Hello Deborah.
On our Forum we require a photo where your face is visible.
You can use whatever photograph you want on the Directory. Most practitioners use the same photograph, but that is not required.
The many hours our team spends every day keeping this Forum and Directory going has your photographs on our screens constantly. The correlation between a decent, well-lit and in-focus photograph and a thriving practice is just SO obvious to us, but perhaps not so obvious to all practitioners. This is not new advice but advice few have heard or heeded.
I would not replace your photograph with cute bunnies or even have any animals in our photograph on the Directory and that is not what is suggested by this example. In case the story was misunderstood, It was a heartfelt attempt to illustrate how a decent photograph can help you stand out from a very large crowd and connect you with the person who is looking for you too.
Your profile photograph is clear and in focus and you can see your eyes and you are smiling- and I would say gives a good sense of your energetic presence! 🙂
To continue on with this idea of how important a photograph is, I would also caution members not to use a photograph of yourself that is very old or outdated in some way. For example a few years ago I had very short hair. I also was younger <grin> If I kept a photo of myself up that was taken 5 years ago and my client opened up my studio door for a session they might wonder who was standing there. That is a disconnect that is not helpful. One might even say not truthful.
I have seen some speakers do this “use a younger image” on the lecture circuit. It is NOT a good idea.
The marketing video linked above makes some VERY good side-by-side examples of great vs. not-so-great photographs and can be very helpful to you.
As a personal aside, remembering giving that presentation live is one I will never forget. Dolores was supposed to be taking a break during this time (It was the official QHHT Reunion of 2014.) But she came in just as I started and sat amongst the other practitioners and watched along with everyone else. Her smile and head nodding during the talk and comments to those around her were a lovely gift to us all.
Love,
Candace
