Blog & Frequently Asked Questions
These blogs and vlogs are intended to answer the questions that I’m often asked when I meet people off line. If don’t answer your question here please do get in touch!
How to lose trust before you’ve even gained it
What you are about to read may shock or surprise you... it did both to me. A couple of weeks ago I received a connection request on LinkedIn from someone, that's not unusual, I get them quite often. This one stood out. For two reasons. The first was it was beautifully...
THIS is why you need great photos for your business
Now I know that these might not be to your taste, but please bear with me and play along... If you were in the market for a pair of Jimmy Choo Miami trainers, which would you buy? Recently I posted a poll on LinkedIn, the poll included the photo above and in the poll,...
My Embarrassing Problem
I've got a problem. It's a rather embarrassing problem for me too. You see I *know* the value of a good quality up-to-date headshot. Until the pandemic hit I was creating them every week. My problem is that mine is woefully out of date, and like many of my clients...
What we can all learn from a Christmas email
What we can all learn from a Christmas email This morning I received an email from a design agency. Actually, it was yesterday but it went into my junk folder (probably because their Mailchimp isn't set up correctly). I'd not heard from them all year, but they very...
Telling Your Story in Photographs
I always find that people are fascinated by why Personal Brand photography is different from headshots. I've blogged before about the difference between the two, however, interestingly I was doing a talk on the subject recently and used an example that someone...
Are You Two-Faced on Social Media?
Don't be two-faced on social media! I am aware of a lot of two-faced people on social media...some of them are even three faced. I'm not talking about being insincere or deceitful, I try to avoid them. I'm talking about using different profile photos on different...
The most popular headshot in the world is also the worst!
I’m guessing, and I’m happy to be corrected, but the most popular headshot in the world has to be the passport photo? Here are the guidelines for a UK Passport Photo: be facing forwards and looking straight at the camera have a plain expression and your mouth closed...
PROOF! Why good brand photography is important
This stuff works here's why... For a while now I have been putting up a 'Client Focus' post on Facebook and LinkedIn on a Monday. The reason is two-fold, the first of course is to show off my work, but the second is to promote my clients. They've chosen me to help...
Why John Cleary Photography?
I'm not looking forward to this... If you follow my social media you’ll know that I’m quite good at letting you know why you need good photographs in business, but not particularly at why me. So it may not be a surprise that I’m deeply uncomfortable writing this post....
Are you using your ‘least worst’ photo on your ‘About’ page, hoping that no one notices?
If you are selling services, having a great photo that looks like you and presents you in the right way is really important to your business. I’m going to explain many of the reasons why it’s vital in this post… Captivation: When someone sees your photo a...
Would you like to attract more clients?
When it comes down to buying things, as humans, our purchases are generally emotional. Yes, with a big purchase we may use rational thought or logic to decide that we need it. But it's generally accepted that most purchasing decisions are made emotionally. So, imagine...
Too many competitors in your market?
Many people I meet while networking express how frustrating it is that there are lots of people offering the same service as them and that it's difficult to stand out in a crowded market. This makes me wonder if I'm a bit odd; I never worry about 'competitors' because...
Quick Tip: How to look slimmer in photos (instantly and easily)
This is a really quick tip for looking slimmer when you are having photographs taken. Many of us when we have a camera pointed at us stand straight on to the camera with our arms by our sides. It's quite an uninteresting pose and when you think about it we are...
Where to look when you are having your photo taken and why it’s important
Hi there. Today's video is a quick photo tip,and I'm not just going to give you the tip, I'm going to explain a little bit about why we do it. The photo tip is all about eye contact. You'll notice that most people are looking straight into the camera and there's a...
Why photography is really important for your website
In this video, I talk about why photographs are so important in your marketing. We've all heard the overused, adage "a picture paints a thousand words". But let's face it, it is really true. Have you ever thought about why that is? As a species, we have been reading...
Selfie Tip: Reducing ‘chinage’ – camera position
Hi John, here with the first in a series of photography tips. People are taking 'selfies' and doing video 'Lives" all the time these days and there doesn't seem to be much good advice about where to hold the camera. What we do For selfies, many choose to hold the...