Long before I became a full-time photographer, I spent around 20 years working in financial services.
I sat across tables from people making some of the biggest decisions of their lives.
Retirement. Redundancy. Selling a business. Receiving an inheritance. Planning for their family’s future.
Sometimes the numbers were complicated. Often, the emotions behind them were even more complicated.
That experience might seem a long way removed from photographing somebody for their website or LinkedIn profile. But the more professionals I photograph, the more I realise those two careers have a surprising amount in common.
Both involve trust.
Both involve asking the right questions.
And both require you to understand that the person in front of you is rarely worried about the thing they say they’re worried about.
People need to trust you before they’ll relax
Nobody walked into a financial planning meeting eager to reveal every detail of their life to a stranger.
They might have arrived with a pension statement or a question about investments. But behind that was often something much more personal.
“Will I have enough?”
“Can I afford to stop working?”
“What happens to my family if something happens to me?”
You couldn’t rush those conversations. You had to listen, explain things clearly and give people the confidence to be honest.
A portrait session works in much the same way.
When somebody tells me they hate having their photograph taken, the camera often isn’t the real problem.
They’re worried about looking awkward.
They’re worried the photographs won’t feel like them.
They’re worried about being judged.
Or they’ve had a bad experience before and don’t want to repeat it.
My first job isn’t to start taking photographs. It’s to make the person in front of me feel they’re in safe hands.
That means explaining what we’re going to do, giving clear direction and never making them feel silly for being nervous.
Trust comes before good photographs.
Listen to what someone means, not only what they say
Clients don’t always have the language to describe what they need.
In financial services, somebody might say they wanted the investment with the highest return. A longer conversation could reveal that what they really wanted was enough certainty to sleep at night.
The first answer wasn’t wrong. It just wasn’t the complete answer.
The same happens with photography.
Someone might tell me they need “a professional headshot”.
But what does professional mean to them?
Do they need to appear experienced and reassuring? Approachable and relaxed? Creative and distinctive? Confident enough to lead a team, without looking unapproachable?
A technically excellent photograph can still fail if it communicates the wrong thing.
That’s why I want to know where the photograph will be used, who needs to respond to it and what impression it should create.
If you’re booking a professional portrait, think beyond “I need a new photo”.
Ask yourself:
Who needs to trust me?
What do I want them to understand about me?
How should they feel when they see this photograph?
Those answers are far more useful than deciding whether you’d prefer a grey or blue background.
Clear guidance makes difficult things feel manageable
Financial services is full of unfamiliar language, complicated rules and intimidating paperwork.
A good adviser doesn’t make a client feel stupid for not understanding it. They explain what matters in plain English and help them make one decision at a time.
Most people feel equally unfamiliar with being photographed.
They don’t know where to stand, what to do with their hands or whether they should smile. They become intensely aware of their chin, shoulders and facial expression.
Telling someone to “just relax” isn’t particularly helpful.
Instead, I give small, clear instructions.
Turn your shoulders slightly.
Bring your chin forward.
Drop that shoulder.
Move your weight onto your other foot.
Look just past the camera.
Each adjustment is simple. Together, they make a significant difference.
You don’t need to arrive knowing how to pose. You just need a photographer who knows how to guide you.
Professional doesn’t have to mean stiff
For years, the default image of a professional was fairly narrow.
Dark suit. Plain background. Serious expression.
That might still be appropriate in some situations. But professionalism isn’t a costume.
A therapist, architect, financial adviser, designer and charity chief executive can all be highly professional while needing completely different portraits.
The photograph should reflect the person, their work and the expectations of their audience.
My years in financial services taught me that people make important decisions based on more than qualifications and technical knowledge. They also respond to warmth, clarity and whether somebody feels credible.
Your portrait needs to communicate those qualities before you’ve had the chance to say a word.
That might mean a formal studio headshot. It could mean a relaxed portrait in your workplace. It might be a mixture of polished headshots and more natural photographs showing how you work.
The right answer depends on what you’re trying to achieve.
Details matter, but the whole picture matters more
Financial planning involved plenty of detail. Tax allowances, investment charges and projected returns all mattered.
But becoming too focused on one number could mean losing sight of the actual goal.
Photography has its own version of this.
People sometimes fixate on one small detail they dislike about themselves. A line around their eyes. The shape of their smile. A strand of hair that won’t behave.
I understand that. We all look at photographs of ourselves differently from the way we look at other people.
But the people viewing your portrait are usually taking in the whole picture.
Do you look confident?
Do you seem approachable?
Do they believe you know what you’re doing?
A good portrait isn’t about removing every sign that you’ve lived a life. It’s about presenting you clearly, honestly and at your best.
The real goal is confidence
A financial plan could be hundreds of pages long, but its real value was often much simpler. It helped somebody feel clearer and more confident about what came next.
That’s what I want a professional portrait to do too.
It should give you a photograph you’re happy to put on your website, add to LinkedIn or send to an event organiser without hesitation.
It should look like you on a very good day.
Not overly polished. Not pretending to be somebody else. Just calm, credible and ready to be seen.
If your current headshot no longer reflects who you are, the work you do or the level you’ve reached, it might be time to replace it.
Get in touch and tell me what you need the photograph to achieve. We’ll work out the rest together.
