Professional portraits that give your media profile viral appeal.
John Cassidy produces headshots, professional portraits that work as visual business cards. “I aim to convey the psychological cues like approachability, and confidence that make viewers want to relate to you,” says Cassidy.
The Headshot Guy’s business has expanded and is now being franchised, with two new franchisees selling the brand, as demand for the 5 year old enterprise’s service grows. Expansion has been driven by the growth of social media with businesses, professionals and even private individuals needing good profile shots for their social media platforms. Twitter, Linked in, Facebook, Instagram, Google + and Company website “about us” pages all need engaging profile pictures, and are driven by the quality of their increasingly visual content. “People need pictures that pop out at you, grabbing your attention in a second, and even an extra millimeter closure of the eyes can make the difference between engagement and non-engagement,” says Cassidy.
The typical experience of professional photography goes back to school days with those group pictures many felt embarrassed by. There is a gap between what people think they look like and how the world actually perceives them. Headshots close that gap. Cassidy produces them by interacting one on one with the subject, coaching and directing them to produce real smiles that radiate from the eyes embracing the mouth and whole face. “I often have to take them out of their immediate reality, but everyone can be made to produce what’s called a Duchesne smile, one that’s not just from the lips, but starts from the eyes. That is what conveys approachability and confidence,” says Cassidy.
With 30 years’ experience of photography learned first in his RAF days, The Headshot Guy worked for years as a Times Sports photographer covering national and international sporting events. His credits are impressive and include a photo-shoot with the Queen at St. James Palace. Last year he shot 300, 000 frames at 100 events and produced profiles for 72 companies. One corporate job started as Headshots for the senior board but is now rolling out to over 2000 employees of the firm.
Headshots are produced in the, studio, on location with clients and many are done at large public events where clients literally queue up when they see him at work. He creates an atmosphere, quickly infectious which literally impels even the most camera shy to come forward and take the plunge. One client at the recent Digital Marketing Show at London’s Excel Arena said “I hate pictures of myself, but he made it so much fun. I honestly could not help bursting into laughter during the shoot which was in the break of a serious working session in which I don’t think I even once cracked a smile!”
The Headshot Guy will be at “Too Good to Overlook”, the event showcasing Britain’s entrepreneurial talent at the HEARST building on Friday 30th January. Join him for a free trial of the service and have your headshot taken.