Do You Look Your Best?

Americans spend billions of dollars each year on hair-care, makeup, gym memberships, skin treatments, clothes, purses, man-bags, and even cosmetic surgery to ensure that they are looking their best and projecting the image they want day in and day out.  However despite all the work, have you ever looked at yourself in the mirror on one of your best days and said to yourself “I wish I looked this good all the time?”

The truth is you can look “that good” all of the time, and the solution is simple:  commission a portrait of yourself when you’re looking your best.

Simple Solutions

Whenever I ask a 20, 30, or 40 something when the last time they had a personal portrait created, their answer is some variation of “why would I ever want that?” The truth is there are a lot of reasons.

How many times have you seen this:  A Facebook or MySpace profile picture, clearly taken by the subject by simply holding their camera phone at arms length, hoping to get their entire beer stained face in the frame?  If you’re a professional with corporate aspirations, or self employed business owner, or just someone who cares about how they look, is that that type of image really what you’d like project in your online life?

Was the last professional portrait of yourself taken at your wedding?  Or possibly even in high school or college?

Are you actively dating, and using any one of the online personality matching sites? Do you really want the first image someone sees on your profile to be a picture from four years ago, which you obviously had to cut and remove the person you were standing next to?  Luckily there are options available.

The Headshot

While this is the most basic type of portrait we can create, it also is the most versatile.  The classic head and shoulders headshot portrait is very appropriate for business networking sites such as LinkedIn.  There is also a lot of value in these portraits if you are self employed or a business owner.  They are good opening images to use on your Facebook personal page, your Facebook business page or group, your business cards, or other business collateral.

However if the classic headshot reminds you too much of your high school yearbook photo, consider another more contemporary option….

The Personal Lifestyle Portrait

There is nothing unique about this type of image.  Thousands of high school seniors each year simply do not settle for the traditional yearbook image, and choose to work with a custom personalized photographer who can create portraits that accurately reflect their personality and their interests.  While graduation from high school is an important time in anyone’s life, why should creative and expressive portraits limited to this single milestone?

The first place to think about creating a personal lifestyle portrait is to ask yourself, “who are you?”  Do you love your pets more than anything in the world? Are you a sophisticated city dweller, or a more laid back natural country/suburban person? Do you ride a motorcycle?  Do you play an instrument?  The answers to any and all of these questions can be used to help create the perfect portrait that not only makes you look as good as possible, but also communicates what exactly you’re all about.

A typical business/professional personal lifestyle portrait session includes both the traditional headshot, as well as the more creative and expressive lifestyle portraits featured above.

Let’s face it, it can be hard to look your absolute best all the time, every day.  However with a creative professionally crafted portrait displayed on your web page, business card, or Facebook page, your best face is always out in public.

You don’t have to be a trained model.  All you have to be is yourself.

For more information and to schedule a session, email Jay@jacphoto.net or call 847-494-1068