People need to see the face or faces behind your company.

Why is it important to have a professional headshot that represents your business?

“Whether you want to post your headshot on your company’s website, or want to post it on your social media pages, you are always representing your business in one way or another. You might deal with other businesses or with the general public, but a professional headshot will put confidence into your business and make your clients (both businesses and public) more willing to deal with you.” – Robert Montgomery, CEO and Founder of LinkedIn (source link)

We’re not insisting that you learn all there is to know about taking professional headshots, with these business headshot tips.

You photographer will fill you in on the rest!

Hiring a photographer is the best way to make sure you get the best headshot/s for your business.

According to Organic Headshots, a good headshot should…

• Depict a relaxed, confident you
• Catch you in a natural state
• Be taken by a photographer who can make you feel relaxed
• Communicate something about your style and personality
• Be a portrait you are proud to show to people

Your business headshot should serve multiple purposes:

• Printed on your business card
• Featured them your company website’s about page
• Used for online profiles

Or anywhere you would want to introduce yourself, if you can’t be there in person.

Here are 4 business headshot tips that you’ll need to know before getting your headshot/s taken.

1. Keep it Simple

You don’t want to “date” your photo, or distract from the main subject of the photo (you).

For women, keep makeup and hair simple, yet put together and flattering.

According to Eric Calvi, a professional headshot photographer in NYC:

Men should wear a solid dark suit, a pressed and well-fitting white or light colored shirt, and a dark tie.

Women should wear a solid suit and a light blouse. Wear something that looks good from the waist up.
Try to pick something that falls well on your shoulders and flatters your neckline.

Avoid wearing patterns, or solid-white clothing.

With proper clothing, your face commands attention and clothing itself becomes secondary. – Eric Calvi

2. Select the Right Background

Here are some basic business headshot tips for backgrounds:

• It should add to the atmosphere of the photo
• It shouldn’t distract from the main subject
• It should be clean and simple without being too plain

A word about backgrounds from an article at Entrepreur.com, written by the CEO and Founder of the stock photo website, Dreamstime.com:

The type of background is important, so try to have some design details, rather than an empty sky (which is dull, reminiscent of passport photos) or one with an isolated element (that can be visible). The key is to have a background that will allow your head shot to pop. – Serban Enache

A few professional background ideas:

• A large window with nice scenery.
• A wall with an attractive print.
• Outdoors with natural scenery.
• A busy city street (blurred except for the main subject).
• Your office, if you have a nice office!
• Your studio or work space (can be partially washed out or blurred to prevent distraction).

3. Asymmetry Keeps it Natural

A headshot taken from straight ahead will look like your drivers license photo, which is hardly ever flattering…

That’s because our faces are naturally asymmetrical.

The best portraits feature a pose with the head tilted slightly downward at a comfortable angle, with the camera just slightly off to one side.

You might find that you favor one side of your face over the other.

If this is the case, let your photographer know. This will save you time in finding the most flattering pose.

According to pro-photog Dustin Olsen, the right angle can make you look slimmer!

Instead of having our client face square to the camera, we need them to do a 2/3 turn away from the camera. Having them turn away will give them a slimmer profile look in the camera and shave off those 10 extra pounds.

4. Prepare Yourself Well-Ahead of Time

Here are some things you’ll need to keep in mind a week or two before you get your professional headshots taken:

Don’t get a haircut or get your hair dyed right before your headshots are taken.

A new haircut also looks its best after at least a week, and colored hair looks more natural after 1-2 weeks’ worth of shampooing. – From Organic Headshots

Do whatever you can to look “healthy”:

• Get plenty of sleep the night before to avoid under eye circles or puffiness.
• Drink plenty of water, which can make your skin look nicer.
• Eat a healthy meal, and don’t over-stuff yourself.
• Avoid drinking alcohol, which might help you “loosen up”, but can make your skin look bad.

Your skin might not look it’s best after drug/alcohol use. Try to abstain from these before your shoot. – Pro Portrait Photographer, Steven Noreyko

Lastly, be sure to shop around to hire the best photographer for your money. Find a pro with a great portfolio and examples that you like.

Having a professional headshot shows that you take your business seriously. 

It’s important to keep these business headshot tips in mind, so that you know what to expect, and so you can work with your photographer to get the best headshots for your business.

Reader question: 

Do you have professional headshots? What kind of setting did you choose?