The Professional, the Artist, his Image and Branding

By Lindenberg Junior

If you are working in mostly business, you usually introduce yourself handing out your business cards with your company logo, your name, your title, and your phone number, but if you are an artist such as a model or actor, it is a little bit different, and your “business card” is an 8X10 black-and-white photo. As the sole proprietor of their one-person business actors and models refresh contacts memories with a photo and a well done headshot is their most important tool of the trade.

In the modeling and acting business, choosing your photographer is an important decision. In cities like Los Angeles, New York, Sao Paulo or Rio de Janeiro the decision to choose a professional photographer who specializes in this industry will be as important as you choose who to make friends with. You’d better love what they do and who they are, because we are making a big investment and you want it to pay off in the end. Among all the pictures that casting people receive, certain people are going to stand out – the ones who are using a good picture.

For many professionals, in this case here we will quote an estate agent, a suitable photo can convey professionalism, seriousness, confidence. On the other hand, a homemade photo can show just the opposite. I mention this example because in general, a photography can help your ‘Branding yourself” and consequently can enhance credibility, conjure your message instantly, and inclusive help to  motivate your potential “buyer”.

Rafael Paiva, a professional photographer living in Los Angeles, and a specialist in commercial photography tells us “When someone mentions the terms Visual Image or Virtual Image, what initially comes to my mind  is that this “person” or “company” is talking about the image that is directly linked to the “brand” it is representing. In society, we come across daily with all kinds of advertising, which is nothing more than someone trying to sell some service or product. “Branding” is a concept that extends far beyond the marketing of “brand name” products”. A company’s brand represents their market identity or who they are, what they do, what kind of quality they provide, their reputation for trustworthiness, and more.

When we asked Rafael about the artist, the social medias and this “branding” he says “It is extremely important for them to know how to preserve their image as an artist or public figure, and to invest in the quality as well quantity of images exposed to the world (social networks) can help this artist’s “branding”. Playing with our freedom of expression online can be a great achievement, but it can also represent the end of various business opportunities if that artist (or you) does not know or think about the consequences of what is being published.

Aryadne Woodbridge, a professional photographer living in Irvine (Orange County), says “First impression always made a difference on how people is perceived by others. The difference from the past is that , nowadays, whether you care or not about it, clients and associates do and they want to know about the messages people they do business with are spreading digitally.

Returning to the importance of headshot as the best business card for a model or actor, Rafael tells us “Here in the United States we know that headshot is the beginning of everything when it comes to finding work through talent agencies and agents. Is the one that shows his face clearly and that raises its most striking visual characteristics”. Aryadne complements saying I consider that the eyes really are the windows of the soul and, in the case of a professional headshot, a good photographer must have the sensitivity and ability to know how to take advantage of the expression of the look.

We end this article by remembering the old saying that a photograph is worth more than a thousand words, and that in the case of an artist, or model or actor, a headshot is his number one marketing tool. And the best headshot is the one that shows you confident of yourself, and that shows you how you are and not what you would like to be.

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