In my last post, I critiqued a very capable and professional firm with a very unprofessional staff photo highlighted on their website.
As promised, here is an example of how to do it right. 
Compare and contrast against the firm wide photo. At first glance, which financial advisor would you consider more knowledgable? Whom would you trust?
Notice that it's not a group photo. Group photos are fraught with problems. When someone leaves the firm, your photo is out of date. When someone new joins the firm, your photo is out of date. The number of people in the photo can elicit a myriad of unintended responses from "My, I thought this firm was bigger. I wonder if it is safe to do business with them?" to "Gee, these guys are huge. I wonder if I'm getting what I pay for or is some underling really doing all the work on my account?"
So, the moral of the group photo story is ... don't do it.
There are better ways to portray the professionals in your firm, namely 1) individually; and 2) either full body or waist up. Eschew the standard headshot. It's over done. If you're going to the trouble to get a headshot, then go the extra mile and get something more useful. The photographer doesn't care and, if you have a good one, would love to participate in something more than a tedious headshot session.
Notice also that this fellow is dressed professionally, has a pleasing but not goofy smile, and a power stance. All very important to the overall image conveyed.
The fellow I have pictured is from an accounting firm headquartered in the UK - Rawlinson & Hunter. As a bonus, poke around their website! Hit the "Home" button and prepare to smile. They have used their website as a great differentiation tool. Clever. Fun. Full of personality. It's not perfect but it's a heck of a lot better than most professional service firm sites out there.
Enjoy!
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