you and remember you. Plus, it makes you look professional and reliable — key for any company!
Brand consistency is a crucial thing to consider for any business. Providing a consistent tone and image for your company helps your clients to place you and remember you. Plus, it makes you look professional and reliable — key for any company!
Corporate headshots are a great way to improve your brand image and credibility. However, when they’re done wrong, they can easily mess up your carefully designed brand image. Here are some tips on ensuring your corporate headshots work with you rather than against you.
Set a Color Scheme
First thing’s fist, decide on how you want your images to look. Think about the tone of your brand and try to convey that in the images. Setting a color scheme can be a great way to keep things professional while alluding to your brand’s image. Go for colors that match your logo or brand design for a super sleek and professional look.
Business headshots of the entire team with a modern look
Business headshots of the staff with a traditional look
Chat With Your Photographer About Brand Consistency
A good headshot photographer will know how to keep your brand looking good. If you’re worried about maintaining a consistent image with the rest of your content, speak to your photographer about how you can take photos that are in line with your company’s brand. For some companies a ultra modern, corporate look with studio lighting will work best. For others, a laid-back, outdoors-y look is better suited. Either way, your photographer will be ready to work smoothly and efficiently to minimize the time impact on your team and still make everyone look their very best.
Chat With Your Team
Make sure that everyone on your team is ready to arrive to the headshot session “in character.” Set a general dress code and ask your employees to think about how they as individuals can support the brand in their photos.
Let Morton Visuals Help You Deliver Brand Consistency in Your Headshots.
Find out whether Morton Visuals is right for you. We take care to cater to your company’s needs so that you can have the best possible headshots for your team. Contact us to find out more!
Morton Visuals offers video production services — videos to tell your business’ story, in your words. We’re excited about the opportunities!
Morton Visuals photography has launched new video production services! We’re excited about the new opportunities – providing not only still photography for businesses, but videos that tell more of a story. Our video production is focused on better explaining your value to your (potential) customers.
Morton Visuals shoots video of client testimonials for Tax Clean Up.
“A photo is worth a thousand words,” but a video can show people. You can communicate to your customer — or your potential customer — in your own voice. Not only can you use video to show what you do, but you can show how you do it. Those behind-the-scenes shots reinforce your message, and help people more closely identify with your brand. But that’s just part of the equation.
How popular is video in today’s society? Check out these statistics:
The Digital Marketing Institute states that the world watches 1 billion hours of YouTube video every day, according to TechCrunch.
Cisco further projects that 13% of Internet traffic will be live video — easy to believe the the popularity of Zoom in the COVID-pandemic era. (TIP: stay tuned to this blog for our next big reveal!)
You can state your message in your own voice, which usually inspires more trust. Our prior blog article on the Acquisition of Photography for your Business included a statistic that customers are 1/3 more likely to purchase based on an ad showing a real person rather than a stock model. So believability matters!
Google now owns YouTube, effectively owning the #1 and #2 search engines in the world. So do you think Google loves video? Take a look at search results, and see how many video thumbnails are displayed now for most any search query.
Videos allow you to capture viewers’ interest faster, and keep them on your website longer. That would seem to be a goal for your website, wouldn’t it?
In Part 2 of this article we will delve in to not just why you should but how you can use video to more effectively promote your business. Click to read more.
If you’re a business owner, you probably know that expansion is one of the most important goals to consider. However, while starting a business is hard, growing it can be even harder. In order to take the next steps with your business, you’ll need to create a marketing plan that sets you apart from your competition. One of the best tactics is to take professional corporate photos of your employees and staff. Find out how professional photos for expanding your business can really work.
Professional Photos for Expanding your Business: Give Your Brand A Serious Boost
These photos will represent your brand. If you choose to showcase boring, or unprofessional images to the public, your customers will be quick to judge. They will likely equate your business with that presentation. With interesting, high-quality media you will instantly improve brand image. An iPhone photo just can’t compare!
Professional Photos for Expanding your Business: Help With Your SEO
SEO, or search engine optimization is the practice of making your website more appealing to search engine algorithms. With good SEO, your business will be much easier to find online. With a gallery of professional images, your website will also appear in image searches for your specific niche. Plus, Google will probably prefer your website to the websites of your competitors.
Professional Photos Are Content and Content Means Engagement
As marketing professionals love to say, “content is king.” This is because content means that customers have something to engage with, whether this be a blog post, a video, or, in this case, a professional image. We suggest taking a series of dynamic, unique “action shots” that tell a story about you and your business. For one thing, they make excellent, engaging content!
Discover what Morton Visuals can do for your business today by checking out our live action shot portfolio. Contact us to book a session and start to grow your business the smart way.
Company culture refers to the general feeling and ethos amongst a company’s employees. A strong company culture means that employees are all unified and they are clear in what the business stands for. The way employees feel about the business, the direction they want the company to go in, and the tactics they’ll use to pursue these goals are all considered a part of the company’s overall culture. Find out why photos for company culture really work.
When a company has a strong sense of culture that aligns with the employees’ values, employees tend to become more inspired at work and produce better results.
Renew Employees’ Faith in the Business
From an internal perspective, photographing your employees can help them to feel appreciated at work. Showing off your staff on your website and social media will make them feel like crucial cogs in the machine. Plus, it will give them a stronger sense of belonging. Ultimately, this results in their feeling more connected to the company culture as a whole.
Action Shots Can Showcase Company Culture to Your Customers
Externally, corporate action shots that show off your employees in their roles will give your customers some insight into what your company is all about. In other words, insight into your company culture.
Here at Morton Visuals, we take images that are natural and dynamic to give a real sense of the company in action. This adds a sense of personality and can quickly showcase a company’s perspective, approach, and ethos. When customers see these images, they’ll feel more connected to the brand and thanks to the presence of a strong company culture.
Discover how we’ve helped countless companies to enhance their company culture with our exceptional corporate photos at Morton Visuals. Contact us today to find out more.
When it comes to product advertising, photography is without a doubt what makes or breaks your ad. Photos of your product should grab the attention of the viewer and make them eager to find out more.
When it comes to product advertising, photography is without a doubt what makes or breaks your ad. Photos of your product should grab the attention of the viewer and make them eager to find out more. The image should stick in the viewer’s brain so that the customer continues to think about the product as their day goes on. But what makes commercial photography so tricky?
Taking a pretty photo of your product is rarely enough to create a lasting impact on the customer. In fact, it can be fairly tricky getting the perfect shot. Here are some of the reasons why commercial photography can be tough — and some tips on getting the most out of your product photos!
What Makes Commercial Photography So Tricky: The Product Needs to Shine
In any commercial photography, the product should always stand out. This doesn’t always mean that the photo should have the product front and center — it does mean that the viewer should be drawn to the object when they look at the photo.
What Makes Commercial Photography So Tricky: Commercial Product Photos Can Be a Little “Samey”
If you aren’t careful, product photos can start to look pretty dull. It’s important to make sure you and your photographer don’t fall into commercial photography cliches. While a plain white background can make your product pop, think about ways you can dress your image background to set a mood and create a more unusual image.
You Need to Focus on What Will Inspire Your Target Audience
Who is most likely to enjoy your products? Think about what photos will make them tick. Not all commercial photography is the same because not all audiences are the same. Make your audience the focus and work from there.
Selling products online can be trickier than many small business owners realize. Marketing your products starts with professional photography makes them want to learn more about your brand.
Selling products online can be trickier than many small business owners realize. Marketing your products starts with professional photography that draws in new customers and makes them want to learn more about your brand. It’s important that you and your photographer make detailed decisions about what type of product photos will show off your products in their best light. Let’s discuss the catalogue shot vs the hero shot.
The Catalogue Shot
Why to use the catalogue shot? If you want your products to shine and you think a model might be more of a distraction.
While the hero shot includes a person interacting with your product, the catalogue shot contains no people — just your product! This is most often done on a clean white background, allowing for catalog or web page “knockouts” to remove the background.
Shows your product off in a more minimalist light. In some cases, this type of shot can draw attention to the product. If the product is small or slightly uninteresting to look at, a model might become a distraction.
Leaves everything to the user’s imagination. With no models in the shot, the customer will be able to imagine the product in their own home, being used by them.
To give your product photography a unique, exciting look. Some modern brands choose to forgo the model. This makes their product photos really pop.
The Hero Shot
The so-called “hero shot” usually consists of your product being used by a model, or being presented in a stylized manner. This means showing the product in an appropriate environment, such as a lipstick on a vanity or a tool on a workbench. Lighting is usually much more complex, and customized to highlight the key features of the product.
Why chose the hero shot:
Shows how your product is used. If your product does something it can help to show it in action. For example, a razor, an electric fan, a hair dryer, etc.
Can show customers what they could be if they bought your product. Makeup, skincare, and clothing photography often includes models. This shows customers what they could look like if they chose this product.
This type of photo tends to look much more interesting!
When to use the hero shot? If your product comes to life when it’s in use, show it off by including a model in your photo or by using customized lighting to highlight its features. See examples of how Morton Visuals’ product photography highlights products in our portfolio.
Wondering how corporate photos will set your social media profiles apart from the crowd? Social media is an excellent way to organically promote your business to your target audience.
Social media is an excellent way to organically promote your business to your target audience. More than 200 million users visiting at least one business page on Instagram every day. It’s become an essential platform for digital marketing. Instagram is a platform that is all about images. This makes it the perfect place to showcase your business’ corporate photography. Twitter and Facebook have also begun to embrace images in their algorithms. This means that using high-quality images on those platforms is also essential. Wondering how corporate photos will set your social media profiles apart from the crowd? Here are just a few of the benefits of corporate photography for social media.
Create an Eye-Catching Feed
Social media is all about instant gratification. These platforms thrive with eye-catching content. In other words, social media is not the place to be posting your wordy business statements! Because images are essential for social media, it’s vital that you optimize your visual feed. Using high quality, professionally taken images will give you a leg up on your social media platforms. Plus, it will force people who come across your profile to take notice.
Use Your Corporate Images as Social Media Ads
Social media posts are basically free (or very affordable) advertisements. Would you ever release an ad that featured grainy, poorly lit photos? No! Invest in a series of professional “action” corporate photos.
Give Off a Stellar First Impression
More and more customers are discovering businesses on social media. This is wonderful — if your feed makes you look good! Ensure that your social media feed looks professional and trustworthy by using corporate photography. This way, when new customers come across your profile online, they’ll be encouraged to stick around and explore your business in more detail.
Looking for a professional corporate photographer? Discover Morton Visuals today!
