Looks
The jobs a headshot actually has.
LinkedIn, CEO, lawyer, doctor, fitness, creator — pick the job. InstaHeadshots for speed. BetterPic when it has to print.
The default job
LinkedIn Headshots
Recruiters do not zoom. They scan a 48-pixel circle. LinkedIn headshots live or die at thumbnail size — then have to hold up when someone opens the profile.
C-suite and directors
Executive Headshots
An executive frame is a charcoal suit, a quiet key light, and a face that still looks like the person who signs the letter.
Founders at the top
CEO Headshots
A CEO headshot is reused everywhere: press, Series B deck, about page, keynote slide. One file has to survive all of it.
The team brief
Corporate Headshots
HR does not need the prettiest single frame. It needs fifty frames that look like they sat in the same room.
Likeness, not glaze
Women’s Headshots
The common failure on women’s portraits is a beauty-filter default: smaller nose, bigger eyes, erased texture. That is not a headshot. It is a different person.
Yard sign to Zillow
Real Estate Headshots
An agent’s face lives on a yard sign in full sun and a 120-pixel Zillow circle. Both have to look like the person at the open house.
White coat optional
Doctor Headshots
Patients Google the name. The bio photo is the first clinical impression. It has to look like a physician, not a stock model in a lab coat.
Firm bio, not lifestyle
Lawyer Headshots
Counsel pages are conservative on purpose. The headshot should look like the person who will stand up in the room — not a creative-director experiment.
Founders
Entrepreneur Headshots
A founder’s face is in the deck, the X avatar, the about page, and the conference badge. One honest frame beats four stylized ones.
The 15-minute brief
Job Interview Headshots
The interview is Thursday. The LinkedIn photo is a festival crop from 2019. This is the actual use case most people have.
Open collar, still hired
Casual Headshots
A knit and an open collar can read as senior. A hoodie and a bathroom mirror cannot. The difference is light, not clothes.
The category
AI Headshot Generator
An AI headshot generator is not a filter. It trains a private model on a handful of stills and renders new portraits in a studio that does not exist.
Casting, not filters
Actor Headshots
Casting directors already distrust AI. The only usable actor headshot from a generator is one that still looks like the person in the sides.
Faculty and classroom
Teacher Headshots
A faculty bio is not a yearbook. The headshot should look like the person who will stand in front of the room — approachable, not staged.
Healthcare staff
Nurse Headshots
A nurse’s face sits on a unit page, a credentialing packet, and LinkedIn. It has to look like the person on the floor, not a stock medical ad.
Advice for money
Consultant Headshots
A consultant’s face is in the deck the client forwards. It has to look like the person who will be in the room, not a creative-director experiment.
ICs and staff-plus
Engineer Headshots
Engineering headshots fail when they try too hard. A quiet knit, window light, and a face that still looks like the person in standup is the whole brief.
The outreach thumbnail
Sales Headshots
A sales headshot is a 48-pixel circle next to a cold note. If the face does not look like a person worth answering, the sequence dies.
Honest first
Dating Headshots
A dating photo that does not look like the person in the booth is a waste of everyone’s night. Likeness is the product. Beauty filters are the failure.
First professional frame
Student Headshots
A student headshot is the first file that is not a group selfie. It has to look like a person a recruiter would put on a call.
Stage and program
Speaker Headshots
A speaker headshot is a program JPEG and a wall. HD dies on the wall. That is a BetterPic brief unless the talk is tomorrow.
The PDF crop
Resume Headshots
In markets where a résumé photo is expected, it has to match LinkedIn. Two faces is a red flag. One honest frame is the whole product.
The about-page grid
Team Headshots
A team grid with twelve lighting setups is twelve companies. Matched light is the product. Pretty is optional.
Coaches and trainers
Fitness Headshots
A coaching site needs a face that looks strong and hired — not a gym mirror. Studio light, athletic wardrobe, likeness first.
Creatives behind the camera
Photographer Headshots
You shoot other people for a living. Your own frame still has to look like you — not a preset.
Advice for a living
Coach Headshots
A coach’s face is the sales page. It has to look warm and credible — the person who will actually be on the call.
Personal brand
Creator Headshots
A creator headshot is the channel icon, the speaker page, and the brand-deal deck. One honest frame beats four filters.