Business Headshots in Soft Colours - Caroline Thompson Associates
Do you ever look at the photos I put online and wonder whether everybody is confident from the get-go? Or if they know what to do in front of the camera right off the bat?
Don’t worry! Everybody who comes to my studio has qualms about having their photo taken. Seriously - everyone!
No matter the success and influence that someone has, we’re only human and love to nit pick on our so called ‘flaws’!
If you have an upcoming photoshoot or are thinking on booking a shoot with me but something is holding you back - don’t worry about being nervous, you are definitely not alone. We see it time and time again! I always make sure to ease my clients into the photoshoot and create a relaxed and fun environment - just to celebrate you really!
We interviewed Caroline Thompson during her photoshoot, which she was quite nervous for. Let’s see what she said!
rosie’s photography
brings out the best in women.
- Caroline Thompson
Introduce yourself and what you do
I’m Caroline Thompson, I help people to get new insight to be more successful in what they do. As a Personal & Leadership Coach, I empower professionals to perform better and feel more satisfied in their lives. Through our coaching conversations my aim is for people to get to that place where they make better decisions, feel more confident and more balanced. Coaching really helps people move forward …which for me is so inspiring.
In addition I have run my own Qualitative Research business for the last 20 years, where I work with businesses and brands, to help them gain new perspectives on their target customers, and inform their marketing and communications strategies.
How are you feeling about being in front of the camera?
I think… well, I know I’m very nervous… But nothing ventured, nothing gained! I’m trying to enjoy the experience and take confidence from the people around me.
What have been your biggest achievements/wins or what are you most proud of in your career?
As a coach, I always feel really pleased when clients tell me of their personal successes. So, when a client told me recently that he had got his dream job (switching career path), and had been successful in achieving funding for an entrepreneurial venture he was also pursuing, I was really delighted. Without the coaching, he said, he wouldn’t have moved forward.
On the marketing side, I worked recently with a consumer brand, to discover and launch a new vegan product. There’s lots and lots of interest at the moment in vegan products, and this was an egg lookalike! So the product is now on the market - in Waitrose and Morrisons and online. It’s called ‘Crackd’ – it’s an amazing product. It’s an egg replacement produce and its made from pea protein… I worked with the clients to discover if there was a market for it - what the product should look like, how it should be branded, what the packaging should look like.
All of that was done through discovery and insight from doing consumer interviews and consumer focus groups and learning what they needed and thought. So that was an exciting challenge!
Do you have any upcoming projects you would like to talk about?
The priority focus this year is to develop my Executive Coaching business - I’ve had some really good success this year. I’ve been working with amazing clients who have really achieved success through the coaching that we’ve done together. It’s really gratifying and inspiring to see clients get their big promotion or move company – or set up their own business for the first time – to see them do so with confidence and positive energy, when they were struggling to achieve on their own before coaching. It’s equally rewarding to see clients manage a leadership challenges at work well as a result of the coaching. May aim is to work with people to manage their career path, enhance their leadership skills, and enhance their resilience and sense of well-being at work. People have been through a lot over the last few years, and with huge economic pressures looming, I see clients shouldering considerable stress and finding it hard to achieve a good work/life balance. This is something I can really help people with, and I love that the coaching outcomes make a tangible difference to clients.
Through the coaching experience, people can understand and tap into their inner strength and resilience and forge a new way ahead. I love working with people through that kind of transition to get unstuck and feel stronger and more confident about the future. I believe that everybody, no matter how ‘ordinary’ they feel they might be, can achieve extraordinary things.
rosie’s photography put me completely at my ease
- Caroline Thompson
Why did you need new photos?
I have been running my business for the last 20 years, and I’ve never had a photo that I’m particularly pleased with - so I felt it was right to have an update! What’s more, I have a new belief and awareness that ‘I am worth it’ - I have given myself permission to invest in myself!
I met Rosie through a business event a couple of years ago and since following her, have been excited and inspired by what I’ve seen!
I’m not a great one for having my photo taken so I’m quite nervous today. I’m the type of person who will look at a photo and say what’s wrong with it rather than what’s right about it. But I think if we always work within our comfort zone, then we don't grasp new opportunities and we don’t have that richer, better, more successful life that we deserve - that’s partly why I’m here today!
I feel this is my opportunity to do something that I’ve wanted to do for ages. Rosie has given me the confidence to give it a go so I am in her hands and I’m looking forward to it!
Where and how will you use your new photos?
I need photos for a number of uses…
I need to put an updated photo on my website to really engage people, and when I’m writing proposals I like to put a photo alongside a summary of my experience and what I do.
Recently I’ve been asked to do more presentations and webinars, so I’d like to be able to have a photo ready to share on communications for these.
I am in a people business. People (ie potential clients) want to know who they’re going to be working with, and have confidence that they could work with that person, engage with that person, trust that person, and get on with them. My hope is that I’ll be able to have a photo that projects that kind of message, that I’m somebody they can work with.
How do you want to come across in your photos?
I work with people to help them understand themselves or their consumers. If I am working with a consumer, I really need them to open up and tell me what they truly think. If I’m working with an individual doing coaching, they need to trust me in order to reveal their inner thoughts and feelings.
So, I want to come across as a person that they can trust, that I’m somebody who is approachable, on their level…not boring…. but they could enjoy the experience of talking with me and having in depth conversations with me.
What do you specifically like about Rosie’s work?
What I really like about Rosie’s work is that it’s not what you would consider to be a conventional business headshot. There’s a vibrancy and a life and a confidence about the shots, which I think is inspiring!
It’s a creative approach…and I think it’s a little bit different.
It brings out the best in women.
How was your experience?
I had a fabulous experience today…I really enjoyed the whole experience, the process, and the team that helped me with everything from the makeup and the hair through to the outfits. Rosie’s photography put me completely at ease, I got some amazing photographs! I don’t think anybody’s ever captured quite so many good photos of me that I like in such a short space of time. I know I’ll let loads and loads of use out of them - so it’s well worthwhile.
Amazing!
Thanks so much Caroline - I know you were nervous but we got some really great shots where you look so happy and confident!
Caroline Thompson Associates: https://www.carolinethompsonassociates.co.uk
Interested in having your own shoot with me? Send me a message!
