Top 25 Men & Women Professional Headshot Examples
When it’s about headshot photography, It says it’s not as easy as it seems, but with some tips, you can take great headshots yourself.
In this article, we will show you examples of good professional headshots and give you some easy-to-follow advice to improve your headshot photography and enhance your first impression of professionalism.
Headshot Photography is a form of portrait photography that is used to capture professional profile pictures, either for your website or LinkedIn profile. It involves a close-up capture of your face.
Indeed, where headshot photography is regarded as one of the finest forms of portraiture, playing with it has never been easy. Besides, a professional photographer not only finds the perfect location but also adjusts the lighting and toggles for the best posture.
Also, there are several factors that a photographer looks at before coming up with a meticulously composed headshot that transcends beauty, confidence, and yet a professional look.
25 Men And Women Professional Headshot Examples
Let’s discover some outstanding professional headshot examples that offer professional imagery with a very versatile look to fall for. These examples of good headshots can help you bring professionalism to your corporate life and enhance your lifestyle.
1. The Classic Smile
The traditional grin, which serves to identify your personality and brand yourself, is among the simplest and most popular ideas. All you need to do is straighten up your body and give a natural smile.
2. Hand on Chin / Man Thinking with Hand on His Chin
A hand on the chin is a great, tempting pose that shows you are pondering about the next person or listening intently. The pose portrays a sense of being lost in deep thoughts. It is best for a business meeting headshot.
3. Slight Angling
Looking for something more than a straight, static look for your headshot? Then why not angle your body a bit? Slight angling is a modern corporate headshot example that involves rotating your body a bit until you have an angled view with a camera. It adds a playful and friendly look to the headshot, thus delivering an approachable and complete vibe.
4. Cross Your Arms
Another perfect headshot style is the crossed arms one. For this, you need to stand effortlessly with your hands crossed and, indeed, a cheerful smile on your face. It shows confidence, professionalism, and an open approach.
5. The Hand on Hips
The hand on the hips is one of the most powerful poses for headshot examples. It delivers a sense of being strong, independent, and self-assured.
To pose for it, place both your hands on your hips with a slightly curved posture
6. Look Over the Shoulder
In the Look Over the Shoulder headshot, the entire focus is on your facial expression and not the body. In it, you turn your face a bit over the shoulder, turn your back towards the camera, and that’s it.
Try to give an eye-catching, flawless expression, as the camera is going to capture you all, and definitely, a tense face won’t sit well.
7. Leaning Against the Wall/ Sideways
Leaning against the wall is more of a casual and informal head pose that will suit the best media industry peeps. In it, you lean your body against a wall. However, make sure to lean the body in a balanced way that shows a sense of ease, relaxation, and an open vibe.
And yes, be mindful while choosing the wall. One wrong wall and your shot is destroyed for sure. Opt for a neutral tone and clean wall.
8. Changing Facial Expression
For some people, a smiling face works the best, but what if a dramatic or intense facial expression is your best pose?
So, it’s better to experiment with several Facial expressions, like happy, smile, laugh, shy, intense, dramatic, and a lot more, to figure out which one turns your headshot into a big success.
9. Playing With Hands
When looking for the best headshot example, playing with hands is an element that can hardly be skipped. It gives off an ambitious vibe with a cheerful and jolly personality.
Just stand straight, focus on the lens, and let your hands experiment with different positions.
10. Chin In and Face Forward
Chin in and face forward are among the business headshot examples. In it, you tuck in your chin a bit with your face facing directly into a camera, giving it a highly professional look.
If you ever focus, you will figure out that lots of businessmen and entrepreneurs have such a headshot in their LinkedIn profiles. LinkedIn headshots also follow these tricks.
11. Stand Still
Aiming for a natural headshot? Then, the stand-still pose is made for you. In it, all you need to do is stand still with your body and facial expressions all relaxed in the natural way, and Ta-Da. Your perfect shot is ready. Mostly, it is captured in black and white to add the missing intensity.
12. Lean In
And here comes the simplest one to pose. All you need to do is relax your body and lean your face a bit towards the camera, probably supporting your face with your hands. It gives off a relaxed and friendly vibe.
13. Playing With Props
Another headshot example that adds both liveliness and a professional look to your headshot is playing with props. You can either use glasses, a pen, your mobile, or any other prop and take multiple shots to find which can be chosen as your perfect headshot.
14. The Candid
And when enlisting good headshot examples, how can one miss the Candid one?
All you need to do is walk around naturally, and your candid headshot will be captured.
15. The Back Turned
The back-turned headshot is similar to the over-the-shoulder one in that, in it, you turn completely with your back facing the camera, followed by rotating your face at a beautiful angle to be captured. It is best for shooting commercial headshots.
16. Hidden Face
Want to add an element of interest to your headshot? Then why not go for the hidden face pose?
In it, you hide your facial features with some props, your clothes, hands, or anything else.
17. With Hands-On Support
With Hands-On Support is a very common headshot pose, particularly when reviewing men’s headshot examples. In it, you put your hands against a hard surface. It gives a balanced and striking look with an added style.
18. Playing With Shadows
Playing with shadows surely counts as one of the best business headshot examples. It shows a strong personality from both male and female business headshots. However, to capture the good one, you need to adjust the lighting and background a lot.
19. The Expensive Attitude
Indeed, in a business and meeting headshot, the rich attitude headshot depicts you as a strong personality holder person with highly focused dreams and a bright future. And surely, you need a similar one, right?
20. Self Assured Headshot
A self-assured headshot is best for professional settings. Standing with your shoulders back and a soft, subtle expression on your face, adopt a natural stance to pose.
But be careful to dress in a very formal suit for it.
21. Environmental Style
Are you a social activist longing for a perfect headshot example that suits your profession? Then the environmental style headshot covers you, right?
In it, you pose freely in an open setting that complements your profession. For example, shoot in an open park with a subtle touch of greenery. And yes, you can incorporate some props, too.
22. Business Headshot
The classic business headshot involves positioning both your face and hands in the ideal posture. Corporate headshots are similar to business headshots as well.
When posing for business headshots, try to keep your body straight and look directly into the camera; thus portraying your confidence. And yes, why not put one of your hands in your pocket? Indeed, a style to carry!
23. The Perfect Symmetry Shot
Put both your hands around your chin with elbows resting on a hard surface, a bit of a smile on your face, and stop right here. Your perfect symmetry shot is ready to be clicked. It is among the perfect female professional headshot examples.
24. The Best Side
All of us believe that one side of your face is more appealing or more photogenic than the other. So, why not get that side captured by posing in the best side headshot? It looks professional and neat, yet trendy.
25. Full frontal close-up
Pro Tips For Professional Headshot Photography
A professional headshot is an important tool for anyone looking to make a good impression in the business world. It can be used on your resume, LinkedIn profile, and other online presence. But what makes a good headshot? And how can you prepare for a headshot session to ensure you get the best results?
What Makes a Good Headshot Photo?
1. Perfect Fitting Clothes
Your clothing should be professional and appropriate for the job you are applying for. Choosing the best clothes that fit well and avoiding busy patterns or anything too revealing.
2. Skincare
Start a proper skincare and diet at least a week or two before to look fresh, young, and hydrated on a special day.
3. Lighting and Background
Good lighting is important for creating a flattering headshot. Avoid harsh shadows or backgrounds that are too busy.
4. Makeup
Makeup makes a huge difference. Therefore, make sure you wear neat and minimal makeup that day that enhances your facial features without giving you an overwhelming look.
5. Hairstyle
Get your hair trimmed and shaped a few days before the headshot. And on that day, opt for a neat hairstyle that compliments your personality.
Tips for Preparing for a Headshot Session
Do your research: Look at examples of professional headshots online to get an idea of what you like.
Choose the right outfit: Select clothing that is professional and fits you well. Avoid busy patterns and overly revealing clothing.
Get a good night’s sleep: This will help you look your best on the day of your headshot session.
Relax and be yourself: The most important thing is to relax and be yourself. A skilled headshot photographer will help you pose in a flattering way.
How to Pose for a Professional Business Headshot:
If you are going to get your professional business headshot photographed today, here are a few tips that can add to your final look and help you get the best headshot poses:
- Pose naturally and keep your shoulders dropped down and back. Additionally, always flaunt your elongated neck. Which makes professional photos as well.
- Keep your body relaxed, as a tense and stiff body leads to an unnatural pose.
- Try out different angles and postures that make your body appear beautiful, versatile, and strong.
- A common mistake seen in headshot photographs is that where a lot of focus is placed on the correct positioning of the face, zero to no attention is given to keeping hands and arms in the frame, and as a result, the entire photograph loses its charm. Therefore, keep an eye on finger and hand placement, too.
- Lastly, smile, as it’s the best ornament to wear.
How to Capture a Good Headshot?
Last but not least, here are a few secret tips that you can sprinkle to improve your photography skills.
1. Find the perfect background
First of all, choose a background that will complement your shoot. If you are going for professional headshots, opt for a muted, clean background. On the other hand, you can go for a natural setting in the case of a candid and environmental headshot.
2. Try different angles and poses
Try different angles by titling your face, chin in, smiling, positioning hands, etc. Similarly, switch between the different headshot poses we discussed above and see what fits your client’s face seamlessly.
3. Use the right light
In the world of photography, choosing the right light acts as a magic wand that unlocks the doors of perfection. It’s advised to opt for natural light whenever possible. However, for the dramatic headshot examples, continuous light is a better fit.
4. Try different New Facial Expressions
Additional Tips for Great Headshot Photography
- Consider professional editing: Professional retouching and editing can help to remove blemishes and imperfections from your headshot.
- Get multiple headshots taken: It is a good idea to get multiple headshots taken so that you can choose the one that you like best.
FAQs:
Q. 1 What is the best dress for a headshot?
The best dress for a headshot includes a solid-colored dress, followed by layering with a cardigan or blazer. Additionally, you can add some accessories.
Q.2 What kind of Top should I wear for a headshot?
Mild-colored tops with boat or crew necklines add a distinct dimension to the overall look and personality, thus taking your headshot to another level. Try not to go for turtlenecks, as they don’t look very good in photographs.
Q.3 What makes a headshot bad?
Various reasons can make your headshot look bad. However, in most cases, it is either due to distracting clothing, overly done makeup, or an improper setting.
Final Thought
All in all, headshot photography is much more than portraiture. It’s a photography type that narrates the true persona of the person.
Therefore, you need to keep an eye on several factors, ranging from proper lighting to body posture and angles, to capture that one perfect headshot in a frame that carries the WOW factor.