Do you like having your photo taken?
We always check with event participants whether they’re okay with us taking photos to share on social media.
One of our participants – a lovely Japanese lady – always said, “No.” She didn’t like having her photo taken.
So we did our best to keep her out of the shots or avoided using photos that accidentally included her.
But then I had a BIG surprise at our most recent event.
Suddenly, she was okay with having her photo taken!
I was amazed. What had brought on this incredible change?
It turns out that she’d had a photoshoot with the terrific Tia Haygood from TopTia Photography.
She said that Tia made her feel so comfortable and she had so much fun! The experience completely changed her mind and it had clearly boosted her confidence.
3 reasons you might want to consider getting professional photos (if you don’t already have them)
- Social media – People start to judge you from your profile photo, so if you want to create a great impression choose your image carefully (especially LinkedIn, which is becoming increasingly popular than before in Japan for business connections along with informative and inspirational posts)
- Speaking engagements – If you’re a business professional, you may be asked to speak at a conference or seminar that requires a headshot
- Your confidence – Professional photos can help you to see a new side of you!
I was fortunate to be Tia’s first client back in 2016 when she took photos for my book Eigo no Shigoto-jutsu.
Since then, I’ve enjoyed multiple shoots with her – most recently for her 40 over 40 project, in which she photographed 40 women over the age of 40.
You can see my results at the top of this blog post.
Just one of those will be featured in Tia’s public exhibition in December.
Can you guess which?
If you’d like to find out and also see the photos of the other 39 fabulous women who participated in this project, come along:
Time/date: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on December 7 to 9
Venue: Ryozan Park Gallery Mugen (a few mins’ walk from JR Sugamo Station)
Admission: Free
And if you’re interested in your own photoshoot, contact Tia here (say you’re a Sasuga! Tips For You reader).