"Hi Irene, I am opening a new interior decorating business and am in need of professional headshots/photos of me for website, business cards, print and online advertisements. I will need high resolution files to use for the above in color and B/W. I have no idea what would make a good background - hoping for some good advice... Thanks for any info. Donna"

That was the e-mail that popped into my inbox, and when we spoke on the phone, Donna went into more detail abut the type of business headshot series she was looking for, as well as her past experience with professional photographers.

"I need a business headshot series for my website, Facebook, Houzz, social media, grand opening flyers, ongoing seminars, and business cards. It's fine for the headshots to be done in a photography studio, as long as they have a feel of a home...

I really liked your website and professional headshots. In terms of the style, I liked your environmental business headshots. I don't have to have a crisp image behind me, but I want that feel... I want to look approachable but professional.

The last professional photographer I worked with was for engagement photography and wedding photography. The engagement photos looked great, but a couple of them were over-retouched. While my mother loved it, my nose looked so different. Sure, I want blemishes to be removed, but I still want these professional headshots to look like me."

In the end, Donna and I had a great time working together, and the end result of her business headshots shows exactly that! Many, many thanks to Donna as well for the awesome recommendation of our business headshot services that she so kindly wrote on NextDoor!

"I found you doing a Google search for 'professional headshots dc,' and then I Yelped you and saw all the good reviews you have. The headshot section of your website is impressive, and I saw the headshot reviews you have there too. Right now, I'm looking for professional headshots for a podcast website on fraud and anti-money laundering compliance that I'm building, as well as for use on LinkedIn. I do have a headshot that I'm currently using, but it's outdated - plus, I got it at a conference that offered professional headshots, and there was no preparation on my part to be photographed."

As we continued to chat, Davreen mentioned that she is picky about how she looks and that the partnership aspect of how we work was very "refreshing." And so after a few calls, we planned for Davreen's outdoor professional headshots at Rockville Town Center in Rockville, Maryland. Enjoy some of my favorites below, as well as the 5-star headshot photographer review that Davreen wrote on Google about her professional headshots experience!

Are you a high school senior wanting to major in theatre in college? It's that time of year to submit your college audition applications, and as you know, every application needs acting headshots! Your talent will go unseen if you can't get the auditions, so your acting headshots are so very important.

Below are some of Alexandra's favorite headshots for acting from her photography session at our Maryland photography studio.

Get headshots for acting that are polished, professional, and showcase you at your very best!

I first photographed Natasha back in 2011 as her wedding photographer. We had SO...MUCH...FUN! Three years later in 2014, Natasha got back in touch, this time in her capacity as National Director of the non-profit, Fight Crime: Invest in Kids. Her organization put on many special events, and she'd had enough with the lack of great photography to promote their work. So that time, I developed a photography workshop to teach her staff the basics of photography. Now, four years later in 2018, Natasha had changed jobs and is now the Vice President of Strategy and Development for the Opportunity Institute. And this time, the following e-mail popped into my inbox:

"Well well my friend, I am finally circling back to have the discussion about professional headshots. I am actually ccing my Communications Director, K, as well! (K, I have known Irene for years. She shot my wedding, and she does amazing professional headshots...) My new organization, OI, is about 19 people, with 4 in DC, and the rest in California. Are you able to quote us for professional headshots for the DC crew, and perhaps give guidelines that a San Francisco headshot photographer could mimic? We are in desperate need of uniform headshots..."

Next stop, a strategy conference call with Natasha and K to discuss their vision for their professional headshots. 

"We don't have any professional headshots of our staff on the website.  We want faces to go with the names in order to build trust, and we want people to see the diversity in our staff.  We want to look professional, but approachable, and we want anyone looking at the California and Washington DC headshots to assume they were done by the same headshot photographer," said Natasha.

"I like the blurred background and crisp foreground in your headshots," added K.  "We don't want to see anything that indicates a high-end environment," she continued.

We talked over a number of location possibilities for their Washington DC professional headshot session and finally settled on Rockville Town Center in Maryland - one of my favorite locations for professional headshot photography. And voilá! Here are some of the staff favorites. Enjoy!

Don't wait another moment to make an amazing first impression.

Carlos is a realtor out of the North Potomac/Gaithersburg office of RE/MAX. He had been searching for headshot photographers online and had come across some of our blog posts with professional headshots of other realtors, and wanted something similar.

When I asked about his past experiences with professional headshot photographers, he told me that, sadly, his past experiences were mediocre. Five or so years ago, his office had brought in a headshot photographer. The results didn't wow him. They were fine, but this time, he was looking for something more. And so sometime later, we met up at Rockville Town Center in Montgomery County, Maryland and created a personal branding portfolio for him sure to WOW any prospective client!

Build your personal brand, build your business.

Don't miss another opportunity to make a great first impression.