Professional Headshot Guide
Why Professional Headshots Matter
Your headshot is often the first impression you make professionally. LinkedIn profiles with professional photos receive 21x more profile views and 36x more messages than those without. Beyond LinkedIn, headshots appear on company websites, conference programs, book covers, business cards, email signatures, and press features. A single good headshot serves multiple purposes for years. What makes a headshot 'professional' isn't expensive equipment or a studio. It's: appropriate lighting that flatters your face, a clean background that doesn't distract, clothing appropriate for your industry, a natural expression that looks approachable and competent, and proper framing (head and shoulders, eyes in the upper third). Common mistakes that make headshots look unprofessional: selfie angle (camera too close, looking up at the phone), busy backgrounds (restaurant, beach, family event crop), poor lighting (overhead fluorescent, harsh direct sun), and too much distance (full body photos cropped to a tiny face). A professional headshot doesn't need to cost $200-500 from a photographer, though that's an excellent investment if budget allows. A well-executed DIY headshot with good light and proper editing produces results that compete with studio photos.
Prioritize light and background
Good lighting on a clean background matters more than camera quality.
Head and shoulders framing
Your face should fill most of the frame. Not too close (selfie), not too far (tiny face).
Invest once, use everywhere
One great headshot serves LinkedIn, company site, conferences, and business cards for 2-3 years.
DIY Professional Headshot Setup
You can take a professional headshot at home or office with a phone and a window. Lighting: stand facing a large window with indirect light. The window should be at your eye level or slightly above. This is the most flattering light angle, illuminating the face evenly without harsh shadows. If one side of your face is darker, use a white poster board or white wall as a reflector on the shadow side. Alternatively, a ring light ($30-50) positioned at eye level directly in front of you provides consistent, flattering light regardless of windows. The circular catchlight in your eyes is associated with professional photos. Background: a plain wall works well. White, light gray, or a muted color that doesn't compete with your face. Hang a fabric backdrop if your walls are busy. Position yourself 3-4 feet from the wall to prevent shadows behind you. Camera: use your phone's front camera for self-portraits (the quality is now excellent) or the rear camera with a timer and tripod for higher resolution. Clean the lens. Use portrait mode for background blur if available. Camera height: the camera should be at eye level or very slightly above. Below eye level creates an unflattering upward angle. Far above creates a 'looking down' impression. Take many shots: take 50-100 photos with slight variations in expression and angle. You'll select the best 2-3 for use.
Window light, face toward it
Large window at or above eye level. Face the window directly. Reflector on shadow side.
Plain background, distance from wall
Solid color wall. Stand 3-4 feet from it to prevent shadows.
Camera at eye level, many shots
Eye level or slightly above. Take 50+ photos. Select the best expression and angle.
Posing and Expression for Headshots
The best headshot expression depends on your industry and personal brand. Approachable professional: relaxed smile with teeth showing slightly. Eyes engaged (genuinely pleasant, not forced). Good for: sales, consulting, coaching, healthcare, creative fields. Confident authority: slight smile or neutral expression with strong eye contact. Jaw slightly forward (sharpens the jawline). Good for: executives, lawyers, finance, tech leadership. Creative/casual: genuine smile or laugh, slightly angled body. More personality showing. Good for: designers, artists, marketers, startup founders. Body angle: turning your shoulders 15-30 degrees from the camera and then turning your head back toward the camera is more flattering than facing square-on. This creates dimension and appears more natural. Chin and jawline: extend your chin slightly forward and down. This sounds awkward but eliminates double chin in photos and defines the jawline. Practice in a mirror. Eyes: the most important element. You should look directly into the camera lens. This creates the impression of eye contact with the viewer. Looking slightly off-camera appears disengaged. What to wear: solid colors photograph best. Avoid busy patterns, large logos, and white (which can blow out). Navy, charcoal, dark green, and burgundy are universally flattering. Wear what you'd wear to an important meeting.
Match expression to industry
Warm smile for people-facing roles. Confident neutral for authority positions.
Slight body angle
Turn shoulders 15-30 degrees, head back to camera. More flattering than straight-on.
Chin forward, eyes to lens
Extend chin slightly forward for jawline. Look directly into the camera lens.
Editing Professional Headshots
Headshot editing should make you look like yourself on your best day. Not a different person, not a filtered version of yourself. Background: if your background isn't perfectly clean, remove or replace it. AI handles this effortlessly: 'remove the background and replace with a smooth light gray gradient' or 'blur the background to keep focus on the face.' Skin retouching: remove temporary blemishes (acne, razor burn, a scratch). Reduce undereye circles slightly. Reduce forehead shine. Keep skin texture visible. AI: 'lightly smooth the skin while keeping natural texture, reduce undereye circles.' Teeth: subtle whitening if discolored. Don't make them unnaturally white. AI: 'subtly brighten the smile.' Eyes: brighten the whites slightly and enhance the iris detail. Don't change eye color or enlarge eyes. AI: 'brighten the eyes slightly.' Hair: clean up obvious flyaways. Don't reshape the hairline or change the hairstyle. AI: 'remove the stray hairs.' Color and exposure: ensure the photo is well-exposed (bright face, visible details in all areas) with neutral white balance. Your skin tone should look natural. Common over-editing mistakes: skin too smooth (looks plastic), eyes too bright (looks alien), teeth too white (looks fake), and heavy vignetting (looks like a mall portrait from 2005).
Clean or replace background
'Remove background, replace with smooth gray gradient.' Clean, professional look.
Natural skin retouching
Remove blemishes, reduce shine and undereye circles. Keep texture visible.
Avoid over-editing
If skin looks plastic, eyes look alien, or teeth look fake, you've gone too far. Pull back.
Platform-Specific Headshot Requirements
Different platforms need different crops and sizes. Start with a high-resolution photo and crop for each platform. LinkedIn: 400x400px minimum, 800x800px recommended. Square crop. Shows as a circle in most views. Ensure your face is centered and not cropped by the circular mask. Upload at 800x800 or larger for sharp display on retina screens. Company website: varies by design. Typically 400-800px wide. May be square, portrait (3:4), or custom. Check your company's existing headshot format for consistency with other team members. Email signature: 80-150px wide in the actual display, but upload at 2x for retina (160-300px). Square or slightly portrait. Must be recognizable at very small sizes, so your face should fill the frame. Conference/speaking bio: typically 300-600px, portrait orientation (3:4 or 2:3). Higher resolution for print programs (300 DPI at the printed size). Business cards: 300 DPI at print size. A 1-inch headshot on a business card needs 300x300 pixels minimum. Slack/Teams profile: 512x512px maximum. Square. Displays at small sizes in message threads, so face should be prominent. Create your headshot at the highest resolution possible and crop/resize for each platform. Maintain the original high-resolution file for future use.
LinkedIn: 800x800px square
Center your face for the circular crop. Upload high-res for retina screens.
Match company format
Check existing team headshots for consistent style, crop, and size.
Keep the original high-res
Crop and resize for each platform from the original. Never upscale a small crop.
AI-Generated vs Photographed Headshots
AI headshot generators (which create entirely new images from selfies) have become popular. They produce polished results quickly, but there are important considerations. Advantages of AI-generated headshots: convenient (no photographer needed), multiple style options from one set of selfies, and consistent polish. Good for people who are camera-shy or can't access a photographer. Disadvantages: they don't look exactly like you. AI-generated headshots are an idealized approximation. In person, you may look noticeably different. This can create awkward moments at conferences, interviews, and first meetings. The uncanny valley: some AI headshots have subtle telltale signs. Ear shapes that don't match, skin texture that's too perfect, inconsistent lighting on hair vs. face. People increasingly recognize AI-generated headshots. Recommendation: a real photograph, properly lit and edited, produces the most authentic and trustworthy result. AI editing of a real photo (background replacement, skin retouching, lighting enhancement) gives you the convenience of AI with the authenticity of a real photograph. If you use an AI-generated headshot temporarily, plan to replace it with a photographed headshot when possible. The photographed version builds more trust.
Real photo first
A well-lit, well-edited real photograph is always more authentic and trustworthy.
AI edit, not AI generate
Use AI to improve your real photo (background, retouching, lighting), not to create a new face.
AI-generated as temporary
If needed temporarily, plan to replace with a photographed headshot when feasible.
Frequently Asked Questions
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