3 Reasons why 10,000 (Free!) Headshots is An Essential Service
10,000 FREE HEADSHOTS
Like you, I know there are people around me suffering, and I want to do something to help out. Headshot Booker, along with partners Brookfield Properties and SpotMyPhotos, have come up with an exciting initiative to provide headshots to 10,000 out of work Americans. It took me a several breaths to realize its potential, and then I volunteered my service as a photographer. Could something I love doing also serve my community?
10,000 Headshots is the brainchild of Tony Taafe, who co-founded Headshot Booker with renowned portrait photographer, Peter Hurley (of Headshot Crew) and national event photographer, Lauren Lieberman.
On the surface, a headshot doesn’t seem like an “essential” item right now. If your high school portraits are the closest you have ever been to getting a headshot, you might even be worried it will weaken your immune system and reactivate your teenage acne.
HERE ARE 3 REASONS THE GIFT OF FREE HEADSHOTS AT THIS TIME IS ESSENTIAL.
REASON #1: PROFESSIONAL HEADSHOTS OPEN DOORS
What I quickly realized about the value of the 10,000 Headshots project is that having a great headshot gives job-seekers a huge advantage in the job market.
In many cases your head shot is the first glimpse of you that the person you are connecting with gets to see. If they are human, they will make assumptions based on what they see. LinkedIn has stated that employers are 21% more likely to look at a profile if there is a professional headshot
The good news is that it’s not about so much how photogenic you are, but the way you carry yourself in your photograph. A headshot says you chose to show up and do something to give yourself an advantage. You chose a professional photographer and it shows in the quality of the image. You are the kind of person who does things like this, as my marketing guru Seth Godin would say. You are the kind of person people want to work with.
Next time you do a people search on Linkedin, https://www.linkedin.com/mynetwork/ notice the photos that draw your attention. Probably not the ones of people from far away, with bad lighting and distracting backgrounds. Recruiters, employers, and B2B networkers are looking for someone they can trust. They want to see your beautifully lit and smiling face.
REASON #2: GREAT HEADSHOTS BUILD CONFIDENCE
Your headshot announces your confidence and approachability to the outside world, but what does it do for the inner you?
My clients will tell you that a headshot session with me is lots of fun and can even be therapeutic. I use the techniques I have learned from teaching yoga to help you relax, find your posture, and breathe. Then I throw in a dash of the ridiculous to get the corners of your lips raised.
Throughout the process you get a sense that you are special. You are seen. That any uncomfortable photo session from your past was about the photographer and not about you. A good headshot photographer coaches you to look your best, and then gets you out of your head so your smile is authentic.
10,000 Headshots is collaborating with SpotMyPhoto to make the photos available online as you walk out the door, while the experience is fresh in your mind. Seeing yourself shining with confidence and approachability in a beautifully lit photograph creates will help you feel confident and approachable on the inside. Its instant gratification with lasting effect.
REASON #3: HEADSHOTS INSPIRE COMMUNITY
Have you ever been on social media and seen a photo of a friend that expresses their personality perfectly? It probably made you smile. Maybe you even left them a message about how good they look.
As humans we are inspired by those around us. When someone gets a new haircut or outfit we notice, and it makes us think about doing the same for ourselves. Now imagine going online and seeing that some of your friends just got their headshots taken. They are sharing stories about their job search, and people are commenting on how professional they look. How the photographer really captured their spirit.
We are all looking for some good news right now. We are seeking the personal success story to counteract the negative news coming from the news media. We want to see the growth of our communities. The 10,000 Headshots event is a conversation starter that moves us in that direction.
BEING A PART OF THE 10,000 HEADSHOTS TEAM
On July 22nd I will be one of four photographers shooting 50 headshots each at Southwest Plaza in Littleton, Colorado. I will be joined by photographers Aaron Lucy, Randy Ellis, and Tom Jamison. Leonard Anderson and Katie Warnke will be shooting at the nearby Park Meadows Mall in Lone Tree, Colorado. Together we will provide 250 headshots in the Denver area.
Like many of the photographers volunteering at the 10,000 Headshots event, I am part of Peter Hurley’s Headshot Crew. The Headshot Crew is a photographer network that is home to the largest and most talented group of headshot specialists in the world. Crew members share techniques and critique each other’s work, so that we all develop our skills as photographers and mentors.
Besides being one of the top headshot photographers in the world, Hurley is an amazing organizer and coach. He is a master at making up words like “squinch” and “ambifacial” to make his techniques memorable. He even has an app with over 1000 “Hurleyisms,” which are basically zen koans for photographers to use while posing people. If I ask you to “relax the hairs in your nostrils” while you pose for me, you will know where I got it!
REGISTER NOW!
I am excited to be a part of this initiative, and hope it will help some people out. I look forward to meeting members of my community and making some new connections in the process. If you live in the USA, register for your headshot at www.headshotbooker.com
In addition to Headshot Booker, Brookfield Properties, and SpotMyPhotos, additional support is provided by Canon USA, Tether Tools, and PhotoFlashDrive.
JULY 14, 2020
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