Personal Journey and Adventures of Nina

You know yourself when looking over someone's profile on LinkedIn, the first thing you do is check out their photo.  I personally get messages and requests daily. If there isn't a photo, I delete it immediately. If it is a bad photo, I think about it a second, then delete it. If it is a nice professional photo showing a confident business person, I definitely check out their profile and most likely add them as a contact. Don't just take my word for it.  The Ladders research into recruiter behaviour proves it. As shown in the heat map below, whilst looking over profiles, the first place the recruiter looked was the photo and they spent 19% of their total time looking at it. That's a lot of heat! Business Insider has some great tips on the do's and don'ts for you profile photo. And as it isn't that expensive, I would say it is an easy investment. My basic headshot sessions are only $175 and this image should last you a good couple of year...

Russell Investments , money management professionals were totally amazing to shoot. Each executive was completely natural in front of the camera so we got some wonderful shots and because we were able to setup the studio on location in the King Street offices, the shoot went seamlessly with minimal interruption to their busy day.

Business portraits for LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook are one of my favourite to shoot. It is so important to have a professional looking image at the forefront of your profile. In this studio shoot at my Chatswood location, we made a variety of clothing, hair, position, lighting and background changes so that the client would have a selection of images to choose from. These are just a few.

Please meet my lovely friend Siggi.  A busy mother of four happy and healthy children, Siggi is concerned about other children consuming food of very little nutritional value (junk) when healthy food is so quick and easy to prepare. Being a Naturopath, Siggi has a keen awareness of the key elements necessary for the optimal health of the body and mind.  Conversely, she can predict what future ailments lay ahead for those who choose to avoid such a wholesome diet. As such, she has started a Blog where she will share healthy recipes that are quick and easy to prepare. Feel free to visit her blog and try her recipes. Think I'll try the Carrot Cake...yum!

This week, saw a number of executives stop by for business photographs.  Some were for professional profile images such as  LinkedIn , others were for printed sales material and others, websites.  No matter which, your profile image is your link to the outside professional world and should look amazing.  Without a profile image, you look as though you are hiding something. Without a recent, professional looking image, you are failing to make that vital good first impression. With proper lighting and some editing, it is possible to produce such an image... These images can be created in our Chatswood studio or at your own office. and don't worry about the odd scar or blemish....we take care of that too... Before and After editing...

We setup the backdrop and lighting right there in the BPM Northwest office. Suit jackets were donned, hair was coiffed, ties were straightened and best expressions practiced.  Typically, the last thing corporate executives want to do it have their photograph taken.  It was all business here until one of the guys started making muppet faces. Then it was on.  After this it is was difficult for them to keep a straight face but the mood was light and soon enough, we got some quality corporate images. The space was limited so instead of a backlight, I had the guys sit close to the backdrop. The main and fill lights on either side of the camera provided a natural vignette on the backdrop. All in all, it was a fun morning and we got some great images. You can check them out on my website .