CBRES is making the move to Selfies!

We’re Changing How We Obtain Employee Photos for our Website

Our recent growth across the US means that we need change the way we gather employee photos. For the sake of efficiency, we’re going to skip the traditional visit to a local photographer if favor of asking employees to provide a selfie photo, taken with a mobile phone.

We have prepared some instructions that will guide you to take a good photo. We have a set up uploading instructions for you to follow. Plus, we have some examples of the good, the bad and the ugly Selfies you can check out.

After you take your photos, upload them to WETRANSFER.COM and send in a email them to our website administrator: gself@appleadv.com.

We’ll review the photos, and if we need to have re-takes, we’ll let you know. We appreciate, very much, your cooperation.

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How to take a high-quality Selfie.

Rule 1: Pay attention to what your wear
You should shoot for either (a) a business professional or (b) a business casual look.

For men, that means a shirt with a collar. Add a blazer if you have one. No open shirt buttons. No necklaces. No sunglasses. No printed shirts or T-shirts or, god-forbid, a beater.

Similarly, women should avoid revealing clothing (tight and/or deeply scooped tops) and overly conspicuous jewelry. Your clothes should be well pressed, not overly wrinkled. IMPORTANT: be sure what you wear stands out from the background, i.e., if your background is dark, your clothing should lighter.

Rule 2: Pay attention to your grooming.
Your hair and facial hair should be neatly groomed and well-arranged. Make up should be discreet, not overdone. Avoid “dramatic” eye and lip coloring. Remember, this is a business-class picture.

Rule 3: Pay attention to your background
You should not have a busy background to your photo. For example, a busy, cluttered room or desk is not good. You should not have a brightly lighted window or door in the background. Avoid busy outdoor backgrounds. In other words, nothing in the background should distract the viewer from your face.

Rule 4: Get the lighting right
You can usually get good light by placing yourself in front of an open door or a non-obstructed window, but not in direct sunlight. You want an even light across your face and throat. Be careful of shadows. A good time of day to accomplish this is between full sun-up and 11am; and after 3pm until sundown. A cloudy day is also good.

It is usually best to turn off all lights in the room, relying only on indirect sunlight. You should especially avoid the overhead fluorescent or LED lighting found in most offices. It makes you look slightly green, and it puts an ugly shadow under your nose and chin.

Rule 5: Carefully compose your picture
Here are steps to keep in mind to improve the composition of your Selfie.

• The photo should be shot in portrait not landscape orientation.
• There should be a clear space between the top of your head and the top photo border. The space above your head and below your chin should be about 10 % of the total photo depth.
• The photo should not be cropped above your Adam’s apple. The space between the Adam’s apple and the bottom photo border should be about 10% of the total photo depth.
• You should have space to the left and right of your ears; center your face in the frame leaving about 20% of the screen-width to the left and right of your ears.
• The phone camera lens should be in line with your brow line.
• The photo should not be taken with the lens below your mouth, forcing you to look down at the lens.
• The lens should not be higher than your hairline.
• Experiment with (a) looking directly at the camera lens and (b) turning your eyes and head very slightly to the side (say, 5 degrees). Take several of each pose.
• IMPORTANT: take at least 10 pictures. Actually, the more the better. Usually, the best photos come after you have taken the first 5.

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