Headshots Before The Internet

Before the internet requests for headshots were very few. Generally, actors, attorneys and real estate agents were the professions that needed business portraits. Then in the late ‘90s in Palo Alto and the San Francisco Bay Area companies started building websites. Consequently, real estate agents and lawyers were the first to post headshots on their websites. Afterwards, we started receiving more requests to photograph headshots at companies for their team page or employee profiles.

Digital Cameras

One of the first digital cameras, the Kodak DCS 420 1.2 megapixel camera had a price tag of $28,000. Of course, we did not invest in that digital camera as it would have been obsolete within a few months. Meanwhile, we used our film camera to take headshots. After the photoshoot, we would have our professional lab scan the film. Then we retouched the headshot and within 2 weeks from the photoshoot date deliver them to the client. Unquestionably, much different from the way it works now. Eventually, in 1993 we bought our first digital SLR Canon D60. Afterwards, we started using it to take headshots on location at companies as well as our studio. As a result, delivery of headshots became much faster.

LinkedIn Headshots

In the beginning, most people were not very comfortable posting their photos online for everyone to see. Eventually, LinkedIn changed the mentality of people about having photos online. Moreover, LinkedIn encouraged its members to post professional headshots on their profile page. Consequently, the new generation does not have a problem posting photos online. They post their photos on many different social media platforms. Learn more about our headshot photography experience on our parent website Hagop’s Photography.