Photo retouching of business portraits isn’t just about the person’s face. Retouching can also fix clothing mishaps such as a crooked tie, a loose collar, wrinkled clothing, a missing button, an open zipper, a twisted pocket flap, etc.
Clothing mishaps aren’t a big deal in personal photos but they shouldn’t be ignored in a business headshot. If it looks like the person doesn’t care about their appearance, then how much do they care about their job?
A messy-looking business headshot raises questions about that person’s competency and trustworthiness.
Most human communication is nonverbal so we always look for visual clues: how the person dresses, their facial expression, their body language. Email is a form of nonverbal communication and we often use emojis to give visual clues about our tone of voice and emotion. There are no emojis in a photo so you need to emphasize visual clues such as proper choice of clothing, tidy appearance and good grooming.
You Are As You Appear
Your business appearance gives others an idea of your professionalism. Good grooming and a smart appearance means you’re more likely to be taken seriously. A well-dressed and well-groomed person is considered to be more confident. Someone who values their appearance is perceived to be conscientious and that their conscientiousness extends to their work. All of this will make you appear more professional and more competent which means you’re more likely to be trusted.
Recently a woman posted that she lost an executive job opportunity because she didn’t wear makeup for her interview. The interviewer told the woman that, despite her excellent qualifications, she didn’t put enough effort into her appearance.
The mistake wasn’t that the woman did not wear makeup. The mistake was that she thought the interview was about her. A job interview is like a business headshot and a business headshot actually is a job interview. An interview and a headshot are for the other party. You have to show what they need to see so they can trust you.
It’s not what you look like, it’s how you present yourself.
Photo retouching is used to repair, enhance and polish a business headshot so you can present your best self.
