Yes, Even I Needed to Update my Professional Head Shot.

October 2, 2019 / in Business Recommendations, LinkedIn / by Jason Terry

I was doing a LinkedIn training class recently. One of the things I like to talk about is having an updated professional photo on your LinkedIn profile. And of course I was using my own LinkedIn profile to demonstrate when I realized I wasn’t wearing glasses in my photo. I’ve been wearing glasses full time for two years, so I was past due on updating my own profile photo.

Pick a Photographer

Kathleen Straub is a professional photographer and the wife of a client. So I decided to ask Kathleen to help me get updated profile photos. (There are a LOT of great photographers out there. You probably already know one. But if not, I recommend you get in touch with Kathleen.)

Pick a Location

I live and work in Kansas City. It might be cliché, but I am proud of KC, so I wanted to have a few pictures with the downtown skyline in the background. I also wanted some pictures at a coffee shop because I end up meeting at coffee shops a lot. :)

The Creamery

We started out at the Creamery Building in the Crossroads area. They have an outdoor patio at the top of the building with a beautiful view of downtown Kansas City. When we got there, people had the space reserved for a video shoot, but they let us get a few quick shots in while they set up. (Thank you!)

Mildred’s Coffee

The second location we chose was Mildred’s. They used to be in a smaller space at 9th and Baltimore, but they did a huge upgrade after moving across the street into a much bigger space. I love their space because it’s very urban with lots of sheet metal and wood.

Pick Your Photos and Update Social

Kathleen sent me thirty photos in color and black & white that she selected from our photo shoot. I was happy with the results even though I have more gray hair. But I’ve also lost a little weight, so yay.

I picked my favorite photo and started the process of updating all my social media accounts. LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Gravatar, Google Apps, and more. You get the idea. Your photo is in a lot of places, and if you haven’t updated it in more than 2 or 3 years, it’s time.

So now I can confidently tell people to make sure their professional photo is up to date on LinkedIn. And thanks again to Kathleen Straub for making the process easy, affordable and fun!