Headshots on Home Page

Tacky or Not?

[scribble]

A client of ours is coming to the conclusion that she needs to have her headshot on the home page of her web site (she is a financial planner). She's come to this conclusion grudgingly because she's always thought that it was cheesy (I tend to agree – I think headshots should be reserved for the 'About' page unless you're an actor or model). What does everyone else think? Agree or disagree? It might not be so bad if it could be worked in well somehow, but I haven't seen it done well on any other site. Anyone see a site in which a headshot's been incorporated well?

Thanks for your thoughts.

[jbinbpt]

Cheesy works for a lot of people.

Certain industries are still a "face" business. Gives them something to relate to.

Perhaps you can talk her into more than a head shot.....

Sitting at a desk, using a computer, sitting on a pile of money.

[obwez]

Scribble, I think if the headshots are done well enough it should seemlesly integrate itself with your website.

Take this for example; <edited>

You are right, not everyone is "photogenic" however it still can be done. With the right lighting and the correct retouching you can get away with this *cheesy* effect.

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[edited by: tedster at 5:46 pm (utc) on July 1, 2006]

[rogerd]

I think a photo of the owner, whether it's a headshot or an environmental shot, adds credibility to the site. Particularly if the site isn't a well-established brand, knowing there are real humans willing to identify themselves helps.

[sonjay]

Financial planning is a personal business -- her clients are her clients because of her. Unlike some big nameless, faceless, anonymous corporation, in effect, she is her company. So I think it's perfectly appropriate to have a photo of her on the home page.

Agree with the above post that perhaps some other than the traditional mug shot might work better -- sitting at her desk or in front of her computer, or meeting with a client, or some such.

[Candid India]

I agree with the posts till now and do feel that a headshot is not that bad if done professionally. It all depends on what attire and backdrop you use. See this one for example where the theme of the site won't look too convincing if the owner did not appear to be a scholar.

[edited by: jatar_k at 7:38 pm (utc) on July 5, 2006]
[edit reason] no urls thanks [/edit]

[aphido]

I've always felt that if done properly, a headshot on a site gives something of a personal edge to any site- although I would normally use them in a 'meet the team' page, rather than the homepage.

That said, if the photo doesnt do the client any justice it's perhaps best not to bother... although as already mentioned, a 'real world' rather than forced pose would probably be more effective and a bit more forgiving in terms of credibilty.

[misteroriginal]

I'm sort of my own logo, so I think the headshot is a great idea for a micro-business. I don't think what works for the big boys necessarily works for the small businesses, and vice versa. The headshot needs to be creatively done and integrate with the rest of the page.

[scribble]

I think you all make a lot of sense and I thank you for your feedback. I've suggested to my client that a small photo in a "Meet the Founder" box off to the side might not be a bad idea. The content on her home page is written in the third-person perspective (even though she's a one-woman show) so I didn't think it was appropriate to have the photo right in the body of the text. She seemed to like the idea I proposed so we'll see how it goes.

Thanks again. Any more comments would be appreciated.