The Linkedin headshot

The ‘Linkedin headshot’ was a phrase that didn’t even exist a couple of years ago, or only in photography circles.  But in the past couple of years it’s become a term in common usage among business professionals and not just professional photographers.

I’m guessing that’s got a lot to do with the huge rise in popularity of Linkedin in recent years.  For non-business people, it’s a bit of a mystery; the social media platform that didn’t make sense.  I even know a lot of business people who regarded it as the poor cousin of Facebook, but after some under-the-hood adjustments, that’s all changed.  It’s on the rise, and its use as a key tool to get work means that it’s important to get your profile right.  I’ve certainly noticed in the past year or so the number of bookings where people or firms have specified that they want ‘Linkedin head shots as we’re updating our profiles’ has grown massively.

The secret of success with a good headshot of this type is to keep it simple.  However, while that sounds easy, as with all things minimal, getting it right is actually rather difficult.  The small allotted space on the profile page means that only a head and shoulders should be in the shot – which means that the photo needs to be well lit and, crucially, the expression needs to be right.  A plain background is obviously critical, so as not to distract from either the face, or the banner that it’s placed within.

It’s also worth flagging up the changes that Linkedin are currently rolling out to profiles.  This will include moving the profile shot from the centre of the page to the left hand side.  Bearing that in mind, I always shoot portraits looking left, right and straight at camera, because it’s highly likely that one angle (looking right) will probably look wrong on the page.

Here are a few recent shots, in a mixture of colour and black and white.  Whichever you choose for your own profile page is down to personal choice, and any house style that your business decides to follow.

Are you looking for a new headshot for business?  Whether you’re a sole trader or have a company running into tens or hundreds of staff, I can help in providing professional profile photos like these.  Drop me a line via the contact form and I’ll be happy to chat to you about it.