How to get a headshot you actually like (and will actually use)


Most people don't like their headshot. I know this because it's usually the first thing they tell me, often before hello.

It's almost never because of their face. It's because the photo was taken in a hurry, against a wall, by someone who said "smile" and pressed the button. Nobody asked what the picture was for.



After 16 years of photographing business owners, I can tell you a headshot you love comes down to a handful of decisions made before the camera comes out. Here are the five that matter.

Smiling woman with red hair and glasses sitting on a white sofa in a bright room with a monstera plant.
Woman with long brown hair in red blouse seated in colorful chair, posing confidently in elegant interior.
Woman in dark top and white trousers standing confidently in a stylish room with floral wallpaper.

1. Start with where the photo is going


Before you think about what to wear, think about where this picture will live. A LinkedIn profile is a small circle. A website banner is a wide rectangle with text over one side. A speaker bio might be printed in black and white.


They are three different photographs, and one image rarely does all three jobs well.


So write a list. Website, LinkedIn, email signature, press, proposals, the awkward "meet the team" page. Bring it to your shoot. It tells me how to frame you, how much space to leave around you, and how many different looks you need to walk away with.

This is the step most people skip. It's also why so many good photos end up sitting in a folder doing nothing.

Smiling blonde woman in black blazer and jeans sits relaxed in white chair against neutral curtain backdrop.
Professional woman in navy top and tan pants smiling confidently in a bright, modern office space with wooden beams.

2. Think about who is looking at it


Your headshot isn't really for you. It's for the person deciding whether to reply to your message, book the call or trust you with their money.

Picture one real client. What do they need to feel in the two seconds they spend looking at your face? Reassured? Energised? That you're the calm one in the room?


A family solicitor and a personal trainer both need to look trustworthy, but it isn't the same kind of trust. Pick two or three words for the feeling you want to leave, and tell me what they are. Everything else follows from them: the light, the setting, the expression, whether you're sitting on a stool or leaning in a doorway.

Smiling blonde woman in gray blazer holding a laptop, standing against a light curtain background.
Smiling woman in green leopard print jumpsuit sitting in chair wearing glasses with tattoo on arm.
Smiling young woman sitting on a couch holding a tablet, wearing a gray sweatshirt and jeans in a bright living room.
Smiling blonde woman with tortoiseshell glasses wearing a black sleeveless top, posed against a neutral background.

3. Wear the thing you feel like yourself in


The best outfit for a headshot is the one you'd wear to meet your favourite client. Not the one you bought for the shoot and have never sat down in.

A few things that reliably work:


  • Solid colours over busy patterns. Small checks and thin stripes do strange things on screen.
  • A fit you don't have to adjust. If you tug at it in the mirror, you'll tug at it on camera.
  • A colour that sits well with your brand, without matching your logo exactly.
  • Layers. A jacket on and off gives you two looks in thirty seconds.


Bring options. I would much rather choose between three tops with you on the day than work around the one that looked better on the hanger.

Smiling middle-aged woman with long blonde hair wearing a navy hoodie, posing with hands crossed in a bright room.
Woman in green cable-knit cardigan with glasses sits thoughtfully, resting chin on hand against light curtain backdrop.
A smiling woman with long brown hair wearing a navy blue top sits relaxed on a white chair in a bright room.

4. Being photogenic is not your job


If a photo of you came out stiff, that was the photographer's problem to solve. It was never a flaw in you.

Nobody stands naturally when a lens is pointed at them. Hands become a mystery. Shoulders creep up towards ears. That's every person I have ever photographed, including the ones who do this for a living.


So you don't need to practise in a mirror. I'll tell you where to put your weight, what to do with your hands and when to drop your shoulders. I won't tell you to smile, because being told to smile produces exactly one expression and it isn't a good one. We'll talk instead, and the real one turns up on its own.

Your only job is to turn up. Mine is everything after that.

Blonde woman in leopard print wrap dress standing by sheer white curtains, smiling softly at camera.
Smiling young woman with long brown hair wearing a rust-colored knit sweater, seated casually against a light curtain backdrop.

5. Give yourself a calm run-up


The hour before your shoot shows up in the pictures. Arriving straight from a difficult meeting with a parking ticket and no lunch is visible, I promise.


A few small things make a big difference:

  • Book any haircut about a week before, not the day before.
  • Lay your outfits out the night before, ironed.
  • Eat something and drink some water.
  • Leave ten minutes more than you think you need.


We always start with five minutes going through the plan together, so there's time to land before anything happens.

Smiling blonde woman with nose ring wearing white blazer and braided headband, portrait photo.
Smiling man with dark curly hair and beard wearing a white ribbed polo shirt, posed against a neutral beige background.
A young woman with long brown hair and blue eyes laughs joyfully, wearing a white floral top.

Ready for a headshot you'll actually use?


I photograph headshots and brand sessions from my barn studio in Hampshire and on location across the UK. If your current photo is one you crop yourself out of, get in touch and we'll plan one you're happy to put your name next to.