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SISSELA JOHANSSON PHOTOGRAPHY
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issela Ørnholt Johansson grew up in Copenhagan, Denmark. Even though she is quite the Danish beauty, during her childhood she was subject to a considerable amount of bullying. She attended six different schools, and was always taller and bigger than the other kids/teenagers and they would taunt her with labels of stupid, fat and ugly.
At a historical costume event a photographer took her picture and submitted it to an album cover contest with the popular Danish hip hop band called Suspekt. Her image won, and is the cover of one of their albums! After that she entered a modeling contest, where the winner would get a lucrative contract. She came in second. But the modeling agency signed her up anyway!
While she was attending an event with a photographer friend, he suggested she take some pictures with his professional equipment. She was afraid she would break his camera, but he insisted, and she went ahead and took some shots. When he saw what she took, he told her "You have the eye" and took her under his wing to teach her professional photography. He taught her the many tricks of the trade and voilà, she launched her career as a national/international photographer.
She now resides in Fairfield County, Connecticut. One of her childhood friends from Denmark had moved to Stamford and suggested she visit and check it out. While she was there she met and fell in love with her future husband. Her visit became permanent, although she is often back in Europe and other parts of the world.
Having gone through childhood bullying, she understands a lot about self esteem and self image. Her goal is to help people feel comfortable, bring out their inner uniqueness and project what they offer to the world. She creates powerful images of her clients. Below is an article she did on the importance of updating your headshot!
5 REASONS TO UPDATE YOUR HEADSHOT - AND NO, IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE BORING!
Have you ever looked for a professional whose services you were in need of? You look through the different profiles and websites and more or less without knowing it, you filter through the people you want to work with based on different parameters. Do they seem competent? Do they have the experience you need them to have? Do they look trustworthy and professional?
Headshots can make or break someones decision to hire you, buy your book or purchase your services.
Below I have listed 5 reason why it is time to update your headshot and why you don’t necessarily have to go the traditional headshot route but can allow yourself to be creative and have fun with the process!
Headshots can make or break someones decision to hire you, buy your book or purchase your services.
Below I have listed 5 reason why it is time to update your headshot and why you don’t necessarily have to go the traditional headshot route but can allow yourself to be creative and have fun with the process!
1. First Impression Matters
Having a professional portrait done makes you look and feel credible.
I remember once when I was in need of a medical professional I was scrolling through the vast directory. There were so many profiles that it was beyond overwhelming. Taking the time to look through every single one of them just wasn’t an option! Instead, I had to build some criteria for when I wanted to further look into someones profile. The most important criteria for that was their headshot.
If a person had an obvious selfie, a cut out from another image or an image that looked outdated - I would not look further into them.
”That’s just superficial and shallow!” You might say.
Well, my reasoning behind that decision was partly influenced by me being a photographer but also by my idea of when someone is being a professional.
Did they take themselves and their business serious enough to invest in their headshots? If someone chooses to skimp out on a good image (and yes, it can be done with a cell phone - I will write a blog post on that another day) then it makes me wonder where else they decide to skimp out. Having a proper headshot can be vital to your professional image.
Having a professional portrait done makes you look and feel credible.
I remember once when I was in need of a medical professional I was scrolling through the vast directory. There were so many profiles that it was beyond overwhelming. Taking the time to look through every single one of them just wasn’t an option! Instead, I had to build some criteria for when I wanted to further look into someones profile. The most important criteria for that was their headshot.
If a person had an obvious selfie, a cut out from another image or an image that looked outdated - I would not look further into them.
”That’s just superficial and shallow!” You might say.
Well, my reasoning behind that decision was partly influenced by me being a photographer but also by my idea of when someone is being a professional.
Did they take themselves and their business serious enough to invest in their headshots? If someone chooses to skimp out on a good image (and yes, it can be done with a cell phone - I will write a blog post on that another day) then it makes me wonder where else they decide to skimp out. Having a proper headshot can be vital to your professional image.
2. You Deserve to Feel and Look Good!
This one is bigger than you think! But how you feel matters more than anything! Having an amazing professional portrait will help you feel confident about what you do and that in turn will read to your clients. They will see that confidence and be attracted to it and thereby being more inclined to hire you for your services. Having photoshoot with a professional photographer can be that missing link to feeling like that business person you know you are. It really helps tie your brand together and feel cohesive.
This one is bigger than you think! But how you feel matters more than anything! Having an amazing professional portrait will help you feel confident about what you do and that in turn will read to your clients. They will see that confidence and be attracted to it and thereby being more inclined to hire you for your services. Having photoshoot with a professional photographer can be that missing link to feeling like that business person you know you are. It really helps tie your brand together and feel cohesive.
3. Build Trust
In business you need your clients to like you, resonate with you and trust you. Part of that involve showing your face and putting your best leg forward. People need to be able to put a face on the person they want to work with and now more than ever we are influenced by the presentation of images. Showing your potential clients that not only do you take you and your business seriously, but you are also a relatable human full of understanding and experience, is vital to their decision making.
Take a moment and think about your own purchasing or hiring decisions. Would you hire someone who you didn’t feel like you could trust?
In business you need your clients to like you, resonate with you and trust you. Part of that involve showing your face and putting your best leg forward. People need to be able to put a face on the person they want to work with and now more than ever we are influenced by the presentation of images. Showing your potential clients that not only do you take you and your business seriously, but you are also a relatable human full of understanding and experience, is vital to their decision making.
Take a moment and think about your own purchasing or hiring decisions. Would you hire someone who you didn’t feel like you could trust?
4. Your current headshot is outdated
When was the last time you updated your headshot?
Time goes by and we change as humans. We grow older, slimmer/larger. Our features change. Our hair changes. We change! It is normal and it is life. If you show a headshot from 10 years ago, chances are, that you have changed quite a bit since then. It could even be something as simple as a different style or a new haircut.
In order for people to trust you they need to know that the person they see in the image is actually the person that they will meet in real life. If you show up for a client meeting looking completely different this will chip away at the trust you have already built and it will make it more difficult for them to trust you further down the road. Why should they trust someone who is not honest about their appearance?
This is also why it is important to have a headshot that is true to your looks. Your headshot is not the time to apply heavy filters that hide your features. Show who you are with an up to date headshot that represent where you are in life - right here and now!
When was the last time you updated your headshot?
Time goes by and we change as humans. We grow older, slimmer/larger. Our features change. Our hair changes. We change! It is normal and it is life. If you show a headshot from 10 years ago, chances are, that you have changed quite a bit since then. It could even be something as simple as a different style or a new haircut.
In order for people to trust you they need to know that the person they see in the image is actually the person that they will meet in real life. If you show up for a client meeting looking completely different this will chip away at the trust you have already built and it will make it more difficult for them to trust you further down the road. Why should they trust someone who is not honest about their appearance?
This is also why it is important to have a headshot that is true to your looks. Your headshot is not the time to apply heavy filters that hide your features. Show who you are with an up to date headshot that represent where you are in life - right here and now!
5. Stand Out Now
Just because you need a new headshot doesn’t mean that you have to follow the same old formula of how headshots traditionally are taken. In today’s society it is more important than ever to stand out! You only have a very short time to make an impression so why not make sure your professional portrait stands out from the crowd?
One of the things I hear time and time again among my clients is that they don’t want to look stuffy and outdated. They want their personal branding portraits and headshot to represent who they are. This results in many of them choosing unorthodox styles of images and I am all for that! Why not have fun with it?
Just because you need a new headshot doesn’t mean that you have to follow the same old formula of how headshots traditionally are taken. In today’s society it is more important than ever to stand out! You only have a very short time to make an impression so why not make sure your professional portrait stands out from the crowd?
One of the things I hear time and time again among my clients is that they don’t want to look stuffy and outdated. They want their personal branding portraits and headshot to represent who they are. This results in many of them choosing unorthodox styles of images and I am all for that! Why not have fun with it?
So there you have it! 5 good reasons why now is the time to update your professional headshot!
Ready to get started with your new and updated pictures?
LEARN MORE ABOUT HEADSHOT SESSIONS
Ready to get started with your new and updated pictures?
LEARN MORE ABOUT HEADSHOT SESSIONS
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