Personal portraits and headshots. What's the difference?

Traditionally headshots have typically been used for professional applications... business cards, company directories, LinkedIn profiles, etc. and as the name would imply, they were limited to the subject's torso and face in either a serious pose or a slight smile. Portraits on the other hand tended to show off someone's personality a bit more and not be limited to the upper body. But these days the lines seem to be blurring as more and more companies want to showcase their employee's personality. I've had more than one client contact me for headshots that wanted to incorporate a little bit of whimsy in their shots. Of course, much of this may depend on what business you are in, but it's always fun to mix it up a little bit with shots that show off your style and even use a couple of props. 

As for what type of session to book, I categorize them by time allocated to capture the images and the number of images needed. Need a couple images for personal branding or business cards, it's a headshot session that will take about 15 minutes. Want something more extensive with a full gallery of images to choose from in different poses, on location in a scenic spot, and about an hour of photography time? That's a portrait session. Lots of individuals have portraits taken for a special occasions like a birthday, graduation, or a pregnancy or branding for their business website and social media. The images in this bog post are a mix of headshot sessions and portrait sessions and I bet for some you can't tell what type of session it was. Still not sure what type of session you want or need? Contact me and we can discuss your options!