Toronto photographer gives women career leg-up with free headshot

First impressions are important. And increasingly, first impressions occur online.

So Toronto photographer Yuli Scheidtis taking free headshots for women and non-binary individualsthose who do not identify as either male or femalewho are trying to get work or advance their careers in a month-long project.

Scheidt said shewants to photograph women, particularly of diverse backgrounds, and non-binary individualswho are in or entering work inscience, technology, engineering or math "because these groups are underrepresented."

"I didn't want something sosimple and silly as aheadshotto hold anyone back," she told CBC News.

The 29-year-old said she is taking the photographs for free or pay-what-you-can because headshotsare pricey they can cost $100 to $500, she saidanother deterrent.

I didn't want something sosimple and silly as aheadshotto hold anyone back.- YuliScheidt, photographer

"I wanted toknock down that cost-prohibitive barrier altogether," she said.

"Ithink it's fair to give myservices to people for one month like that."

Though not everyone might think a headshot is imperative,Scheidtsaid.

"If you, say, put up a selfie or a nice photo but you have to crop someone out of it up on your LinkedIn,it's not the most professional looking."

Scheidtusually takesthe headshotsduring breaks at her day job in design and strives to shoot themin a setting unique to the participant in a bid to "tell so much more about the person" and ensure they are comfortable.

"Maybe the reason they haven'tgota headshot isn't because of the cost but it's because they don't feel worthy of having their photo taken or they don't feel comfortable," she said.

"What Ireally hope is that they get an image that they think represents them."

Scheidtsaid she is already booked for November, with 15 headshots taken and 15 upcoming,but will start shooting again in the new year.

"The simplest thing Ican give someone to help them havea foot forward is having a really nice polished headshot."