Photos for an Adoption Profile
Hopeful single mama S. is so excited to begin her journey to parenthood! As we started working together she shared how uncomfortable it felt to take photos and she hoped the photos she had already would suffice. She's not alone in this- I hear this every day from clients! But as I shared with her, profile photos are just so, so important. They're your only way to share your life, your personality, values, and style with expectant parents. They might not ever read your text, so your photos need to do the heavy lifting of telling your story to expectant parents. Think about the most popular social media these days- it's all photos and videos! The text is supplemental and the photos are primary. Your profile is no different! And photo quality plays a tremendous role in creating a compelling, impactful profile. Most younger folks live on social media and really care about telling their personal stories through carefully curated photos- so you should care about telling your own personal story through thoughtfully curated photos as well.
S. did a great job of listening to my feedback, and although she wasn't excited about doing another photoshoot she understood how important it was to making her dream of becoming a mom come true. A few weeks later she shared a new set of photos and they were fantastic! She generously allowed me to share some before and after's so you can see what a huge difference working with a photographer makes. Not only do photographers have great cameras, but they know how to work with different lighting (indoors can be tricky!) and how to make photos look natural instead of posed.
She graciously allowed me to share her photos as a great example of how working with a photographer is a great investment! Her original photos are typical of photos taken with cell phones indoors- they were dark, and the composition wasn't ideal. It's so nice when friends help take photos for you, but they often just don't know how to best take photos for a profile and it can be really disappointing when all your efforts are wasted because the photos don't turn out as you hoped. While working with a photographer can feel like an unnecessary expense and like it will just add more time to the process, it's often the most efficient way to get great photos. While you might need a few weeks to schedule a photographer and get the photos back, it will shorten your overall wait and time to match exponentially! A little extra time upfront will really pay off in the long run.
I'm guessing you skimmed over all the text I've just written and skipped right to the before and after photos to see the difference for yourself. And even if you have read all this, don't you find the photos themselves more impactful? If you're nodding your head yes- then remember that's exactly what an expectant parent will do when viewing your profile. She'll look at the photos, and if she's interested enough she'll go back and read your text. It's just human nature to be drawn to photos over written content!
