13 Professional Corporate Headshots Tips to Look Best

Summary: This post is mainly focused on how to take professional corporate headshots. We’d like to introduce 13 useful tips and 5 examples of headshots to help you get professional headshots.

Are you a job seeker and looking for a professional headshot? We’re here to help you. In this blog, we shared 13 tips and 5 examples of headshots to help you take professional corporate headshots.

Corporate Headshots are a type of business portrait photography, and it’s mainly used for company websites, business cards, and LinkdIn profiles. Thus, it’s important for conveying a good first impression and gain customer’s trust.

But how to take a professoional headshot may be a tough question. You can find something helpful from the content below.

13 Tips to take Professional Business Headshots

1. Preparations

Before we start to take professional headshots, there are some preparations to make. First, have a good rest. Sufficient sleep ensures you have a full mental state. Thus you will be well-ready for taking the best corporate headshots.

Second, review your previous best pictures and notice if there are any that you particularly like. Send them to your photographers since in this way, you can find the best angle to look flattering.

2. Consistent with Your Personal Brand Image

Everyone has his own brand image, and it should be in accordance with his headshots. For instance, if you are a business owner, and your brand image is powerful, reliable, and authoritative.

But how can you convey these messages to your clients? That is, by creating your professional headshots. And it is achieved by the photo composition, your outfits, facial expressions, and backdrops, which I will clarify in detail later.

3. Clothes

What to wear is a key question for professional headshots. And it’s up to your personality and profession.

But commonly, the clothes for professional business headshots should be: standard suit-and-tie, and the colors should be: white, black and blue.

For those job seekers, they can take a look at LinkedIn to learn their peers’ outfits style.

4. Backdrops

The backdrops are important for your overall look and will influence the other’s feelings to your headshots.

A neutral-colored backdrop(white, black, and grey) is a classic type for professional business headshots. A solid color background can make the customer focused on you only.

5. Lighting

Lighting is a key factor to headshot photography. The proper lighting can highlight your facial features, and help you look confident and trustworthy.

Use key light with fill light. The key light is the main light focused on the subject, and the fill light is to fill the shadows created by the key light, preventing them from getting too dark.

The two lights can neutralize and coordinate the light on your face, and make your facial contour clear to see, thus generating the best corporate headshots.

6. Hair and Makeup

Your hairstyle and makeup are important for business headshots. They should be simple and natural.

For businesswomen, neutral eyeshadows look best. For businessmen, keeping their facial hair neat is the top priority.

7. Relaxation

Staying relaxed is also a beneficial factor for taking a professional headshot.

First, you can smile more naturally in a state of relaxation, and show your clients that you are easy to get along with.

Second, your whole body will look coordinated when you feel relaxed, and show that you’re confident and capable of dealing with tough tasks.

8. Facial Expressions

The aim of professional headshots is to show someone’s specialization. This can be enhanced by the right facial expressions.

For the senior executives in a business company, their eyes should be firm and powerful, to show their leadership and strong management power.

For those job seekers on LinkedIn, their eyes should be friendly, and they’d better smile with their mouths open, to show they are passionate about everything.

9. Posture

Posture is one of the most useful tips on how to take headshots. A good posture can help you generate the best photo composition and make you look confident and professional.

For professional business headshots, there are some common types of poses, including crossing arms, putting hands at hips, leaning in, looking over the shoulder, and standing straight. And I will introduce these headshot poses one by one in the next part.

10. Composition: Your Overall Look

Composition refers to the arrangement of the whole components of your photo. A proper composition can help your business headshots look charming and professional.

But often, this is a factor that a photographer needs to consider. They should pay attention to the coordination of points, lines, shapes, colors, texture, and space.

11. Lots of Shots

To get a professional headshot, only shooting one time is not enough.

So you can tell your photographers to shoot a lot for you, so that you can choose the best headshot picture which shows the best angle of your face, to optimize your facial advantages.

12. Camera’s Shooting Angle

The camera’s shooting angle has a great impact on your professional headshots. The angle should neither be too high nor too low.

Shooting from a lower angle will clearly show your double chin. Similarly, shooting from a higher angle includes your head only, which is weird.

Choose a flat angle, since the best corporate headshots should contain both your head and shoulders.

13. Accessories

Less is more for a professional headshot. But sometimes, the appropriate accessories can make your headshots stand out. Here we mainly talk about earrings, glasses, and ties.

Earrings are an elegant accessory for professional corporate headshots of women.

Glasses are suitable for both male and female professional headshots. Since glasses can show others that you’re wise and intellectual.

Tie is especially a great element for men’s business headshots. Your tie will match or compliment your outfit without drawing attention away from your face.

5 Examples of Headshots to Get Best Corporate Headshots

1. Cross Arms

This is a typical pose for professional corporate headshots. It’s used for both business men and women. Since crossing arms with hands can show their power, authoritative and leadership.

2. Put Hands at Hips

It is a best pose for corporate headshots. Stand still and put your both hands at hips. This can show that you are assertive and stand in your own ground.

3. Lean In

This is a casual and comfortable headshot pose. Put your chin on your hand and look directly to the camera.

Leaning in can help you relax yourself and look more natural, thus leaving a good first impression on your clients.

4. Look over Your Shoulder

Looking over the shoulder can make you have direct eye contact with the camera, and it’s best for capturing your most charming angle. And it is perfect for female professional business headshots.

5. Stand Up Straight

This pose is often seen in business headshots. Standing straight can show others that you are well ready to devote yourself to work.

Get Corporate Headshots in a Snap With AI Headshot Generator

Here comes the question, although the tips and examples above may be helpful, is there a fast way to take corporate headshots at home and with iphone?

Luckily, the answer is yes! We’d like to recommend you an online tool: Fotor’s AI headshot generator. With its powerful AI technology, you can easily and quickly generate professional corporate headshots at home.

All you need to do is to upload your pictures and AI will do the rest. Choose a desired style, and your business headshots will be generated in seconds.

Conclusion:

Taking professional corporate headshots is a great way to show you’re skilled and experienced. In this blog, we provided 13 tips and 5 examples to help you get best corporate headshots. Plus, you can apply Fotor’s AI headshot generator to get your desired headshot photos in seconds. Look no further, try now to get your professional headshots!