Your artist profile photo is the first thing a stranger sees when they visit your website.
So are you going to tell your story and build credibility or is your profile photo choice actually working against you in terms of potential sales?
If you’re feeling like your profile photo may not be doing you justice, we have 4 effective styles you might consider…and some tips on what not to post.
Your Artist Profile Photo
- Is the first thing your visitor sees.
- Will be how your visitors remember you (if you gave them a great experience).
- Is your first chance to delight your visitors and potentially convert them into fans.
If your goal is a great profile and to avoid some common artist website mistakes like making a poor first impression, here are some artist profile photos styles that might be a great fit for how you want to tell your story:
Artist Profile Photo Style 1: The Classic Headshot
We humans have a remarkable memory for faces. This style puts your face front and center with a classic headshot and no special effects.
An interesting (but not distracting) background for your artist profile photo is great as long as your face is not obscured.
Cropping on this style is generally below the shoulders and above the elbows on the bottom and above the top of your hair on the high side.
What mood do you want to convey? Your facial expression sets the tone in this profile photo style.
Artist Profile Photo Style 2: The Dramatic Headshot
Similar to the “Classic” when it comes to cropping, this style adds something a little unexpected.
Hameed has converted his portrait to black and white.
He has strong lighting on the left side of his face and none on the right, so half of his face is in shadow.
The background has a copper tone, with a left-to-right gradient.
His gaze is intense, with no teeth or smile present.
Nathan has similar lighting and a noticeable gradient on the background.
He also shows an intense face.
Look a little bit close and you’ll note the red smeared on his white shirt. Is that blood?
Anait has a memorable profile photo.
The fact that she appears to be covered in many colors of paint, including her face and clothing, is a little bit unexpected.
Her large frame sunglasses obscure her eyes, so there’s certainly an air of mystery.
In addition to the color, she smiling with plenty of teeth showing, so the mood or tone is very different from the two profile photos above.
Artist Profile Photo Style 3: The Self Portrait
If you feature people in your art, why not use a self-portrait as your profile photo?
You have infinite control of how you portray yourself if you create the image from scratch.
Think about the mood you want to convey and use your facial expression and color to express it.
Remember: your profile is how people will remember you, so if you’d like to be recognized in real life, don’t get too abstract.
Artist Profile Photo Style 4: The Artist & Their Work
There are a few variations on this one to consider.
Alea uses a photo of herself standing in front of a number of her paintings on display.
Note that three works are fully visible. If you are using this approach, try to crop your photo so that none of your work in the background is only partially visible on either the left or right sides of the image.
Another approach is to show yourself at work.
Johnson is able to display one of his sculptures in-process in the foreground, without obscuring his face.
For painters, you may have to position an easel at 45 degrees to the camera and turn your head.
Some Mistakes to Avoid
- Keep text out of your profile image. You have plenty of room in your description to write whatever you need.
- Don’t post a screenshot. There are plenty of free cropping tools available on both smartphones and desktop computers.
- Check for pixelation. If you choose a photo that is too small, it will be stretched to fit and look blurry.
- Don’t use a creation that you’re already showing with a public Etching.
- Pick a photo with good lighting and contrast.
- Don’t post a photo of someone else.
If you’re not sure if your profile photo is making a great first impression, don’t be afraid to ask someone in the community or reach out to the ETChster Team.
You’ll find more tips on the platform and digital marketing at ETChster University for Creators. If you are just beginning your digital journey why not check out our free artist website options?
What’s Next?
Did you:
- Have follow-up questions?
- Have other related thoughts that might be beneficial to the community?
Post them in the comments!
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