I hear it SO often before a Personal Branding or Headshot session.
“I prefer to smile.” Or, “I prefer to be more serious.”
And that’s totally fine. You’re allowed to have a preference!
But what if you’re preference isn’t the most important thing? What if there’s something more important at stake?
Allow me to explain.
The human face is capable of a RANGE of expression. It’s not simply on or off, smile or resting face. Your eyes communicate. Your mouth communicates. Then put them together, and add in hundreds of little micro-expressions that your face can make, and you have a feature of yourself capable of a seemingly infinite range of communication. Some positive, others negative.
But somehow when we step in front of a camera, we’ve all been conditioned to flash our pearly whites as big as we can.
Again, nothing wrong with smiles. I simply want to encourage thinking around being intentional about what you communicate through your brand’s images.
The Big Smiles
When done right, this almost can’t help but generate the same thing on the other side of the screen. If you have a big, genuine smile in a headshot, I’ve seen it cause people just to break into a big smile by looking at them.
And isn’t that what you want?
In a previous article, I referenced the importance of looking genuine in your headshots and branding images. If that’s lacking, you can still have the best lighting in the world, but the opportunity to build connection through your headshot will fall flat.
But if that genuineness is there in spades? That’s what opens doors. That’s what communicates the friendly, approachable, “great to have a conversation with” vibes. It’s what stimulates true connection.
The Confident Thought Leader
Can I let you in on a little secret? Big smiles aren’t my favorite expression to capture.
Why? Don’t get me wrong, sometimes a big smile is the perfect fit for someone and the message they are trying to communicate. And I’m ALL about brand alignment. But I’m still allowed to have a favorite, right?
For me, it’s the subtle, confident, “I’m here” vibe. It’s the confidence with a hint of approachability. The industry expert. The thought leader. It’s the expression that creates anticipation, makes you lean forward and think “I HAVE to hear what they say next.”
And when that’s combined with authentic, Thought Leadership content?
It’s powerful.
What’s right for your brand?
I would encourage you to think beyond your own personal favorites. The REAL question you should be asking is this:
What is my BRAND trying to communicate to the marketplace?
How should you be POSITIONING yourself?
Think in two ways:
1) How should you be showing up OVERALL? Are there any overarching themes that should be consistent across all of your messaging and platforms? If your website and messaging have an overall bright and cheerful vibe, then darker, more serious images probably won’t align well with what you’re building. This should inform your personal branding shoot.
2) What are the various use cases for these images? LinkedIn? Multiple website uses? Email signatures? Social media? Marketing materials? Speaking announcements? Book cover? Based on the various uses, different looks/expressions may help to amplify your efforts.
For example, do you use one platform for a lot of business development/sales? Perhaps go with a more warm and friendly look.
Are you getting booked to speak and want to look like an industry thought leader (because you are one)? Perhaps go with a slightly more serious, confident vibe (something like my “boardroom shot”).
What a lot of my clients are doing (based on their brand vibe and potential use cases) is using a personal branding session to build a diverse portfolio of images that capture different aspects of who they are: the contagiously friendly network architect, the serious brand builder, the insightful thought leader, the impactful speaker, the problem-solving entrepreneur.
At the end of the day, the goal is not just for you to look like an industry expert.
It’s for you to look like THE industry expert. After all, you’re not aiming for second place, right?
P.S. Want a complimentary brand consult? Contact me to see if it’s a good fit!
P.P.S. If this article was helpful, please share it!
P.P.P.S. Thanks to Nicole Mastrangelo Vildosola for prompting me to write this. When she prompts, you listen!
Daniel Wakefield is a photographer, entrepreneur, and author. He is the founder of Top-Tier Headshots and the Accelerate Coaching Group, initiatives through which he helps professionals and creatives elevate their brand and business.
