Photoshoot for LinkedIn Profile: Look Like a Pro

Use a close-up photo of your, or face and shoulders 

Avoid using half-body or full-body photos on your LinkedIn profile. Profile pictures are small, especially on mobile. When you visit a profile, you want to see the person’s face, right? A profile picture that shows your face conveys approachability and trustworthiness. It’s like saying, “Hi, welcome, this is me. I’m glad you’re here.” You’ve already connected with the person viewing your profile. If they have to zoom in to figure out who you are, well… that’s not good. And besides, LinkedIn doesn’t allow zooming, so a photo taken from a distance won’t clearly show your face. 

To smile or not to smile? To look at the camera or not? To always use a simple background? 

You’ll read a lot of advice about these LinkedIn photography questions. My opinion is: IT DOESN’T MATTER. These are secondary issues, not the most important aspects of a standout profile picture. You’ll always make an impact if your profile picture is a GOOD PORTRAIT, NOT a passport-style photo or an overly formal, stiff, half-body shot with your arms crossed (even if you work in the corporate world). And let’s not even talk about using just any old photo you have on hand as your profile picture, just to get it over with, after running it through a filter or using Canva to change the background. Your profile picture has to reflect your personality and your professional profile. It should be natural, human, and expressive. A good photographer, with a sensitive eye and patience, knows how to achieve this. 

The smile 

General rule: a smile generates positive emotions. People who smile seem more pleasant, approachable, and even competent or influential. There are many types of smiles and many ways to convey good energy. You can also smile… with your eyes. You can even look serious if that’s the message you want to project. During the photo session, we explore your different facets, expressions, and profiles. At any time, you can see the results (that is, “how you look”) to later choose the photo that best represents you. 

Always look at the camera? 

It’s not essential. Direct gazes are very powerful and immediately connect with the viewer. But there’s also magic in gazes that drift beyond the frame. These kinds of gazes can convey introspection, sensitivity, or creativity, and reflect the naturalness of the photo. The gaze is the most powerful element in a portrait. Cropping the head just above the eyes or zooming in can result in a much more impactful image. This type of composition adds visual strength and also balances the photo more interestingly, compared to showing the entire head. Furthermore, this approach adds an artistic and cinematic touch. 

The Fund 

On LinkedIn, I see excellent minimalist and simple profile pictures: portraits with a white or dark background that really stand out. I also see others with plain backgrounds, but they’re poorly done, lack impact, or look like ID photos. On the other hand, you can create incredible profile pictures with more “unconventional” but well-blurred or creative backgrounds that perfectly reflect the brand’s personality. There are even good profile pictures taken at events. You’ll read: “Don’t use event photos or crop them.” I disagree. Photos in less conventional contexts can work if they’re well done. Many of my clients use photos from events as their profile pictures. It all depends on what’s happening around them and how the image is framed. There are no hard and fast rules. 

Clothing 

For this I’d recommend wearing whatever it is you’d be wearing for the job you do. Whatever it is, think about the people who you want to attract and what their opinions of you wearing your chosen outfit might be. 

When you’re ready,check yourself over in a mirror, else if you are working with a friend, get them to do it for you. 

Editing 

So you’ve now, hopefully got a pile of images to choose from. The next step is to edit your image to make it profile-ready. Some things to note: 

• Unless you have been very clever with your setup or have made the rest of your face too bright, you won’t get a perfectly white background…this is ok. 

• If you’re going to add a colour filter, do your basic adjustments to make the image the right brightness before applying the filter. 

• Try not to add too much of anyone setting in your phone’s editing options. 

• If you want a black and white image, don’t use the filter, reduce the saturation – it’ll give you a lot more control.   

So there you have it. 

If all’s gone well then you should be revelling in the success of creating your awesome LinkedIn headshot. Make sure you go and upload it, or, if you want to have another go,you’ve now got the tools to be able to repeat, change and edit a new image.Fancy a change, try some of my other suggestions. You can get a long way withsome minor adjustments to what we’ve done above. 

Book your LinkedIn session today and take control of your professional image!