TAKING SERIOUS BUSINESS SELFIES + WHY TAKING SELFIES IS SERIOUS BUSINESS

Look…I’m going to be honest here, and it’s no offense to anyone at all but….I VERY MUCH DISLIKE STOCK PHOTOS. If you’re using them for your business, please stop. It’s been proven time and time again and there’s even stats saying that only about 14% of consumers actually read or view posts when a photo feels like a stock photo.

I stand by creating visuals that are more interesting and striking. Captivating in story or in detail is essential to a good photograph. I’m not a snob that is trying to create a perfect work and only do “aesthetically pleasing” photographs on my feed…not at all! I just simply understand the power of visual presence and I’m fully aware of what I’m competing for….attention.

LET ME EXPLAIN WHY YOU MIGHT BE FRUSTRATED

Every single day we are bombarded on our feeds by so many different things. People are scrolling through millions of visual graphics and tons of information. Every second matters and if you don’t have visual images that are striking enough to make someone stop and give you a second of your day…you’ve missed an opportunity to present what you offer and what you do.

So…I urge you to wake up and change a few things in your business before you realize that your business is falling behind because you refused to see it for what it is.

WHY SELFIES ARE SERIOUS BUSINESS [wait don’t leave…I’m going somewhere with this and it’s not what you think]

Believe it or not, I hate the word “selfie’s” and outside of this post you might not even hear me say the word selfie. I like to use the term “self portrait” but in this case it’s just most relatable. But it’s also not what you think when you think of selfie. I’m not referring to holding a phone with your arm stretched out while you’re in a car and snapping a photo of your face….NO NO NO. I’m saying…let’s take it a bit further and start to use what you have on your day to day to create photos on your own [self portraits aka selfies]. WHY: to tell a story, build a visual representation of your day, or to connect with those on the other side of your platform! With nothing but your phone [which is a powerful tool because it’s accessible most of the time] and a phone tripod…you can do wonders for your business and you can stop using images that don’t belong to you or STOCK PHOTOS!

HOW TO TAKE SOME SERIOUS BUSINESS SELFIES:

I’m going to touch base on three main topics that will help you hold the attention of your audience for a few seconds enough to translate important information:

1. WORK ENVIRONMENT

It’s not common to cold call walk into a place and look to book someone for their services anymore. We have the internet and people are always thinking of their time. Most of the time, they’ve made a decision based on your presence before even meeting you or having a conversation with you. Are you letting them in? If you’re not giving them a vibe/perspective of what it might feel like to work with you, then you are missing an opportunity while your competitors do!

Tip: Make a list of 3 top things you do in your business. For me, CONSULTATIONS/COMMUNICATIONS, PHOTOGRAPHY, CONTENT CREATING for example. After you’ve found your top 3, write down an idea of a photo you’re going to take of yourself doing these things.

Example: FITNESS COACH: virtual leadership trainings, product selling, fitness activity. 1. Take a photo of you having a business call, watch your surroundings and lighting and make sure that you can see your computer so people get an understanding of the fun they might be having even through a screen. 2. Show yourself holding products that you’re about to “ship out” to clients. 3. Show yourself actively doing a workout.

Key thing is to let people in on the process!

2. PRODUCTS OR DETAILS [you use or sell]

The biggest factor when sharing details is an opportunity to share STYLE. You will be surprised as to the ways people connect with you. It will have very little to do with your work sometimes and more to do with your style choices. I like to share details for these reasons: I’m obsessed with them and I see them wherever I go. I want people to connect with my style if I’m going to work with them, not because I necessarily believe they have the same style as I do but because if they like what I create then they will trust me to create for them. And that’s what it’s done. Sharing details in a stylistic way has built TRUST!

IT TAKES VERY LITTLE EFFORT! Listen, I hate flatlays, like with a passion. I’m actually not that good at them. I just like to use my environment for details. I surround myself with things I love so it’s easy for me to find the elements I want to include in my images because they’re at my fingertips. If I go to a coffee shop, it’s usually one I love the aesthetics of. I have elements in my home that I created and love. There should be these things around you that you love and can use to change the perspective from a boring or uninteresting photo into a well thought out photo.

Tip: ANGLES are everything when it comes to detail photography. I seem to do two things when it comes to detail photos on my iphone: 1. Portrait Mode-I get really close to the detail or subject and make sure it’s focused and tend to shoot more of a side view of the detail/item. 2. Aerial perspective-holding the phone up above the detailed area and point the camera down [literally done in each of these samples above]. *For details it’s all about the angles and your backgrounds.

3. PERSONAL INTERESTS

Think about all of the people that you connect with in your life. Most of the time you’ve connected over the most random of things. The drink you always buy at the store. The restaurant you love to eat at where you first had a chat. The locations you visit that the other loves. Personal interests connect us as humans and business is so personal that you want to know that the person helping you to do something knows how to be a human and live life. Sharing personal interests will begin to build bonds. You don’t even know how many beautiful DM’s I receive of people saying they thought of me when they were somewhere or having a certain something [like coffee or visiting a new city and spotting the cutest coffee shop].

Tip: Think of the things you love to do, places you love to go to, drinks/food you love to experience, sports teams or sports, activities and hobbies. List 3 or 4 top interests…and then start to share them here and there. You don’t have to share all of the time, but be mindful of sharing them and letting people see the world that you love to experience so they can experience it with you.

LINKS + INFORMATION

All sample images here were taken on my iPhone 11

All images were processed and quickly edited on my phone through my Lightroom App using my RZ SIGNATURE PRESETS-Mobile Edition which can be purchased HERE.

Using a phone Tripod or an assistant [someone who can help you snap the photo if they are around]. For a tutorial on how to set up your tripod and get photos…check out THIS REEL. To purchase the tripod I use go HERE.

DID YOU ENJOY THIS SERIES?

I began to evolve this series and details over the course of the last few days. Was this information helpful? Is there an area or topic you’d like for me to further expand or give direct instructions on? I’d love to hear your feedback!