Social networks have become our most frequent means of communication and the photographs we put on our profiles are more relevant than we imagine. That is why today we bring you some tips to achieve your best portrait photography for social networks and we tell you the most frequent mistakes that you should avoid in your profile picture .
Before continuing, if you are interested in the subject of portraiture, you cannot miss this mega guide that we have prepared with all the tips and tricks to achieve incredible portraits. In addition to finding inspiration and much more than you can imagine.
Of course, go ahead that you want to put a face to your profile. If you want to maintain your privacy and do not want your face to be seen in your personal and private account, what you are going to read next is not for you. But I understand that if you are reading this, it is not your case. That what you are looking for is to make a very good impression with your profile picture, right? Well keep reading.
WHAT DO I WANT TO COMMUNICATE WITH MY PORTRAIT ON SOCIAL NETWORKS?
The first thing you should consider is what you want to communicate with your portrait. It is your letter of introduction, the first impression that those who do not know you will take of you, and the importance does not lie precisely in whether or not you presume to be attractive. Therefore, your goal is not to choose the image in which you look your best, but the one that best suits what you want others to "see" in you.
It is not the same that it is a professional profile than a personal one. Nor is it the same, being a professional profile, if you dedicate yourself to a more creative profession than if you are part of the management of an important finance company.
That is why you have to start with the questions: What do you want them to see in your photograph? Formality, freshness, naturalness, sensitivity, strength and determination, tenderness? The first step is to answer this, because everything else will revolve around the answer.
From this it can be concluded that you can (and should) choose a different photograph for different social networks. For example, the image you choose for your Linkedin profile will not be the same as for your personal Instagram account. Likewise, if you have a professional Instagram account and a personal one, the photo to choose will not be the same.
MISTAKES THAT YOU SHOULD AVOID AT ALL COSTS IN PORTRAITS FOR SOCIAL NETWORKS
It does not matter if your photograph is for a professional profile or for a personal one, try to avoid these typical mistakes in the profile photos of your social networks :
1. THAT IT DOES NOT LOOK GOOD IN SMALL
Profile photos are often seen in a very small size, so you must take this detail into account. Make sure it is visible and clearly visible to you even in a mini size. That it does not seem like a strange thing or that they have to stick to the screen or scrutinize with their fingers trying to enlarge. To do this, we recommend filling the frame and making sure it is well lit.
Which of these two images do you think would look better small?
Obviously, the right image will look much better. In the first example the books are more visible. It does not mean that if these are important in your life or in your profession, they do not appear, quite the contrary, but they should remain in the background, not confuse or reduce visibility.
2. TOUCHING UP TOO MUCH
Photos that are too retouched lose their naturalness. Surely you hope to convey confidence, regardless of whether it is a personal or professional profile. A portrait that is too retouched is artificial and will arouse misgivings in the recipient of the message.
3. INCLUDE YOUR PET
Your pet may be what you love most in this world, but you don't need to include it in your photo, especially if it's a profile associated with your professional account. Even if it is a portrait for social networks with a personal account in mind, your pet will take away the limelight, you will take up less space in the frame and, therefore, it will make it difficult for you to be seen well in small. Within your personal accounts you can put as many photos of her as you want. But, as far as possible, avoid it appearing in your profile picture. And much less that it is a portrait only of him.
4. INCLUDE OTHER PEOPLE
For the same reasons that it is not recommended to include your pet, you should avoid appearing with friends or family. Also, unlike the pet, including another person can confuse whoever enters the profile with the idea of putting a face on you and not knowing who you really are, if you or the other person.
5. FORCE A SMILE
We are experts (on an unconscious level) in detecting false smiles and this, like excessive retouching, causes mistrust, even if we are not clear about what causes it. If you don't really smile, just smile your mouth, your eyes stay expressionless and the camera catches it. Better a real laugh or not smiling than not really.
6. SELFIES
One thing is a self-portrait and another is the typical selfie with a duck-faced mobile. No. Avoid at all costs. If you don't have anyone who can do your portrait for your social networks, try to work on it a bit. Place the camera somewhere stable and set the timer, but try not to let your arms outstretched in the middle of the frame or take a picture in the bathroom mirror .
And if you want to know how to take better photos with your mobile, don't miss this complete guide.
7. DO NOT PUT A PHOTO
If after reading all this you don't want to put a profile picture, forget it. Unless you want to hide and have a very private profile, so you wouldn't be reading this, as I said at the beginning, not posting a photo is a mistake. If a forced smile causes distrust in a non-conscious way, not putting a photo makes it evidently distrustful.
8. PUT ANOTHER PERSON'S PHOTO
Obviously, I don't think it's necessary to comment, but if you're thinking of putting another person's photo on a social network of contacts, be careful that that person doesn't find out and you get in trouble on the one hand and, on the other , remember the saying... before a liar is caught than a lame person ; P .
9. WEAR SUNGLASSES
If you really want to show yourself as you are, no matter how cool you are with your sunglasses, better avoid it. The eyes are the mirror of the soul, if you don't show them, an essential part of you will be missing.
10. OTHERS…
Nobody needs to see your pecs in your profile picture, neither your muscles, nor even see you in a bikini. Much less in a professional profile or an account open to the public that anyone can visit (for example, someone who is about to hire you and wants to know more about you). And it goes without saying that you should avoid photos in which you are eating, with a drink in your hand, etc.
TIPS TO ACHIEVE BETTER PORTRAITS FOR YOUR SOCIAL NETWORKS
With that said, let's look at some tips to help you improve your social media portraits.
FOCUS TO EYES
The most important part of a portrait are the eyes. Make sure they are well focused.
TAKE CARE OF THE COMPOSITION
Take care of the composition of your portrait. For this, we leave you the following recommendations.
- Law of the look If you want to leave space, try to make it in the direction in which the gaze is directed.
- Rule of thirds. The eyes, as we have already mentioned, are the most important part of a portrait, so it is better to place them at the points of interest. To do this, following the rule of thirds, place them in the top third of the image, not in the center.
- Fill the frame. Unless you have a specific intention, try to fill the frame so that, as we said before, you can see it well even in small sizes. The best shots for this initiative, therefore, are the close-up and the short medium shot.
KEEP AN EYE ON THE LIGHTING
Taking care of the lighting in your portrait for social networks is also very important. And not only in the sense of exposing well and that your photo is not over exposed or burned or too dark, but to use lighting to your advantage.
Let's see two qualities of light that you are very interested in knowing to achieve portraits that are more in line with your personality or message:
LIGHT QUALITY
The light can be hard or soft:
- Hard light: it is the one that produces more marked shadows and serves to achieve much more dramatic and artistic portraits. If you want to cause a strong impact first, this may be your option.
- Soft Light: Soft or diffused light presents a smoother transition between highlights and shadows. The level of detail is lower, which produces a softer and more pleasant effect in both the face and the colors. This light is ideal for closer portraits, transmitting kindness, closeness, etc.
LIGHT DIRECTION
The direction from which the light that illuminates the face comes from, also completely changes the photograph.
- Sidelight: Creates strong shadows and enhances textures. It results in more dramatic portraits.
- Front Light: Shows more detail of the face, which is why it is the one used in ID photos. For a portrait it is not usually the most flattering, however, if it is a little high, what is called the Butterfly scheme, it is much more flattering.
- Backlight: If the light only comes from behind the subject, a silhouette is created. If there is backlight but also the subject is illuminated from the front or side, a greater contrast with the background is achieved.
- Nadir Light: If you're trying to be scary, light up from below. Otherwise, avoid these lights. Although you will rarely find them naturally.
- Overhead light: it is the typical light from a light bulb or from the midday sun. It is not very appropriate because of the shadows it causes.
Below, you can see two examples of light direction that cause very different sensations.
You will find more information about lighting and portraiture in this article. Although here I leave you with a graph of the lighting schemes most used in portraiture.
GIVE THE BACKGROUND THE IMPORTANCE IT DESERVES
Avoid at all costs that there are many elements in the background, these will only distract. If you can't change places, at least change the shooting angle to change an annoying background.
The ideal are smooth or very out of focus backgrounds that do not distract attention and do not take away your prominence. Neutral backgrounds for professional profiles or colors that contrast with your clothes for more casual portraits will always work well. If you want a nice portrait that transmits harmony, use similar colors both in the background and in the clothes.
The two examples above also help you to see this aspect of the funds. Notice the difference in sensations.
USE COLOR WELL
Speaking of color, different colors convey different sensations. Play with the color on your clothes or in the background depending on what you want others to perceive when they see your photo. Do you remember the first question you had to ask yourself? If you answered this question of what you want to communicate with your photo, it will be easy for you to find a way to transmit it through color with the keys in this article. In it you will find the meanings associated with each color and how to combine them depending on what you want to tell.
BE NATURAL
To show naturalness, there is nothing like avoiding excessive makeup, too elegant clothes, forced postures or artificial smiles.
A natural portrait is always closer, transmits more confidence and invites contact.
KEEP PERSPECTIVE IN MIND
The angle from which we photograph gives people certain qualities. The normal thing is to photograph at the level of the eyes, but if, for example, you want to show superiority, strength or virility, the best thing is a counter-dive, that is, from the bottom up.
On the other hand, if what you want to convey, for whatever reason, fragility, kindness, a more human side, the best thing is a photograph taken from a higher angle.
As you can see, everything will depend on what you want or need to convey with your photography.
PROFESSIONAL PROFILES
Professional profiles, especially when actively seeking employment, require special care. The ideal is to go to a professional, however, if you master photography and prefer to do it yourself, for whatever reason, be sure to follow these tips and all that I have left you in the article.
And if you want to know if your Linkedin profile photo is "adequate" there is a very curious application that gives you a score with certain parameters. If you want to try just click here.
I hope these tips have been useful to you. Maybe you have any questions or there is something you want to share with the rest, we would love to read it in the comments. Thanks for reading and sharing, many profiles will thank you ? .
