Three elements of a good headshot

Every professional needs a good headshot (or head shot) nowadays.

Your face is going to be seen somewhere online, whether through social media, websites, blogs, Zoom meetings, etc., and probably even pops up through Google image searches. It’s important to make sure that YOU decide what photos are associated with your online persona. The last thing you want is a photo you don’t like (or worse, didn’t choose) representing your brand, which you have worked hard to build.

So, quality headshots have become imperative for business people, real estate agents, doctors, lawyers, corporations both large and small, college professors, teachers, actors, theatrical performers, students, church clergy — In short, everyone needs a good headshot in today’s digital world.

With that in mind, here are three elements of a good headshot and some tips to help you choose a great photographer.

FIRST, and most importantly, a good headshot should look like the best version of YOU possible. This sounds obvious, but it is easier said than done. A professional photographer knows how to coach expressions, place you in the most flattering lighting, and will even help you choose clothing and accessories to make your headshot stellar. A photographer worth his or her salt will be able to instantly recognize what features to accentuate, and knows how to coach what I call “micro-expressions” which are a key component to a great headshot. Your headshot must reflect the BEST version of you possible.

Second, a good headshot needs to be technically EXCELLENT. Technical elements include correct exposure and focus, correct color balance, good cropping, excellent lighting (there are many different lighting styles and some are not great for headshots), camera and lens choices and settings, camera height, and much more. Technical details will make or break the photo, and a professional photographer understands and pays attention to these important elements. The last thing you want is a poorly lit, unclear, and unflattering photo representing your brand, as it screams amateur to your potential business connections.

THIRD, a good headshot must be COMPOSED and EDITED properly. The last thing you want is what I like to call the 1980s Glamor Shot look, complete with soft focus filter and fake bookcase background. A photo like this will do your brand more harm than good! A modern, clean headshot has a simple background, and the editing is done to make you look your best, not to look like an Instagram filter gone awry. In fact, nothing is worse than an over edited photo, since it is clearly fake to all who see it. I personally only use two backgrounds for headshots — white and grey. That’s it! Keeping things this simple also makes your face much more engaging in the headshot, and minimizes distractions.

Well, I hope this has been helpful to you. In truth, there are a HOST of issues both large and small that we headshot photographers think about with each of our clients, and in the end it is up to us to know what to do to make the session amazing, since no two faces are the same. So you could say that the most important element of the headshot is the photographer you choose to take it.