Oh hey there guys I'm just doing some selfies for my new
guide profile photo I'll be with you in a second hi there and welcome to Be a
Better Guide I'm your host Kelsey Tonner and this week we're talking about guide
profile photos now this is a photo that goes next to a description of you as a
tour leader or tour guide it's not necessarily the photos that you have on
your tour description but here's the thing majority of tour guides actually
have terrible profile photos and this is kind of a big deal because every day
visitors potential clients potential customers are coming to that website and
looking at that picture judging it examining it in great detail trying to
figure out who you are and if they want to come on tour with you so there's a
bunch of do's and don'ts I'm gonna share with you today for having an amazing
guide profile photo now I want to show you a couple examples so let's hop onto
the computer let's start with some things to avoid no selfies
especially those that are taken in a mirror are those that clearly show your
arm no funky filters I'm looking at all of you instagramers out there that like
to put weird filters on not the best place you know Pixley or grainy photos
this tends to happen if there's poorly exposed night shots or the lighting
isn't very good or the quality of the camera is not good no intense or serious
photos you really want to be looking friendly and approachable in your photo
many guides unfortunately have a bit of a scowl in their profile no blurry or
out-of-focus pictures no sunglasses so many guides even if you wear sunglasses
all the time please please please take off your sunglasses for your profile
photo it's very important for them to be able to connect through your eyes no
full-body action shots the most important thing in your profile photo is
to show the features of your face far away photos not good as well no pets or
kids or props if possible another common mistake is if your face is cropped in
any way so part of the top of your head is missing maybe the bottom or your chin
anything like that no photos cropped from a larger photo this is often very
obvious and it can reduce the quality of the image but also sometimes you get
weird floating body parts like friends hand or something like that so
even if you look fantastic in that photo of you and your friends you need to have
a dedicated shot just for your profile oh to avoid cartoons and caricatures
like drawings of you and your profile again people want to see the real you
for most cases no black and white photos and perhaps the greatest sin of all no
profile photo uploaded at all if you don't have a profile section of your
website you really need to create one and this is a place where people can
learn more about you you don't want a faceless silhouette on any of your
online profiles so let's talk about some things you can do one get a professional
headshot something with a lot of energy that's taken by somebody who's trained
on how to use a camera have a big pathetic smile and an authentic smile is
really important it tends to come from the eyes want to make sure that you're
the focus of the image and that the photo has good composition as a rule of
thumb your head and shoulders should fill the frame but not square on this
isn't a passport photo shot ideally you're exuding approachability in
regards to clothing look the part what do you normally wear when you're guiding
that is great to include in your proto choosing a photo that looks like you is
important and avoid old photographs where you look different or maybe had
different hairstyles or facial hair keep the background as simple as possible and
in your element is idea if you work outside as a tour guide having an
outside background is really nice let's quickly look at a few fabulous guide
profile photos this is Safari mama Peggy so from Safari specialist look at that
warm radiant smile and energy that comes through the photo here is Zell Letterman
on a jerusalem to date or you can see his photo has that energy he's in his
element he's right there in Jerusalem Pedro is an intrepid leader in Brazil
has just a wonderful shot of him genuinely smiling and laughing and a
couple examples from back roads tours is Federica van Gogh and Fabio Martin see
two friends of mine who work in Italy and look at those fabulous smiles
they're in their element these are wonderful wonderful people and their
personality comes through their photographs so there you have it take a
look at your own profile photo follow these do's and don'ts and before long
you'll have a profile photo that is taking the interwebs by storm in the
comments below let me know do you have pet peeves when it comes to profile
photos do you have some advice that you'd like to share for the community
I'd love to hear from you thanks so much for being here please share this video
if you enjoyed it and I'll see you next time
there's nothing quite like the smell of a fresh beard it's mostly just glue