There are a few ways to take a great business portrait, and many ways to take a really bad one.  Business portraits, whether you are an executive, entrepreneur, speaker, author, or are unemployed, are often the first thing that people see, as social media sites have taken over both our personal (Facebook and Twitter) and professional (LinkedIn) lives.

Selfies are great...if you are in high school.  Candid photos at a party are great....to share with your friends.  But if you want your first impression to be of someone that people can trust to hire and want to do business with, a professionally-done business portrait will put you head-and-shoulders above most other people.  Choice of clothing, color of clothing, and the environment that you are in all come into play when planning and creating your portrait.

Whether it's a traditional head shot, or a more contemporary business portrait showing the environment you work in, it certainly pays to have it done well.  Leave the selfies and party photos for the weekend.

But don't take it from me.  A recent article in the Small Business Trends website written by CJ DiRoma implored readers to Say Cheese! 4 Reasons You Need a Business Photo Shoot.  

"Too often, businesses neglect making the most of their greatest commodity when it comes to creating content for marketing initiatives – its people. With social media driving brand awareness and social engagement strategies pushing new limits in brand loyalist campaigns, more and more businesses of all sizes are maximizing the faces that make their businesses unique, trustworthy, dependable, reliable and, overall, awesome."

To read more of the Small Business Trends article, go to: http://smallbiztrends.com/2014/11/business-photo-shoot.html