ANDRE BEGIN

Last spring, I finally decided to do something that had been on my to-do list for far too long.

I decided it was time to park myself in front of a photographer to get some professional pictures taken.

For years, I kept saying to myself that I should, but life got in the way including this thing called pandemic closures.

Deep down, maybe there was a touch of apprehensiveness in not wanting to appear vain that may have held me back.

Also, there were days I thought I looked a little haggard from my last months at the office. Did I really want to capture that look for posterity? More procrastination ensued.

But when I decided to pull the plug on my 33 year career and settled into the next chapter of my life, the reasons in favour of a photo session started getting stronger.

Writing full time and treating it like a business

Was I was putting the cart before the horse in getting a professional photo taken before my writing was considered “big league”? I don’t think so.

The more I was reading about marketing and branding, the more it made sense to freshen up my online presence. A high quality photo was sometimes suggested by experts as part of that strategy.

Not only could it be used as an avatar for social media, but having it ready and in my back pocket, it can serve many purposes.

Whether contributing to a publication, chatting in a podcast or appearing in an interview, a photo could be used in any kind of promotional material, drawing interest to whatever opportunity should happen to cross my path.

Also, even though I started my blog almost a decade earlier as a rehearsal space for my creative writing, I realized that as part of my portfolio of writing work, potentially representing me for future gigs, half-assed selfies and cropped vacation pictures just didn’t cut it anymore.

New photos to circulate around the family

The sad reality is that the last time I had a professional photo taken was shortly after I turned 30. As you can well imagine, I have changed a little since then.

During that 1995 photo session, I was wearing a smart double-breasted navy blue blazer, a crisp shirt, and a very professional tie. It was definitely appropriate for conveying my aspirations as a young professional.

But in my late 50’s, with my first career behind me and looking at a second career as a writer, the look just wasn’t “me” anymore.

The most striking difference is the mullet that I sported back then, especially given the near complete absence of hair on the top of my head today.

Whenever I saw that photo in my family members’ bookcases, I often promised to replace those photos with something a little more recent. Again, I don’t think half-assed selfies and cropped vacation pictures would have cut it.

Thinking ahead… maybe a little too far ahead

Given that I am now at that age when I do read the obituaries with increasing regularity, the idea that some day I will be pushing daisies and the best picture my family will have will be one of a corporate guy with a mullet has been concerning to me.

It’s either going to be that one, half-assed selfies or cropped vacation pictures.

When checking out the obits, I totally understand when the family might post two pictures, one from the past and one from present day. That way, people can put a name to a face based on the point in time in which they knew the deceased.

But it is when the family posts only one photo, dating back to graduation day or a cropped wedding photo that I wonder if the family did not have more recent photos to choose from.

I decided that it was time to address that situation for myself.

Not that it would matter to me specifically when I will be pushing daisies, but it might as well be a photo of the “me” as I see myself.

It was time!

For those reasons, last spring, I finally made an appointment for a photo session at a shopping mall photo studio.

I purchased a business package of what turned out to be really great shots, giving me a range of photos, some smiling, some laughing, some serious, just enough to give me pictures suitable for family and for business purposes.

Once the pictures were sent to me, I was quite proud of these selections and proceeded to send them around to family, friends and then to start replacing my social media avatars.

I even impressed myself when seeing one of the new photos on the “About Me” page of my blog, which definitely elevated the overall look. As a result, I already felt more motivated and more confident. Mission accomplished.

The best compliment I received from my inner circle was that these were the kinds of photos that you could see on a book jacket.

Bingo! That’s exactly what the photographer and I were aiming for.

At the end of the day, getting a set of head shots was a worthwhile investment in my second career as a writer, blogger and screenwriter. I consider it no different than a training course or technology to help further my pursuit. Plus, these photos should last me several years before a refresh is in order again.

With the deep sense of relief of knowing that I have current pictures to suit any purpose, now I look back and wonder what took me so long.

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Sincere thanks for reading!
Have a great day,
André