Put Your Best Face Forward
Welcome to Insightful Communications Publishing! This week, I have invited a colleague of mine to share with you some great insights about the importance of Professional Photography for your all your business projects, including book publishing. Bob Kyriakides from Digital Light and Magic is focussed on ‘our best image’ and I hire him often. You’ll find his message helpful, refreshing and easy to read. Enjoy!
In today’s so very-digital world, it’s easy to fall into the trap of going the “DIY” route for your business photography. Let’s face it, almost anyone can afford a very well appointed camera, but… owning one and knowing how to get great pictures out of it are on opposite ends of the spectrum. When having your book published, you want everything to be perfect – especially what’s on the cover. When people check out your book, they’re going to look your picture – yes – they WILL look at your picture. So, it’s very important you put your best face forward by having a professional photographer take that picture. Let’s look at 5 reasons to have professional photography for your book publishing.
1. “You only get one chance to make that first impression.” Especially true of your business portrait or “headshot”. A headshot created by a professional photographer should represent you the way you want clients to see you whether that’s confident, funny, poignant or got-it-going-on! The headshot on your book cover should attract people to your book rather than have them thinking, “ouch, looks like that’s a self-portrait” or “too bad about the shadow”. You’ve gone to all this effort to have your literary work-of-art published… go the last mile and have the headshot that will grace its cover done right.
2. Reusing and recycling are good for the environment and excellent for branding. Clients often tell me people they meet for the first time say they feel like they know them. Why? Because my clients use one or two headshots EVERYWHERE… book covers, business cards, e-newsletters, websites, etc. A professional photographer can make those “just right” headshots happen.
3. You get what you pay for. How often do we hear that one? So true when it comes to headshots. Professional photographers don’t just snap your image then hand over the file. We agonize over every detail of your headshot in “post” (the work that happens after the photo shoot) before letting you see the proofs let alone handing over the finished file. That attention to detail takes time and talent.
4. It’s fun and soul-soaring. Yes, you read that right… photo shoots should be fun. They are celebrations of your unique awesomeness captured in still images. We are often so critical of our own appearance. A fun photo shoot generates amazing images and incredible confidence. You’ll remember that every time you look at your photo on your book. And yes, headshot photo shoots CAN be fun.
5. “If a picture is worth a thousand words, then video is worth a million.” Once you’ve got your headshot, you need to start thinking about video marketing for your book. Did you know… on average there are more than 400 tweets per minute containing a YouTube link and on Facebook over 150 years worth of YouTube videos are watched every single day? Your video, promoting your book, should be one of them!
Until next time… I remain focused on your best image.
Bob Kyriakides
Digital Light and Magic
info@digitallightandmagic.ca
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