10 Signs You Should Hire a Headshot Photographer

Is your professional headshot more than three years old? Have you just landed a new position, are looking for a new job, or want to start your own business? If any of these scenarios apply to you, you should hire a photographer specializing in headshot photography.

Your online business profile on sites like LinkedIn or a company website is often responsible for creating the initial impression people have of you, so it's essential to ensure it highlights your best attributes.

Headshots are also an excellent marketing tool, whether you’re an online influencer or a corporate employee. It allows you to establish connections with your peers and potential clients.

So, how do you know it's time to hire a headshot photographer?

1. You've never had a professional headshot taken.

2. Your headshot is more than three years old.

3. Your headshot was taken with a cell phone.

4. Your headshot is a photo where you've cropped someone else out.

5. Your physical appearance (hairstyle, hair color, weight, etc.) has changed significantly since the last time you had a headshot taken.

6. Your job title has changed significantly, and your current headshot no longer reflects your new position.

7. You've been told your headshot doesn't look like you.

8. You're job hunting and need a photo as current and polished as possible.

9. Your current or past employer paid for your headshot, and you don't have permission to use it outside of that particular job.

10. You just don't like your current headshot!

The corporate headshot has evolved. Today, it is very contemporary and highly styled, and it needs to set you apart from your competitors immediately. The right headshot can make you feel excited and confident about sharing your image with the world. It can open doors to new and better job opportunities. It can influence how others see you—and it can even change how you see yourself! Let me and my team of experts help you to stand out in the best possible way!

Lisa Damico Portraits offers professional headshot photography for people of all career stages in Washington, D.C., Virginia, Maryland, and beyond.

Online Dating? 11 Photo Tips for Men

As a photographer and former online dater myself, the hundreds of online dating photos I came across made quite an impression on me.  There were so many people I wanted to message, not to express romantic intentions, but instead to say, "I'm sure you're a very nice guy, but by posting that bad mirror selfie, you make me think you have no friends or family who care enough to hold a camera for you. Please let me take a better photo of you!" In defense of the mirror selfie guy, it's easy to flip through photos of people you don't know and say yay or nay fairly quickly (on average women spend all of 84 seconds evaluating an entire profile1). But, actually coming up with photos that accurately represent who you are and at the same time are likely to give you your best chance of finding love is easier said than done.

With that in mind, here's a list of concrete tips to help men who are new to the online dating scene as well as seasoned veterans (don't worry ladies, your tips are coming next week!).

First, there are the obvious ones which serve as a list of "don'ts":

1. Don't show yourself surrounded by other women (it doesn't matter if it's your sister, don't do it).

2. No computer photos or bathroom mirrors. Let's make that no mirrors at all (case in point below).

3. No shirtless photos unless you're in really good shape, and want to be "that guy" who posts a shirtless photo.

4. Don't use a photo in which you're so far away that your potential love interest can't tell what you look like - same thing applies to close-up photos with sunglasses and a hat.

Now for the less evident, more interesting tips:

5. Man's best friend really is man's best friend. An OKCupid study found that men shown with animals receive more messages that any other type of photo. (If you have any doubt of this, Men and Their Dogs will cure you of it.) Close runners up are photos of men showing off muscles or doing something interesting.

6. Don't give priority to travel, drinking, or outdoors photos. The same study found those to be less likely to generate messages.

7. Ditch the cell phone camera.  According to another OKCupid study, photos taken with camera phones are found to be the least attractive (DSLR photos are the most attractive - cue shameless plug for hiring a professional photographer).

8. Natural light is best if you don't want to look older than you are. The same study determined that using a photo taken with a flash made the subject look seven years older than they actually were.

9. Look away from the camera and don't smile.A 2011 study in emotion showed that women prefer photos of men who were not smiling and looked proud. Researchers believe that this might have to do with the fact that pride is associated with masculinity.

10. Think twice before putting on that suit. Photos of men dressed up fared worse than normal clothes photos according to this OKCupid analysis.

11. To the left, to the left...A Wake Forest University study determined that photos that showed the left side of the face were viewed as more pleasant than those that showed the right.

12. Make sure you have at least four photos on your profile.  According to 2013 stats compiled by eHarmony, people who had four or more photos on their profile received the most communication from their matches.

13. While you're at it, make sure one of those shows your full body.  A Zoosk's study of almost 4,000 subscribers reported that those who included a full body shot received 203% more messages than those that showed less.

15 Reasons to Update Your Headshot Photo

You've seen the announcement for the headshot mini-marathon session, but perhaps you're still on the fence about whether to sign up.  The group photo from that conference you attended a couple years back where you cropped out your coworkers has served you pretty well. You're rocking a power suit in it - what more could a future employer ask for?? In the event that the more you think about your current headshot photo, the more doubts you have, I encourage you to read through the list of 15 reasons why you should get a new headshot.

1. You're ready to show your best self to the world.

2. Perhaps you got some fabulous new glasses.

3. Or, finally grew out that beard.

4. You got a new hairdo.

5. You've been working out hard this summer and want to show off the fit new you.

6. It's the end of summer, which means you've been soaking up the rays all summer and are glowing.

7. You've changed jobs.

8. You're job searching.

9. You want to look like a million bucks and have a salary to match.

10. You might be asked for a headshot tomorrow and you don't have one.

11. You started writing a blog and you wouldn't be a real blogger without a headshot.

12. Perhaps 10 years or so have passed between now and when the headshot you're currently using was taken.

13. Your current headshot is a selfie.

14. You want to look and feel like a model... and you will, once the Best Face Forward hair and makeup artists are done with you.

15. You want one of those 5 limited spots.

If you answered yes to any of the above 15, book your session with Lisa Damico Portraits by calling 540-798-9547 or emailing lisadamicoportraits@gmail.com.