Most people believe that these two are the same. A headshot mostly consists of a portrait that has your head, shoulders, and around mid-chest in the picture. A business portrait can be anything. Full length, three quarters, head and shoulders or even extremely close up were just the face is showing. A business portrait often doesn’t have to fit into a template. The photographer and subject have full latitude with the creativity of the portrait. Often these business portraits are cropped into a headshot when needed and this frequently works well. A picture of a businessperson that is more elaborate than a headshot is most likely a business portrait. There are samples below of what I am talking about.
What Should I Do?
This depends on what the purpose is for your professional portrait. If you are an entrepreneur or small business owner I would recommend that you have some business portraits taken. You will be able to use these for a variety of different places on your website and social media profiles. Many will use a business portrait instead of a headshot for print ads such as billboards and newsletters. You will also find business portraits in many PR pieces and even annual reports. One thing is for sure, it’s always smart to have a headshot handy that is easily accessible to email to someone that needs it. “They” always need it yesterday.
Photographing elaborate business portraits is fun for both the photographer and subject. There are avenues for creativity, and with that comes more collaboration with the photographer and the client. This is the perfect blend for a successful shoot. Often my clients are not sure what they are going to do with their professional business portrait. As a result, they request different types of images so they have the right image for the right time.
Have I convinced you to get a professional business portrait taken? If so fill out the form below or give me a call to get started.
The above portrait is a good example of a business portraits.
The above portrait is a good example of a business headshot.