ikonnect September 2008 - ikon insights

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An Executive Portrait is a professional photograph that is used in business and which represents you in the way that you want your clients to perceive you. Whether you’re a CEO, a young, funky graphic designer or an accountant, an Executive Portrait gives your clients an immediate impression of who you are. That’s why it’s so important to get the Executive Portrait that’s right for you. Here we take a look at what you should consider when having your Executive Portrait taken or updated.

1. So who should have an Executive Portrait?
All business owners (in service and product industries) who are the main representatives of their business, as well as sales staff, CEOs, Directors and Senior Management should have their portraits taken. Ask yourself:

•    Are you representing yourself and, therefore, you are the business?
•    Are you the main representative of the business?
•    Are you a member of the sales team?
•    Are you a member of the senior management team, on the board of Directors or the CEO?

If you are, then you’ll be well aware that the image you put forward is paramount. As people still judge a book by its cover so will they judge you. You’ve heard the saying ‘first impressions count’, so what first impressions are you making on your existing and prospective clients?

2. Your clients expect you to have images that reflect who you are and what you are doing now.
That means your business photos need to be up to date, fresh and dynamic because it shows your clients that you are ‘with the times’, current in your presentation and that you are active in your communications with your target market.

Here are some important questions to consider when updating your Executive Portraits:

- Do your images reflect your current dress sense?
- Do they represent you in the same way that you currently present yourself to your Target Market?
- Do you have a variety of images so that you can use them for different purposes?
- Do your images reflect the target markets that you are marketing yourself to?
- Do your images show your personality?
- When asked, are you ready to supply photos to accompany your presenter’s bio, for PR campaigns or a proposal?

If you answered ‘no’ to any of the above, it sounds like it’s time to update your Executive Portraits.

3.    Is it time to update your Executive Portrait?
You should update your Executive Portraits at least every 2 to 3 years. Your Executive Portraits represent you and your business. When you change, so should the images you use to promote yourself. If you don’t, you run the risk of misrepresenting yourself and your business – so when people meet you face to face they’ll be thinking about how different you look in your photos rather than concentrating on doing business with you. An Executive Portrait is not like your logo that stays constant for many years. Instead, think of it as the menu of a restaurant, which needs to evolve to suit the changing target market and maintain a fresh image. Keeping things the same is boring, old and eventually leads to ‘business death’.

So ask yourself:

- Are your current photos more than two to three years old? If they are then you most likely look different in them to how you look now.
- Have you expanded, updated or in any way changed your target market?
- Have you modified your physical appearance? For instance, have you lost weight or changed the colour of your hair?
- Have you changed your styling? That is, changed the colours of the clothes you wear or changed your look? e.g. from suit and tie to jeans and shirt

4. What you should expect to receive from your Executive Portrait photo shoot.
Executive photographs should make you look real and natural – there’s no room for Glamour photos here or for extensive airbrushing. You look the way you look today, tomorrow and, most likely, next month as well. So your images should present you in the same way that you present yourself to your clients each day. Each image should be slightly retouched to remove any small, unwanted blemishes and to soften some of the more pronounced lines on your face, just to give the appearance of clean, fresh skin.

The images should be presented to you electronically on a CD/DVD in formats and sizes that will suit your needs. Ask your photographer if they can supply your images as ‘print ready’ and ‘web ready’. Print ready images are needed by magazines, newspapers and other print media. They are large in physical size (typically larger than 8”x12” so they can be used on magazine covers), at a resolution of 300dpi (which is the preferred printing resolution) and saved as TIFF files with a CMYK colour profile.

At the other end of the scale are web ready images, which are used on web sites, email signatures and other onscreen applications. They are smaller in size (typically no bigger than 2”x3”), at a resolution of 72dpi (screen resolution) and saved as JPEG files with a RGB colour profile.

So the technical questions to ask your photographer are:

- What will be the size of the images?
- What will be their resolution?
- What file formats will I receive?
- What will be the colour profile? CMYK, RGB or both?

5.    What you should look for in a photographer.
As mentioned, you want your Executive Portrait to look natural and to look like you. That’s why it’s so important to find an accredited professional photographer whose work you like and whom you get along with. The photographer should be able to deliver exactly what you need in a professional way that makes you feel comfortable and relaxed at all times. Your photographer should design the photo shoot with you prior to the day of the shoot so that you are well prepared about the right types of clothes to bring (usually three to four outfits), shoes, accessories and props. They’ll help you understand what grooming is required beforehand, what styles of photographs you need and, of course, the logistics of the shoot.

Your photographer should have a professionally equipped studio and be able to create many different looks for you in the one location. Preferably they will have an indoor space (using a professional studio flash set up) and an outdoor space (taking advantage of natural light). In addition, or as an alternative to creating the scenes for you in a studio, they should also be able to take your Executive Portraits on location. The location(s) selected should clearly reflect a key aspect of you and/or your business.

So now you know just how much is involved in producing an Executive Portrait that’s befitting of you and your business. If you would like to speak to ikon images about updating your Executive Portrait or getting your first taken, see the special Executive Portrait ikonnect reader offer, then give us a call.

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ikon images Melbourne's most complete and award winning professional photography studio catering for the key milestones & events in your family and business life. At ikon images our team is focused on giving you the best experience that we possibly can to ensure that you are delighted with the beautiful and timeless images that we design, create and produce for you. We specialise in Wedding Photography, Portraits (babies, children & family), Model Portfolios, Glamour Portraits and Executive Portraits.

Kon Iatrou Director & Principal Photographer p: 1300 794 194 a: 42 Manningtree Road Hawthorn, Victoria 3122 e: info@ikonimages.com.au w: www.ikonimages.com.au

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