Our Top Business Headshot Tips | Professional Portrait Guide

To get the best result from a business headshot, focus on subtle preparation and confident posing. Key professional headshot tips include wearing well-fitted attire that complements your brand palette, staying hydrated, and mastering the "squinch" to avoid a wide-eyed look. Working with an expert photographer ensures your posture and jawline are captured perfectly for a lasting first impression.

We have compiled our top corporate headshot tips to help you look your best in your next portrait. Whether this photo is for your company website, your LinkedIn profile, or a conference name badge, your first impression counts. Most people will see this image before they ever meet you in person, so it is vital that you appear well-presented and approachable.

Using the advice below, you can ensure you walk away with a professional headshot you are proud to show off.

The Preparation Timeline

Great photos start days before the camera is even out of the bag. Following this simple checklist will ensure you look radiant and prepared:

• One week before: Book in for a haircut or trim to allow the style to settle into a natural look.

• Three days before: Drink plenty of water to hydrate your skin and reduce puffiness.

• The night before: Iron your chosen outfit and get an extra hour or two of sleep to reduce dark circles under the eyes.

1. What to wear and grooming

We suggest wearing what you usually would when meeting a high-value client. Even though a headshot focuses on the head and shoulders, a scruffy t-shirt or un-ironed collar will be visible.

• Avoid Distracting Patterns: Stay away from very small, tight patterns such as fine pinstripes or small checks. These can cause a "Moiré effect" on digital screens, where the pattern appears to swirl or vibrate, which is distracting on a website.

• Colour Theory for Branding: Consider your company’s brand palette. If your website accents are a specific shade of blue, try to avoid a shirt that is a conflicting or near-identical blue. Complementary colours often work best.

• Grooming: For men, we recommend shaving as close to the shoot as possible to avoid "five o'clock shadow," unless the beard is an intentional part of your look. It is also a good idea to bring a comb or hairbrush for any last-minute stray hairs caused by the Manchester wind.

• Skin Care: Avoid heavy, oily moisturisers on the morning of the shoot, as these can catch studio lights and make the skin appear shiny rather than healthy.

• Glasses: If you wear glasses, check if they have anti-reflective coatings. If they do not, do not worry. As an experienced headshot photographer, I can manage reflections through lighting adjustments or in post-production, but it is always helpful to flag this early in the session.

2. Choosing a background

For team or company-wide shoots, the background is often pre-agreed with the marketing or people team to ensure brand consistency. While this might be out of your hands, you can still prepare. Whether it is a clean studio backdrop or a "lifestyle" blurred office setting, your corporate photographer will ensure the lighting makes you pop against the environment.

3. How to pose and relax your posture

A poor posture can inadvertently evoke a lack of confidence. Stand tall, relax your shoulders, and be self-assured.

• The 45º Rule: Place your body at a 45º angle to the camera with your head turned back towards the lens. Pushing your chin out and angling it down slightly will define your jawline and separate your face from your neck. Imagine you are holding a grapefruit between your chin and chest.
• Hands: Let your hands drop by your sides or place them in your pockets. It may feel odd, but it looks far more natural than hiding hands behind your back.
• The "Squinch": To avoid the "deer in headlights" look, try squinting your eyes very slightly (a mix of a squint and a pinch). This creates an expression of focus and confidence rather than discomfort.

4. Work with your "best side"

Don’t be embarrassed to tell your photographer if you prefer one side of your face. Everyone’s face is asymmetrical, and turning your body so your slightly larger eye is furthest from the lens helps even out the proportions.

5. Real-time review and retouching

One of the benefits of working with a professional is the collaborative process. Many photographers, including ourselves, will show you the results on a laptop during the session. This allows you to review the images with the photographer, who can guide you on which poses are working best. If you aren't quite happy, we can simply take a few more then and there.

During this review, let us know if there is anything specific you would like retouched. Our standard retouching generally removes temporary blemishes, lightens dark circles, and smooths skin subtly. We do not typically remove permanent features like scars unless you explicitly ask us to.

6. Relax and let us lead

Most people feel a little awkward in front of the lens. A true commercial photographer will build rapport and keep the conversation flowing.

• The Tongue Trick: If you find your smile looks forced, try pressing your tongue against the roof of your mouth just behind your teeth. This helps tighten the muscles under the chin and creates a more natural expression.
• Authentic Emotion: Think of something that makes you genuinely smile to ensure the warmth reaches your eyes. Often, the best shot is the split second after a genuine laugh when your face is at its most relaxed.

For businesses based in the North West, we often bring the studio directly to your office. This minimises downtime for your team and allows us to provide high-quality corporate event photography or headshots in a familiar environment.

Read more from our insights

• A guide to brand-consistent headshots
• The ROI of professional photography for your business
• Managing the crowd: GDPR and photography at events

If you are looking to refresh your team's image, contact decoy today for a free quote. We are based in Manchester but travel throughout the North West and across the country.