Types of Headshots

Whenever some one asks me to do a headshot for them, I generally have to ask what they mean exactly because it's not always obvious. It can mean anything really from a passport photo mug shot to personal branding where you want to create photographs that communicate your authority with a subject. Below are a few examples to show you what I mean.

A standard business head and shoulders portrait

This is the most common type of headshot. It's often done in the studio with traditional photographic lighting to show a clear photo of yourself, usually with a soft smile. There's not much creativity in it beyond your facial expression since it has a tight crop around the face with a generic solid background color.

Just because it's not particularly creative, doesn't mean it's easy to create. Most people are generally uncomfortable when they first step in front of the camera, so it can take some time to "warm up". I try to make it as painless as I can by joking around and just trying to have some fun. It wouldn't be at all uncommon to go through 100+ frames to find just the right expression.

An actor or modeling headshot

With creative clients the purpose of the headshot shifts from just showing a pleasant smile, to showing your personality. Here you may want a serious expression or one that tries to display some emotion. These are done in the studio the same as the regular business headshot, but we generally shoot for longer to get more looks.

Personal Branding

This type of photography is a lot more creative in many ways. The idea is still to get a good photograph of yourself, but there aren't any hard and fast traditional ways of doing it. The photo can be done inside or out, with or without studio lighting, and the background can be anything. About the only "rule" here is that it isn't a traditional headshot.

The purpose of personal branding is to brand yourself as an expert in your field. So if you're a personal trainer, you might want to show yourself in a gym or at the local track. If your field isn't something as literal, it could just be you in a business suit downtown or in an office setting.

Most of the time when doing this kind of photo, it's usually part of a longer "shoot", which is just a fancy way of saying your trying to get several pictures rather than just one. You may also want to include different outfits, locations, or activities that you could use as content for yourself or your business.