5. Putting the “Self” in Self-Portrait: Finding the Right Photo to Express a Personal Brand
The standard head shot may be safe, but it can be boring. Michelle Villalobos found this out when she selected the right image to represent herself and her personal brand. Villalobos runs workshops and teaches marketing and business concepts to professionals. Her most popular program is You: The (Online) Brand. She often uses multicolored Sharpie markers to draw charts and liven up her visual presentations. She knows the value of using the right image to make a point in education and promotion.
Yet when it came to promoting herself on her blog, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter accounts, she did what many professionals do: pose for traditional portraits in business attire. The result was a beautiful professional portrait—but it didn't really represent her. At one of her workshops on personal branding an audience member commented, “Your portrait doesn't reflect your brand—you're fun, young and vibrant, your headshot is sedate and boring.
It's beautiful, but it looks like it belongs on Match.com—it's not the you we met today.”
Why It Works
Villalobos decided to practice what she preaches and selected a photo of herself that emphasized her creative side. Fortunately, during the photo sessions with photographer Gio Alma she was warming up with her trade tool of choice, a handful of Sharpie markers. ...
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