Cork women can avail of free professional headshots this month

To mark International Women's Day, the River Lee hotel will be hosting allocated time slots for women to get professional photographs taken free of charge on August 18

The Doyle Collection had to push the original event date from March due to Covid-19 restrictions. 

An Irish hotel chain has announced a new initiative that will allow women to have professional headshots taken completely free of charge.

The team at The Doyle Collection, which includes the River Lee Hotel in Cork and The Westbury in Dublin, will host the event later this month, with shoot days taking place in both hotels as well as in a London branch on August 17 and 18.

The idea first came to the fore in honour of International Women’s Day, which took place in March, but the initiative had to be postponed due to Covid-19 restrictions.

The hope is that the complimentary headshots will help support Irish women in business.

“Whether working within an international firm or as an entrepreneur starting out in a new industry, securing a headshot often falls to the wayside on a list of priorities,” a spokesperson for the group said. “Especially after a year which has posed unprecedented challenges for all industries.” 

The sittings will take place on Tuesday, August 17 at The Westbury hotel with photographer Emily Quinn and on Wednesday, August 18 at The River Lee hotel.

Each guest will come away with a digital headshot that can be used as a valuable marketing tool for a website, social media accounts, or press outreach.

“I believe International Women’s Day is an opportunity for society to celebrate all women in our communities - from CEOs and recent graduates to full-time mothers, retired citizens, and carers,” said The Doyle Collection’s chairperson Bernie Gallagher.

“To mark International Women’s Day this year, which has been challenging to so many, we wanted to offer something that will help women progress in the future. We hope this initiative will instil greater confidence in women taking part in business throughout the world."

Bookings can be made via Eventbrite from 5pm today, August 9, with slots allocated on a first-come-first-served basis. Slot times are 15 minutes each and start after 9am.

Organisers assure that all recommended Covid-19 safety measures will be fully observed throughout the days. To book, click here.