I need a new profile pic but don’t want to look ‘like a knob’
Happy New Year! 2022 here we come…
So I asked my mates for ideas on blogging and one good friend suggested this. I did consider rewording the title but in truth isn’t this what many of us think? And maybe the fear puts us off updating that profile pic or moving away from that giant letter on Teams or whatever.
I understand this feeling. I needed a photo of my actual face for my website. The one I liked from my wedding just didn’t cut it any more. It did not say ‘hello I’m a photographer’. I know a few photographers and would have happily paid for a great shot, but I just didn’t trust anyone to take a photograph of me that I would like (yes I’m fussy and I like to be in charge ok lol).
In the end I took my own pic and then agonised over several options. What does it make me look like? Will people think I’m a knob? Do I like it? My new lens looks nice though…
Anyway I picked one, put it on my web site and updated my Facebook profile. I got some nice comments (who knew Facebook could be nice!) and nothing terrible happened. It was reassuring. And I’m happy potential clients can now see what I look like and find me in that cafe when we meet up.
So what’s my advice for you if you’re in the same boat? You want to put yourself out there a bit more this year but it's scary and maybe you’re not sure you can trust anyone to take your pic?
Well mobile phone cameras were basically designed for selfies so have a go with this function. Here’s what I’d suggest:
Do yourself up nicely, wear a nice block colour that suits you
Find a simple background with soft light and position yourself so your face is in this light
Set your phone vertically against something stable and position yourself nicely in the frame. Make sure you can see your shot on the screen. It might be easiest to sit on a chair next to a table (that’s what I did)
Fill most of the frame with your head and shoulders so that when you are a tiny circular profile your pic works well
Use the timer so your arm isn’t reaching towards your phone like in a traditional selfie
Take lots of shots, smile big, smile small, don’t smile, look in different directions. It is kind of tricky to look natural in this situation (you will actually feel like a knob), but eventually you will get an image you like
Update your profile. Just do it. You will thank me for it : )
Good luck out there!
“I believe photography - like many other things one does in life - is the exact expression of who you are at a given moment”