I'm doing a little research and trying to find out different reasons as to why people hate having their photo taken and why some even shy away every time a camera is pointed in their direction.

Is it because they are not happy with their own appearance, or is it that they only see their "worst" features (i.e nose, ears, smile, teeth etc) or is it simply because they've never actually seen a photograph of themselves that they like.

I think I've heard most excuses by now but nevertheless I'd very much value your input....

John Cassidy Photography
Capturing Personality & Inspiring Confidence

w: www.johncassidyphoto.co.uk
blog: blog.johncassidyphoto.co.uk
twitter: @john__cassidy
e: johncassidyphoto@mac.com
m: 07768 401009

Lisa Turner is the subject of todays ecademy photo profile critique

So the usual question, from visual first impressions is Lisa's profile image PPE (professional, personable and engaging) or FFF (fuzzy, faraway and forgetful)?

Don't forget to use my checklist as a reference and I'm always looking for volunteers and suggestions to critique, especially if you think the image is a particularly good or bad PPE or FFF example PPE.



The first thing I notice when I look at Lisa's photo is that she seems to be hiding in amongst the bushes. Her body language is slightly timid, although her expression is very warm and welcoming. I don't think this photo was taken for her profile but chosen because of this expression which is very personable although would have been better with more eye contact.

The crop is slightly odd with Lisa in the bottom right corner of the frame but could be improved by cropping it a bit tighter in.The photo has been shot in the shade of the trees but I think some fill in flash has been used which is reflecting back off Lisa's cheeks and forehead.

Style wise I think Lisa's colours suit her but not the environment would look better with a plainer or studio backdrop.

Overall Lisa's photo comes across as PPE, mainly because of her expression, but some of the technical aspects of the photo could be improved making it far better

Your comments please ...........

Previous critiques:




John Cassidy Photography
Capturing Personality & Inspiring Confidence

w: www.johncassidyphoto.co.uk
blog: blog.johncassidyphoto.co.uk
twitter: @john__cassidy
e: johncassidyphoto@mac.com
m: 07768 401009

Joy Webber is the subject of todays ecademy photo profile critique

So the usual question, from visual first impressions is Joys profile image PPE (professional, personable and engaging) or FFF (fuzzy, faraway and forgetful)?

Don't forget to use my checklist as a reference and I'm always looking for volunteers and suggestions to critique, especially if you think the image is a particularly good or bad PPE or FFF example PPE.



My first impressions with Joys photo is very professional looking. Joy looks happy, confident and approachable and her personality shines through. Joys styling is impeccable and I like the way her dark jacket draws your eye up to her face.

Her pose looks natural, relaxed and comfortable, and I like the openness of her look helped by the slight tilt of her head. A nice neutral background and soft studio lighting make this technically a very well taken photo. I also like the way it has been cropped with a slight reverse reflection on the bottom of the image

If I saw this photo on a book cover or promoting her at a speaking engagement Iit would definitely encourage me to find out more.

Most definitely PPE - a great example.


Your comments please ...........

Previous critiques:


John Cassidy Photography
Capturing Personality & Inspiring Confidence

w: www.johncassidyphoto.co.uk
blog: blog.johncassidyphoto.co.uk
twitter: @john__cassidy
e: johncassidyphoto@mac.com
m: 07768 401009

Mark Robinson is the subject of todays ecademy photo profile critique

So the usual question, from visual first impressions is Marks profile image PPE (professional, personable and engaging) or FFF (fuzzy, faraway and forgetful)?

Don't forget to use my checklist as a reference and I'm always looking for volunteers and suggestions to critique, especially if you think the image is a particularly good or bad PPE or FFF example PPE.



Whilst looking through some profiles for interesting photos to critique I came across this one that Mark Robinson had uploaded.

As a tiny thumbnail on the people search page I had difficulty in making out what the picture was all about, and to be honest with you I still was when I looked at it on Marks profile.

I'm not sure if that's supposed to be Mark on the advertising poster in the background or whether he's the person traveling down on the escalator looking towards us? Or perhaps this is a snap he took with his own mobile phone camera? I'd love to be enlightened Mark, and the reasons behind posting his image.

It say absolutely nothing to me about you, what you do or even who you are.

Suffice it to say FFF but I am intrigued to find out more.

Your comments please ...........

Previous critiques:


John Cassidy Photography
Capturing Personality & Inspiring Confidence

w: www.johncassidyphoto.co.uk
blog: blog.johncassidyphoto.co.uk
twitter: @john__cassidy
e: johncassidyphoto@mac.com
m: 07768 401009

Bux Shayeb is the subject of todays ecademy photo profile critique

So the usual question, from visual first impressions is Bux's profile image PPE (professional, personable and engaging) or FFF (fuzzy, faraway and forgetful)?

Don't forget to use my checklist as a reference and I'm always looking for volunteers and suggestions to critique, especially if you think the image is a particularly good or bad PPE or FFF example PPE.



I think you can all probably guess what I'm going to say about Bux's "profile" photo but here goes anyway.

First Impressions are does Bux sell cars for a living, if so this type of photo may be appropriate, but I guess not. No this is a typical "boys and their toys" photo which does little to tell me about Bux except he likes fast cars. Some people may see this as an image of success, however others may see it as more of a boast.

Profile pictures on a business social networking site should be about you and your personality, not you with your favourite toys, or a photo of you on your wedding day because that was the happiest day of your life. There are places for these photos images online but they should be further down the page and not our main profile photo. I'm not saying you can't include props but only if they're relevant to your business.

When I look closer at this photo Bux doesn't even appear to be happy. If I was photographed to be standing next to my pride and joy I'd be beaming from ear to ear. From what I can see Bux even appears a little fed up, as if he's saying to whoever's taking the photo "rush along and get on with it"

I'm sure Bux is very personable and successful in reality but I don't get those messages from this photo FFF


Your comments please ...........

Previous critiques:


John Cassidy Photography
Capturing Personality & Inspiring Confidence

w: www.johncassidyphoto.co.uk
blog: blog.johncassidyphoto.co.uk
twitter: @john__cassidy
e: johncassidyphoto@mac.com
m: 07768 401009

Maurice Watts is the subject of todays ecademy photo profile critique

So the usual question, from visual first impressions is Maurice's profile image PPE (professional, personable and engaging) or FFF (fuzzy, faraway and forgetful)?

Don't forget to use my checklist as a reference and I'm always looking for volunteers and suggestions to critique, especially if you think the image is a particularly good or bad PPE or FFF example PPE.



First impressions with Maurices photo is its a bit too dark. It looks like it was taken with available light with just a hint of flash (reflected on the blinds behind) but this wasn't powerful enough to "lift the image" and add some much needed sparkle to those eyes.

There is some personality there and Maurice has a bit of a smile but I think he looks a bit too faraway in this photo for us to be able to see it clearly, mainly due to his stance.

Maurice is standing correctly i.e slightly three quarters on to camera, but it looks as if he is leaning back slightly or shying away from the camera. This is also noticeable with Maurice's head position. To make the image appear more engaging it's a good idea to lean slightly forward towards the camera and turning you furthest away ear (from the camera) slightly in, as is if you were listening intently to what someone was saying to you.

Composition wise I always like basic head and shoulders portraits to be square or upright shots, unless there's something interesting in the background or you need some white space to drop some graphics into. Wide (landscape) images like this have too much empty space.

I don't like the venetian blinds as a background, too many lines. If this was reshot with a longer focal length lens and Maurice wasn't standing as close to them so the blinds were defocused they wouldn't be as prominent.

Style wise Maurice really suits a bow tie although I think this image could have been taken prior to a black tie event. Black generally isn't a colour that photographs well so I'd have suggested a nice blue shirt and perhaps a dark grey jacket.

Overall its not a bad image but doesn't quite make the cut as far as my PPE criteria so its an FFF from me (although it is far better than Maurices previous web-cam profile photo)


Your comments please ...........

Previous critiques:


John Cassidy Photography
Capturing Personality & Inspiring Confidence

w: www.johncassidyphoto.co.uk
blog: blog.johncassidyphoto.co.uk
twitter: @john__cassidy
e: johncassidyphoto@mac.com
m: 07768 401009

Reeta Luthra Pindorai is the subject of todays ecademy photo profile critique

So the usual question, from visual first impressions is Reetas profile image PPE (professional, personable and engaging) or FFF (fuzzy, faraway and forgetful)?

Don't forget to use my checklist as a reference and I'm always looking for volunteers and suggestions to critique, especially if you think the image is a particularly good or bad PPE or FFF example PPE.



Reeta has just uploaded a new profile photo which struck my eye so I thought I'd give it a PPE or FFF critique.

First impressions are very good. Reeta has a great personable expression on her face with a nice natural smile and looks both confident and professional. I did think that this was a professionally taken photo because of the nice soft natural lighting but on closer inspection I'm not so sure.

The image is ever so slightly soft (focus) and lacks a little contrast. Also the image has been worked on in photoshop to remove the green background (still slightly visible around the edges of Reetas hair). Removing a background like this (by creating a clipping path) is a specialist job and is particularly difficult especially with people who have longer hair.

I do like the white background on this image though and understand why the coloured one was removed. Here the combination of dark jumper and dark hair really frame Reetas face. Being of slight build Reeta can get away with wearing a chunky jumper like this, anyone with a larger build should avoid them though.

Overall Reetas photo is PPE. If she was using this for other marketing and pr purposes it may be worth the investment in getting the background properly photoshopped


Your comments please ...........

Previous critiques:




John Cassidy Photography
Capturing Personality & Inspiring Confidence

w: www.johncassidyphoto.co.uk
blog: blog.johncassidyphoto.co.uk
twitter: @john__cassidy
e: johncassidyphoto@mac.com
m: 07768 401009

Mark Perl is the subject of todays ecademy photo profile critique

So the usual question, from visual first impressions is Marks profile image PPE (professional, personable and engaging) or FFF (fuzzy, faraway and forgetful)?

Don't forget to use my checklist as a reference and I'm always looking for volunteers and suggestions to critique, especially if you think the image is a particularly good or bad PPE or FFF example PPE.



First impressions with Marks photo is very professional looking. Its a good relaxed pose with a great natural smile. Capturing the right smile and expression can be more difficult than it sounds. Smiles don't want to look too forced or cheesy and also a big smile can cause some some people to squint too much so getting the balance right can be tricky. Here it is spot on.

The message Mark give in this photo is certainly professional personable and engaging. The corporate look really suits Mark and his profession well. I can see this image being used to publicise and promote him as a mentor, leader, trainer and public speaker.

Composition and pose are spot on and I like the lighting with the main light to Marks causing a soft shadow area on the right of his face which is nicely balanced nicely and adds a bit of depth to the image

It's difficult to find fault with this photo which is an excellent example of a PPE image.

Your comments please ...........

Previous critiques:




John Cassidy Photography
Capturing Personality & Inspiring Confidence

w: www.johncassidyphoto.co.uk
blog: blog.johncassidyphoto.co.uk
twitter: @john__cassidy
e: johncassidyphoto@mac.com
m: 07768 401009

Jolene Phillips is the subject of todays ecademy photo profile critique

So the usual question, from visual first impressions is Jolene's profile image PPE (professional, personable and engaging) or FFF (fuzzy, faraway and forgetful)?

Don't forget to use my checklist as a reference and I'm always looking for volunteers and suggestions to critique, especially if you think the image is a particularly good or bad PPE or FFF example PPE.



Jolene updated her profile photo this week and asked me for my thoughts. Her old photo was really a quick snap shot but did however show us her great personality.

Well personality wise her new photo still hits the spot, I'm slightly disappointed that she's lost those lovely curls but she did tell me they do come back from time to time. Technically this photo has been professionally taken with a fairly simple lighting setup although I think the background is a little too bright as her hair is slightly bleaching into it. I would have also ensured Jolenes hair was sitting slightly better over her left shoulder. Jolenes posture is perhaps a little too straight for me but I like the slight tilt of her head.

I know Jolene is wearing a red top because those are her companies brand colours but I'm not sure they're the right colours for her. I think they are a bit too bright for her skin but I'm sure LaRea Wilkins will be able tell us what would work best.

I do like Jolenes new profile photo and it does have the PPE factor. I would however have liked to have seen her in a slightly more relaxed pose.

PPE

Your comments please ...........

Previous critiques:


John Cassidy Photography
Capturing Personality & Inspiring Confidence

w: www.johncassidyphoto.co.uk
blog: blog.johncassidyphoto.co.uk
twitter: @john__cassidy
e: johncassidyphoto@mac.com
m: 07768 401009