You probably have a sense that your business headshot is important. First impressions, right?
But what exactly is a good headshot photo?
When I first began as a headshot photographer more than 10 years ago I did my homework. I went SUPERNERD on headshots for the better part of my first year shooting them. I dug in to the research about the purpose of a professional headshot, how people actually respond to photos of faces, and what levers can be pulled to get favorable reactions.
I boiled my research down 9 straight-forward tips that can be used to help determine if your current headshot is cutting it, and (if it's not) as a guide for shooting or choosing a new headshot for yourself.
Here's the gist:
Not helpful yet but it's about to be! Let's break each goal down into 3 actionable steps (complete with photo examples from my first year as a Seattle headshot photographer)....
In its simplest form your headshot is a tool to represent and identify you. Like a mug shot only minus the crime. For many of us there will be times in our career (often pivotal times) when our headshot appears as one of many competing for the same opportunities and eyeballs.
Facial recognition research and studies on how people process visual information give us 3 simple principals to make sure your headshot gets noticed when you need it the most.
Faces are easiest to recognize at-a-glance from *straight on*.
You know that artsy shot of you gazing off into the distance? It's epic. But your business headshot, ESPECIALLY your LinkedIn profile pic needs to be recognizable in an instant. Skip angled poses in your professional headshot so you don't get skipped by quickly-scanning eyes.
And make sure your eyes are showing! No sunglasses or squinting.
This seems like it should go without saying, but your face is what matters in your business headshot.
Headshots are often shown small so if you include your whole body in the frame your head may be the size of a lentil and nobody is running for their reading glasses just to see your face. The keyword in headshot is HEAD.
Humans are easily distracted. And the thing that distracts us the most? Other humans. “Is that my cousin Derek behind Sally in that pic…?”
We are also distracted by bright lights, colors, and general contrast.
Choose a background for your professional headshot photo that is either solid color fields and/or blurry, avoiding bright colors and high-contrast.
Trust is an integral part of all business relationships and trust gets created by setting and meeting expectations. When you meet somebody in person after they’ve seen your headshot, the last thing you want is for them to feel surprised.
Begin laying a foundation of trust before you’ve even met someone by setting the right expectations with your business headshot photo.
There may be many reasons to love your old headshot (like looking younger or thinner or having more hair).
But when you look noticeably different in person than you do in your business headshot it sends the message that you'er either out of touch with reality, you're not on top of things (you know you're due for a new headshot but haven't gotten around to it), and/or you're ok with misleading people. None of these messages are good.
It's time to update your business headshot if:
It may seem innocuous but a headshot that has been altered can feel lazy at best and deceptive at worst.
Resist the temptation to repurpose a photo from another part of your life (no wedding photos please). And definitely don’t get fancy with Photoshop. You want your headshot to feel *authentic*.
And definitely, always avoid: cropping people out of group photos, heavy retouching, selective blurring or swapping out the background.
A smile is a sign of friendliness across cultures.
The key to an authentic smile? It’s all about the EYES.
When we smile for real our eyes crinkle up a bit. In headshot photography it's called the "Squinch". If you want to dig in and learn how to Squinch from the OG squinch-master Peter Hurley, check out this YouTube video.
A smile that is just on your mouth comes across as a grimace or sneer and can be downright creepy, especially on men.
The sad but true fact of all social media (everything from LinkedIn to Dating apps) is that people won’t even read your profile if they don’t make it past your profile photo.
You may work from home in sweatpants 99% of the time and that’s ok. But looking disheveled or underdressed in your headshot suggests you are either unaware of what’s appropriate and/or unable or unwilling to put in the work to pull yourself together.
For more specific tips on what to wear for your LinkedIn profile photo, check out these posts:
Men, what to wear for business headshots
Women, what to wear for business headshots
Turns out three key facial indicators of health are an even skin tone, bright, alert eyes, and white teeth. If you've got dark circles under your eyes or your teeth are a bit yellow, a good headshot photographer can always do some subtle photo retouching on your photo but your best bet is to take good care of yourself before your business headshot session (and also:
in general).
Crest white strips 3-5 times during the 1-2 weeks before a photography session go a LONG way.
Humans naturally respond to an open, upright posture and a direct gaze as indicators of power, status, and effectiveness.
And that's a wrap!
A strong, effective business headshot isn't rocket science but it is important.
Here's a recap of my nine tips for a better business headshot photo:
Oh yeah and it's best not to use a selfie as your professional headshot photo. Selfie + professional just don't mix.
You can see all of these principals in action in the Headshots Photo Gallery.
And if this all feels like something better left to a pro (so you can stay focused on what you're good at), reach out and book a professional headshot photo session!
I help people look as rad in their business headshots and profile photos as they are in real life. My superpower as a professional headshot photographer is less about photography skills and more about my way with people. I make regular folks look attractive, warm, and effortlessly confident in their professional headshot photos by making them *feel* attractive, warm, and confident in real life.
