10 Best Headshot Examples with Pose Ideas & Helpful Tips

You are at the right place if you want to learn how to pose or take good headshots. In this guide, I will show you different headshot examples and explain how to pose for them with some helpful tips. Now, let's get started to impress your clients and audiences with the best headshots.

What Makes a Good Headshot?

Your expressions. However, not like artistic expressions like portraits but confident expressions for profile photos. The background, lighting, and dress are also important for taking a great headshot but your expressions play the part of captivating. If your impressions do not look approachable, realistic, and natural, you will not stand out in the hundreds of profiles. Thus, you need to be confident and show the hero in you.

How can you show a hero in you? based on the field you work, choose a location, wear an attire that represents your job, style yourself, stay relaxed, and smile naturally. Following this, you can take high-quality headshots that grab the attention of everyone.

Top 10 Professional Headshot Examples for a Perfect Shot

Go through our examples of great headshots and portray your incredible personality in profile photos, as your first impression will make the clients stop and check your details.

Business Headshot Examples

The main thing you need to focus on for your business headshot is portraying your personality. Wear formal shirts with long sleeves or suits that match your job industry. Provide your authentic smile to look confident and enthusiastic.

For female business headshots, wear a formal outfit that matches your job. Use minimum jewelry. For example, simple earrings and a watch. Also, do not go for extravagant makeup. Wear minimum makeup that looks formal.

If you are a camera-shy person, hire a professional photographer who makes you feel comfortable and brings out your confident self which will help you get noticed while checking your portfolio.

Personal Branding Headshots

Personal branding headshots are different from business headshots or in general traditional professional headshots because you need to portray your brand image and look likable and approachable at the same time.

Also, you have more choices in poses and outfits to represent your brand. Choose at least three outfits that are usually worn in your industry. Try different poses with sitting and standing, using formal and informal outfits. Check every photo thoroughly and choose the one that looks professional + engaging. Send the finalized image to retouch the flaws and build a trustful relationship with your audience.

Indoor Corporate Headshots

Take the headshots in your office for marketing purposes and showcasing your company. Choose proper lighting and background for your corporate headshots. You can use both studio light and natural light. However, I suggest using natural light to create a natural vibe in the image. Also, ensure the background does not look distracting by keeping the focus on the subject and blurring out the background.

You can take corporate headshots in both sitting and standing positions. For example, sitting in your chair or standing beside the window or hallway. Choose outfits that represent your brand and do not forget to smile beautifully.

Outdoor Corporate Headshots

The difference between indoor and outdoor corporate headshots is the background. While indoor corporate headshots have a limited background for usage, outdoor corporate headshot backgrounds are vast and interesting. You can use any place you like to capture your headshot and showcase your beautiful personality to your audience, clients, and customers. However, ensure you are the focus of the picture by blurring out the background or removing any distractions with basic photo editing.

Outdoor Headshots

To take amazing outdoor headshots, you need to focus on two things, Lighting and Location. Choose a location you like because you can take it anywhere. For example, you can take it in a garden, beach, stairs, and fields. However, ensure you are at the center and your surroundings are elevating your professional photo.

As for lighting, choose a golden hour for a headshot session. It is the best time to capture attractive and high-quality headshots. However, you can also take photos in daylight. Find a shade or take the image keeping the sun on the back. Also, outdoor headshots do not need to be all formal. So, relax and try different poses, and choose the one that portrays your personality the most. Here are our outdoor headshot examples for your better understanding.

LinkedIn Headshot

LinkedIn is a social networking site that helps you spread your professional identity and connect with other professional people. Thus, your LinkedIn headshot photos need to be updated and approachable.

How can you do it? Ensure you are the only person in the image. Choose an outfit that you usually wear to work. Make sure your looks are up to date so that when a candidate meets you the next day, they can immediately recognize you. For example, if you wear glasses now, take the image wearing glasses. Also, keep the background simple and it should go with your outfit.

If the picture is too big to fit in your profile, edit the profile photo and keep your head and shoulders in the frame. Remember your uploaded headshot needs to look pleasant.

Studio Headshots

As the name suggests studio headshots mean taking your headshots through a professional photographer's help. You can take studio headshots for LinkedIn, corporate, business, websites, and other social media platforms.

Choose 2-3 outfits according to your profession or brand. Check popular poses others do like looking over the shoulders, sitting and looking directly at the camera, crossing arms, putting their hands in their pocket, etc. Use a backdrop like white and gray or any color that highlights your looks and outfits.

Usually, professional headshot photographers have all the equipment ready and guide you on how to highlight your facial features and take the best headshot. They will make you comfortable and capture your authentic smile. Here are studio headshot photo examples.

Model Headshots

For modeling headshots, focus on capturing your facial features, expressions, and emotions.

If you have unique facial features like toned skin, freckles, natural curly hair, or a sharp jawline, capture it. Take the images with and without makeup. Many directors like to see your natural look and how you look with makeup on. Also, for your modeling portfolio, take images from different angles, highlight your unique features, and put high-quality images. Do not focus on quantity, rather focus on quality headshots that help you connect with your viewer.

Actor Headshot

Your actor headshots outfit, expressions, makeup, etc will vary depending on the roles you want. the more your photos match the characters you want, the better it will capture the attention of the casting director. For example, if you like to play a jolly or businessman character, choose your outfit, makeup, and hairstyle based on that.

The actor headshots are all about role-playing, if you can portray your emotions right with perfect lighting, background, and outfit, you will stand out from other profile photos.

Do not play by the book and take only traditional headshots. Research how others take their headshots, take ideas and capture a beautiful and unique actor headshot.

Kids Headshot

To take kids' headshots, you need to make them feel comfortable first. Talk to them beforehand and throughout the headshot session, and guide them on what to do. If they become comfortable, you will be able to capture their authentic smile.

Use natural lights and choose outfits with simple and solid colors like blue, peach, green, etc. Use minimum makeup and jewelry and keep the focus on the face on eyes. Also, try different poses like looking directly at the camera and smiling, placing hands on the hips, etc.

Headshot Tips for Enhancing Your Photo

Here are some helpful tips to help you get ready and capture the best headshots for your profile.

What Do You Need to Take Best Headshots

These are the things you need to capture the best headshots.

• A simple backdrop like white or gray color. You can also use other bright color backdrops however, ensure it sync well with your outfit and highlight your appearance.
• Only you. Do not use a group image for your headshot as it may confuse the visitors. It should be clear who the profile belongs to.
• Formal or informal outfit. Based on your job attire choose the outfit. If you have a job uniform like a nurse or doctor, you can use that to take headshots too.
• Makeup & jewelry. You can use simple jewelry like a watch and simple earrings. Also, put minimal makeup as you do it for your office.
• Keep the distractions away. Do not use any props or choose a location that may distract your viewers from you. You should be the sole focus of your headshot photos.
• Photoshop tool for cropping. After you take the picture, you have to remove the flaws and crop the headshot by editing. Check out how much photo editing costs.

How Should You Choose Your Outfit

Choose the right outfit with these ideas. Ensure your outfits match your current style.

• Your outfit should represent your job. For example, if you are a CEO, choose attires that showcase your brand image.
• Avoid black, white, and bright colors like red and choose neutral colors that are eye-soothing like grey, blue, etc.
• Choose ironed outfits that are well-fitted.
• For men, wear a long-sleeved shirt or suit, and using a tie is optional.
• For women, do not wear low-cut, informal, or sleeveless clothes. choose clothes that you officially wear in your job.
• Do the hairstyle that you are currently using for your job.

How to Pose for Your Headshot

The traditional headshot poses era is gone. Though the headshot photos need to look professional, you can play with different poses and elevate your profile photos. Try these professional headshot ideas for the best outputs.

• Slight Angling and Arm Crossing. Do not stand straight, slightly angle your body, cross your arms, and smile toward the camera. It will strengthen your body and make you look confident, friendly, and professional.
• Show Emotions. Do different poses like leaning toward the camera and doing a like sign with your hands to show approachability or showing happiness or excitement with facial expressions. It will help you connect with your clients better.
• Lean Your Head Toward Your Shoulders. You can do this pose with your right or left shoulder. If you think your image looks good from the right side, lean your head toward your right shoulder, however, make sure, your image looks balanced.
• Take Random Shots in Action. It is a great way to create a first impression. For example, reading a book, talking, walking, fixing your hair, smiling from your desk, etc.
• Try Different Expressions. Do not just smile while looking at the camera. Take many images with different poses like sitting relaxed, fighting pose, etc. It will help you get a headshot like no other and stand out.
• Use Your Hands for support. If you're taking the headshot sitting, try this pose like pressing your palms together softly, placing your hand on the cheek, etc. It will help you look calm, balanced, and stylish.
• Smile Brightly. Though photographers suggest smiling for headshots, forced smiles do not look nice. So, take time and smile with your teeth or smile with your mouth closed. As long as your smile looks authentic, the image will turn out great.
• Hands on the Hips. Taking images with this pose boosts your personality and confidence.
• Lean Toward the Camera and Look Directly. It is a great way to connect with your clients because it shows the current emotion in your eyes.
• Use the stairs. If you are taking outdoor headshots, using stairs is great as it will create a leading line and keep the focus on you.
• Be Yourself. When you look happy in your headshots, it also makes the viewers happy. You can take social media headshots with this pose.

Remember to Perfect Your Headshot

Taking the perfect shot does not make the image perfect altogether. You need to check its flaws and enhance its quality by retouching it thoroughly.

• Fix the lighting and ensure it looks natural.
• Fix the white balance in Photoshop and provide its true color.
• Remove eye bags, wrinkles, stray hair, spots, cuts and ensure a natural look by retouching.
• Check the full image and remove every dust and dirt.
• Fix the wrinkles from clothes and retouch the hair.
• Whiten the teeth and put makeup on, if needed.
• Soften the skin and ensure it is glowing.

However, if you do not have time and need professional headshot retouching services to perfect your images, contact us. Our expert retouchers always edit the headshots flawlessly and bring out your personality to create a great first impression. Take our free trial and judge the image quality yourself.

Summing Up

Your headshots represent your identity in front of clients, customers, visitors, and social media platforms. Thus, it needs to look stunning. Follow our headshot examples and capture an up-to-date professional image that makes you look confident and stands out from all the candidates.

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