Photos that show your actual work

Most people do not read a profile first; they look at it. The eye pauses on the images, and only if what it sees feels calm does the reading begin. That makes photographs a piece of information about your work rather than decoration: how clean the room is, how much light it gets, whether the table looks comfortable, whether the place is real. A bad photo does not put people off because it is unprofessional, but because it tells them nothing.

The single most important shot is your room as it actually is. Make the table with fresh linen, clear away clutter from the frame, open the curtains and photograph the room from the doorway, the way a client will see it when they walk in. That one image answers a dozen unspoken questions: is it bright, is there somewhere to hang clothes, does the space look cared for. Add a second angle and one close-up: rolled towels, a bottle of oil, a warm lamp. Details communicate that someone looks after this place.

Show the work itself, but with restraint. A close-up of your hands on a shoulder or a back, with the client's face out of frame, says more than ten generic pictures. If you photograph a real person, get written permission, show them the image before it is published, and make sure they are unrecognisable if that is what you agreed. Confidentiality is part of the profession, and a client who sees that you think about it will trust you sooner.

Light decides everything. Shoot during the day near a window, with the ceiling light switched off so you do not mix warm and cool light. Hold the phone with both hands, tap the screen on your main subject, and take several frames from slightly different angles. Landscape orientation usually works better than portrait, because listings tend to display images wide. Go easy on filters: if the room looks different in person than in the photo, the client will notice, and the first feeling will be disappointment.

Some things are worth avoiding altogether. Stock photos of someone else's interior, with petals arranged on a back, say nothing about you and quietly damage trust as soon as anyone recognises them. Equally, avoid ambiguous imagery: too little clothing, soft focus, candles crowding the edge of the table. Those pictures attract the enquiries you do not want and deter the clients who are looking for a serious practitioner.

One portrait is close to essential. It is easier to trust someone when you know who will open the door. You do not need a studio session: natural light, a plain background, clean work clothes and a relaxed expression are enough. Do not shoot into the light, and do not reuse a photo from a wedding or a holiday, because it sets the wrong context instantly.

Put the images in a deliberate order. The room or your portrait first, then the work, then details, then, if it helps, the building entrance or stairwell so people can find you. Five to eight good frames work better than twenty average ones. And like your text, review them once a year: if you have rearranged the room, changed your linen or moved, old photos quietly work against you. Current pictures are a simple way of showing that the practice is alive and well kept.