blogging
And I mean this as a serious question. Do you think they are important?
I can tell you what I think — and my opinion is based not on the fact that taking these photographs are part of what I do for a living — but more of a life-long observation about how our society functions.
(yeah. I’m about to go serious. brace yourselves! ::grin::)
So. Many of us have had the experience of being thin and beautiful and then maybe not so much. Have you noticed how differently you are treated simply based on appearances? Or…what if you leave the house looking ratty vs. all amazing and cute. Difference?
And yeah. I can also see that looking good impacts your attitude and the way you carry yourself and all that inner beauty stuff. But I am simply observing that appearances have impact. On everyone.
So do I think headshots are important? Yup. With the economy being what it is, with people competing for jobs in ever greater numbers…with judgment about your business being made in an instant on the internet…have you looked at your bounce rate lately? That tells you something. Important.
Images are CRITICAL. CRITICAL.
They tell someone a lot about you in a glance…things like…do you look approachable? likeable? happy? intelligent?
Are the images professional (nods to self ::grin::)? And within that word professional there are many many different levels. If you are presenting yourself to the world…why in heaven’s name would you put up blah images? What does that say to others about how you view yourself?
And I am not by any stretch giving you a Tammy Swales “hire me” plug. All I’m doing is expressing what I think about the importance of images. We are a visual society. We’re impatient. We don’t wait or ponder or get wishy washy much anymore. We’re decisive and make snap decisions.
Trust me. If an interviewer or recruiter or Broadway show director is faced with a pile of 500 resumes with images attached…do you think they’re going to read every single one? Nope. Betcha that they flip through the images first. Is it right? Nope. Is it real? Yup.
A good photographer, an experienced photographer both understands this dynamic — but works with the client to make sure they are being presented in the best possible … um if you’ll pardon the pun… light. Your personality and self are what’s important. Getting that into a photograph is a major MAJOR skill. It’s not the camera people. Trust me.
So I ask you…how do you want the world to see yourself?!
Soooo I might be a little cavalier about parking rules. And…maybe….I don’t pay as close attention to where I should park during a photo session because I get so excited about the light…that all I’m thinking about is getting to it! So when I finished at a location with Colleen and Mark — there was a little present under my windshield wipers. Yuck. Sorry parking lot people. I didn’t notice it wasn’t an “everyone can park here” lot…I promise I won’t do it again. ::sigh:: I couldn’t resist snapping this image though! Funny, right?!
But that’s not the important part of the story. The most important part was the ENTHUSIASM Colleen and Mark displayed for Sugar Mountain Bake Shoppe (on Alexandar St). They insisted it was amazing and could not believe I hadn’t been there. Colleen even went so far to post today’s special cupcake on my facebook!
So I had to go.
I brought my mother.
And guess who was sitting on the porch eating cupcakes?! Yup. Sugar Mountain’s BIGGEST FANS IN THE WORLD! ::laughing:: Here’s what they look like without cupcakes:
So. Then I had to try them myself. One of the owners approached us with a sample of their vanilla cupcake…
Oh. Em. Geee.
So…SIX cupcakes were purchased. And they are so beautiful I had to drive straight home and document them for all time…
Say hello to today’s dessert: Rootbeer Float. Very Vanilla. Caramel Apple. Lemon Raspberry. Pink Lemonade.
They are sweet. yummy and Colleen and Mark were absolutely right. They are DELISH.
Here is my unbiased foody review: They. Are. Yummy.
(My mother likes them too. Her opinion is worth more than mine. She cooks. I don’t.)
Also — I didn’t tell anyone I was writing this. I wasn’t paid to promote Sugar Mountain. I just liked them.
Now I have to go walk around the block 158 times. Cuz. That’s. a lot. of. sugar.
Also…how many of you noticed there were only FIVE cupcakes in the photo? One…had an accident. Yeah. Thats it. The dog ate it. Or…something. ::grin::
Those are some SERIOUSLY gorgeous mounds of sugar (and beautiful pictures, too)!
Ummmmm…..yeah, I noticed there were only FIVE. I figured it didn’t survive…..kinda hard for those yummy cupcakes to survive ever. And I’m not telling you how I know that 
lol.
Who could blame a dog or anyone for eating the sixth? Besides, I don’t think it would fit on the chair. When I go to Rochester this weekend I might have to pick some up for my family. Of course there’s no guarantee that they can survive the trip home.
i hate you a little right now; i’m in major diet-land…and these…they are tempting. deeply, deeply tempting.
9.03.2010
hot damn those photos are stunning. and you make wonderful points. I’m linking to this!