3 reasons why you need a professional headshot!
Do you run your own business? Work as a freelancer? Do you have a LinkedIn profile? Are you on Facebook or Instagram?
If you've answered yes to any of those questions then it's time to put the selfie stick away and book a professional headshot photo session.
Here's 3 reasons why you need a proper headshot:
1. You need to look professional
Whether you run your own business, work as a freelancer or work for a company, you will need a decent headshot. A good headshot will convey your professionalism at work and portray you in the best light. A professional headshot will stand out amongst the array of cropped and blurry selfie images. It will also will show your potential employers, clients and colleagues that you value yourself and that they should too.
2. You can use it in multiple ways
A photographer can work with you to create a set of images that you can use across a number of platforms. You might need something formal for a conference brochure or something informal for a magazine interview. Or, you might be asked for a portrait image for a presentation or a landscape image for an online article. You can use them as profile pictures on Facebook and LinkedIn or on Instagram to introduce yourself to followers. The possibilities are endless. One thing is for certain, it's an investment that you won't regret.
3. It will make you feel good
Having a selection of professional images that you can use will make you feel good. You'll no longer panic when someone asks for a headshot as you'll have a variety of images to choose from. Having a set of great images will raise your self esteem and give you one less thing to worry about.
This year already I've taken lots of professional headshots for local business people, from physiotherapists to dentists, actors to freelancers and consultants to writers. Each session is tailored to create a set of images to portray them in a way that makes them feel professional and proud. In the next few weeks I'll be photographing a ceramics artist, a harpist and a therapist - each session will be totally bespoke for their needs. Keep an eye on my social media platforms to see them!
Have a look below at a selection of my favourites images from this year. What does your profile picture say about you?
Book your headshot session today!
See my headshot & commercial portfolio.
Find out more about a headshot & business photo session.
Personal Branding Headshot Shoot
Meet Rhiannon. She's a freelance writer and blogger based in Cardiff, South Wales. You can read her hilarious honest writing on her blog The Daily Boyle.
I've been doing quite a lot of headshot and personal branding shoots so far this year but I have to say this is one of my favourites. With such a variety of settings and amazing light, I was like a kid in a sweetshop.
What is personal branding?
If like me, you work for yourself and run your own business, then you ARE your brand. It's important to be able to portray yourself and your business to clients. It's vital for them to believe and trust in you - as a person and a brand.
A quick selfie might do the job in the short term but it's worth investing in some professional photography for the future. Personal branding shoots can include anything that helps to portray you and your business. Images can then be used across your website and social media platforms.
For Rhiannon's shoot - I wanted to show all the different sides of her. Yes, she's funny and friendly and down to earth but she's also a writer. Her writing covers all sorts of areas, some happy, sad, serious, funny and thoughtful. I wanted to capture all sides of her personality so that she can use the images for her blog as and when she needs them.
If you're interested in booking a personal branding shoot, then prices start at only £199. Bespoke packages can be created to suit your needs - each business is different and I'm happy to have a chat and create a package that suits each individual. Find out more on my pricing page and see more images on my headshots & commercial portfolio. Follow my very latest work on my Instagram account too!
Why is personal branding so important?
Why do you need a personal branding photo shoot?
In this day and age branding is super important. You'd have to be living in a cave if you weren't aware of the impact of brands. It's not just big businesses that rely on branding to get their message across. It's equally important for small businesses too - it runs through every aspect of a business. How you want to portray your business to your clients, the look and feel of your products and service, your logo, your website and your web presence.
Personal branding extends to include not only your business but yourself as well. If you provide a service then your clients will want to get to know you. They will want to see what you look like, perhaps see images of you at work as well as just a portrait of you.
Running your own business is a very personal undertaking and so it's important to be able to have images that portray you - do you want to be seen as corporate, arty, relaxed, fun, serious, creative? Do you want to include where you work, the tools that you use on a daily basis etc.
If you don't run your own business, it's still important to have a set of images that illustrate your working life. You many need images to feature in a programme, for a conference, on the back of a book, for your LinkedIn profile, CV - even your dating profile!
I really enjoy working with local businesses and business folk in and around Cardiff to get the images that they need. Over the years I've photographed businesswomen, businessmen, writers, actors, graphic designers, builders and even a mermaid. I've included a little selection of images below.
If you need to update your personal branding images - drop me a line to find out more. Visit my headshots & commercial pricing page and headshots & commercial portfolio page.
Siriol needed some headshots for her radio and acting work.
Scott needed to update his LinkedIn profile.
Rhiannon uses her images on her blog and Instagram account.
Kate uses her images on her Instagram account for her ceramics business - Skratch Ceramics.
The Home Physio Company
Newbridge Software
Mermaid Adventures
NKG Construction
Pop-up portrait sessions with Gemma Griffiths Photography
The main bulk of my work is photographing families on location in the beautiful countryside of the Vale of Glamorgan but a few times a year I offer pop-up photo sessions at local playgroups or seasonal mini sessions. This year, I changed the way that I work a little bit. I have experience as a headshot and school portrait photographer so I used the same methods to take portraits of little ones at their toddler groups. I used to aim for around 4-6 images per child and always try and make sure that I had the 'eye contact' shot and focussed on producing a few head and shoulder portraits for parents to choose from.
This year after a fab training session and some market research amongst my clients I discovered that parents didn't just want the head and shoulder portrait. They actually wanted a mixture of posed and unposed shots. They wanted images to show off their child's personality and the environment they are in. Well, this was music to my ears because I've always preferred unposed and natural images, so I decided to experiment with my Spring toddler groups and tried to capture more than just a portrait.
The response has been awesome from parents. I've presented between 10-30 images to families with a variety of posed and unposed images. Images that have more authenticity than a 'say cheese' picture and it feels brilliant!
At these toddler sessions I only have 10 minutes per child, so most of the images have been taken in the same spot. I wanted to show you an example of some of the images from this little girls gallery - she had 33 images in total and I've only shared 16 here. As you can see, you can get a gorgeous set of images in a short space of time. You can see her cheeky little grin, her thoughtful moments and a little bit of sass thrown in for good measure. The session took place at the Colwinston Baby & Toddler group which is held in the village hall in Colwinston, just outside Cowbridge. The garden behind the hall has a carpet of wild forget-me-nots at this time of year and they provide such a lovely backdrop to my Spring portraits here.
If you run or attend a local playgroup and would like me to visit for a pop-up portrait session then please get in touch to let me know. You can also keep in touch by following my Facebook page. I'll add new events as they get scheduled throughout the year.
If you have a group of friends or family members that are interested in a photo session then there is also the option of booking a private Group Mini Session for you all. Group Mini Sessions are a longer than my pop-up sessions and can include whole families, friendship groups and cousins etc. You can find out all about the idea behind my Group Mini Sessions on my blog.
Gem x
Mermaid Adventures Photo Shoot
Mermaid Adventures Photo Shoot
I'd never met a Mermaid before, so when Mermaid Sandy got in touch to ask if I'd be interested in a commercial shoot for her business Mermaid Adventures I was very excited! We love all things Mer in our house and I could quite happily spend every second of the day on the beach or in the water so it was a perfect fit. Mermaid Adventures is a local business that offers Mermaid experiences to all. You can book in for a Mermaid swimming lesson or have a Mermaid birthday party!
We had a group of fabulous kids who volunteered to help out on the shoot. They soon learnt, being a model isn't as glamourous as you'd think! They spent a long time at the shoot, with plenty of waiting around, but they all got to have a mermaid swimming lesson and photoshoot, so it wasn't too bad.
Above water, there was plenty of splashing and wearing some awesome hair accessories. Below the surface there was diving for shells, swimming through hoops and of course lots of posing.
As this was a commercial photo shoot for Mermaid Adventures, it was really important for me to focus on getting images that they could use on their new website and social media platforms over the next year or so. I focused on getting some action shots and showing how much fun the kids were having. They do so much in one lesson, I don't know how they fit it all in! Wall to wall fun with a touch of magic.
If you have a local business and are interested in my commercial shoot packages, then find out more on my pricing page or get in touch for a quote.
There were over 200 images from this shoot, so I can't feature them all, but here's a few of my favourites. Starting with the lovely Mermaid Sandy...
