Picture or No Picture?

my active rain profile photo is what I use for all photos shots!

I have two sets of biz cards. One with a photo, one without. However, in general I think it's better to have a photo on biz cards and other marketing pieces. And it's important to have a professional photo. In my opinion, I wouldn't worry too much about being "judged" there's only a small portion of the public that judge harshly based on appearance and they are equal opportunity critics - and often most critical of the most attractive. In other words - they judge no matter who's in the picture.

Photos are good for both face and name recognition.

I tried experimenting with cards that had no photo.  I didn't like passing them out - people expect us to use photos.  Do I "fix" them up a bit?  Yes, just a bit, but I still want to look like a current version of me!

As you can see it's very casual.  I update annually based on my current look.  I use it on my site, here, facebook but not on my signs and I feel that signs should be about the property, not the agent.  I do however believe that readers need a current photo of you to connect with on blogs/your site.

Very few professions use a photo on their cards and other advertising, I just use my logo.