The Power of First Impressions in Photography
“To Put Your Best Foot Forward”
Phrase | to act or appear at one's best; to try to make a good impression. E.g. When you apply for a job, you should always put your best foot forward.
Regardless of the job that you are in, or the career ladder you are currently climbing, people form opinions of you within the first few seconds in what psychologists call "thin slicing." The subconscious mind observes and accurately draws conclusions as to the aptitude and attitudes of the other party in a small series of interactions. It usually takes less than five minutes to "Thin Slice" an individual. Thin slices are, often remarkably telling, with up to 90% accuracy.
An interviewee gets all sorts of things decided by the interviewer within the first few seconds of seeing their cover letter picture. Opinions are formed about your level of intelligence, socio-economic status, competency and likability. First impressions are VERY important.
Here is a wonderful case study in the power of first impressions.
A few years ago the camera maker Canon released a wonderful 3-minute video titled "A portrait session with a twist". In it, they gathered 6 photographers to shoot portraits of the same person. But the photographers were deliberately misled with a preamble on who the person they would be photographing. Some were told that the model was a millionaire, while others were told that he was a former jail inmate, fisherman or alcohol addict.
With the unveiling of the photographs, everyone was shocked at how the same person could be interpreted so differently. Therein lies the power of first impressions.
Fittingly, Canon’s tagline for the campaign was "A photograph is shaped more by the person behind the camera than by what is in front of it."
