Your website should connect with your ideal client through the copy, design, and images. Your professional headshot is a primary opportunity to form connection and reflect your brand. No budget for a professional photographer? No problem!
Here are some tips for taking a professional headshot for your website with an iPhone:
- Find a well-lit location: Natural lighting is often the best option for headshots, so try finding a spot near a window or outdoors in morning or late afternoon. Avoid using direct sun or flash, as it can create harsh shadows and red-eye.
- Choose the right background: Think about your brand when choosing your background. Are you a walk-and-talk therapist? Pick a location outside. Is your ideal client corporate? A plain, neutral background will be the best choice. Are you a holistic therapist? Choose a textured natural background such as a tree trunk. Do you want to impart warmth and safety? Perhaps you want to be sitting on a cozy sofa or an inviting armchair with a fluffy blanket nearby. Is playfulness a big part of your work? Get some photos of you laughing or smiling wide. For everyone, avoid distracting or cluttered backgrounds.
- Wear your brand colors: Wear your brand colors, or include your brand colors in the background for a unified online presence.
- Dress the part: Dress as your clients will see you. Do you normally wear eyeglasses when meeting with clients? Wear glasses in your photos. Do you bring lightheartedness and humor into your sessions? Include some more playful shots that could be included somewhere on your site.
- Experiment with angles: Try taking the photo from different angles to find the most flattering one. For example, you might try taking the photo from slightly above or at a slight angle from the side. Try some photos where you are not looking directly at the camera. Try some full length photos, headshots (from shoulders to top of head), and 3/4 compositions (waist to top of head).
- Exude approachability: No photos with arms crossed. No sunglasses. Your clients want to feel a connection with you.
- Use the self-timer or a tripod: To avoid camera shake and get a sharp photo, use the self-timer on your iPhone or a tripod to keep the camera steady.
- Edit the photo: Use the editing tools in the Photos app on your iPhone to touch up your headshot. You can adjust the lighting, crop the photo, and make other changes to improve the overall look of the photo.
Overall, the key to taking a professional headshot with an iPhone is to pay attention to lighting, background, and angles, and to use the editing tools to touch up the final photo. With a little bit of practice, you should be able to get great results.
Get A Website That’s A Marketing Machine
Your private practice marketing strategy should start with the single most important marketing tool for your practice: A great website. A great website should capture your voice, showcase your brand, attract your ideal clients, connect, and create the foundation for a powerful marketing strategy.
I have helped hundreds of private practices just like yours build a powerful online presence with WordPress website design customized to your practice needs. Let’s grow your practice and get you noticed.
