How to Take Professional Headshot Images

You can’t always reach out to a professional photographer. Sometimes you need an urgent picture, and sometimes you cannot easily find a reliable photographer. What option does that leave you with?

You end up clicking headshots with your smartphone. But without a professional setup, it can be difficult to capture high-quality images. We will walk you through 20 tips that explain how to take professional headshots. Additionally, we shall explain the steps to edit your images and make them more professional.

Essential Gear and Recommended Device Settings for Headshots

20 Tips to Take Professional Headshots

Taking headshots that look professional is not difficult. You dont need to buy the best tools. Neither do you need advanced softwares. All you need to have is a strategic approach to get started.

1. Choose a Neutral Background

If you are capturing a professional image, you must not include the view of your dining room or a bustling neighborhood. Rather, you need a plain wall with a neutral hue. It is the first step to capturing your image. 

But what if you are unable to find a neutral background?

Then all you need to do is capture the image, and you can edit it using the X-Design Background Remover tool. It helps to remove the background in a single click, and you can also apply a new one without the fuss.

2. Use the Natural Light Strategically

Natural light is the most suitable for capturing images. Early mornings are ideal for getting bright photos. This time provides soft, diffused light that reduces harsh shadows. Position the subject near a window indoors with curtains slightly drawn to filter light. Avoid direct midday sunlight, which can cast unflattering lines across the face.

3. Relax Your Upper Body

Tense shoulders can make the subject look rigid. It is advised to help the subject relax so that they can get a decent picture. Take a deep breath and release slowly before capturing the next image. Because rigid images are not professional for your resumes or websites.

4. Establish Strong Eye Contact

Eyes are the focal point in professional images. Gazing directly at the lens makes you appear more confident. Whereas when your eyes are not facing the camera, it looks slightly distorted. Make sure that the camera lens is on the level with the eyes or a little higher so that this effect can be boosted.

5. Practice an Authentic Smile

Forced smiles are easy to spot. To achieve a genuine expression, engage the subject in light conversation. You can also encourage them to think about a positive memory. Even a subtle, close-mouthed smile can convey professionalism.

6. Choose Neutral or Monochrome Clothing

Clothing is an important aspect when capturing headshots. You should not be wearing clothes with patterns or stripes. They radiate a casual approach. But sometimes, we might not have those clothes. What do you do in that case?

Well, then you can use the X-Design AI Clothing Generator, where you can upload an image and change those clothes.

7. Keep Make-up Neutral and Camera Friendly

Makeup for a headshot should never feel heavy. A light matte base helps control shine, while a small amount of powder can keep things even under bright light. Stick to simple touches around the eyes. A thin line of eyeliner and a coat of mascara usually do the job. For lips, natural colors look best and photograph cleanly. Skip glitter, shiny gloss, or dramatic contouring, since those often stand out too much in photos.

8. Control Hair and Flyaways

It is much easier to deal with the stray hairs before the shoot than to fix them afterward. Always have a small brush, hair spray, or a small portion of styling product in order to tame the flyaways beforehand. Men ought to trim their facial hair beforehand. Fresh and properly maintained hair will always give the photo a more professional look.

But if you need to edit it later as well, you can edit the image using the X-Design AI Editor, which helps you to fine-tune these minor details. The tool can detect hair easily, and you can remove it easily.

 9. Position the Camera Slightly Above Eye Level

It is a suitable angle for people concerned about their neck and jawline. Even a shift in camera height can give a physical difference in the overall impression of the photograph. A slight change of camera height can significantly alter the entire impression of the photo.

10. Experiment with Gentle Head Tilts

You need to provide some variations in the headshots. Try subtly tilting your head, or change your profile gently. Each subtle change can bring about a different picture, and you get multiple images to choose from. That’s how you can end up with a good professional headshot for your images.

11. Use a Tripod for Precision

Tripods ensure that your image does not end up being blurry. If you are using your selfie camera to capture a professional image, the chances of the image being blurry are increased. This is the reason a tripod is the best solution. You can also use a stand and a flat surface to take the headshot in case you do not have a tripod.

12. Leave some space around the subject

If the overall picture is highly focused on the subject, it might not be the ideal image you're looking to capture. Professional pictures often need to be uploaded to LinkedIn or official documents. If these portals crop the edges of your image, an overly focused subject will lose some parts of the picture, such as hair or clothes. That is why you should leave some white space around the subject while clicking the picture.

13. Choose Subtle Accessories

Professional images do not call for too many accessories. You just have to dress in appropriate colors and keep the accessories to a bare minimum. Like a watch, subtle earrings, and a minimal chain are enough. Avoid going for beady necklaces, huge earrings, and makeup. That will not only make it more casual, but also bounce the light off towards the lens.

14. Mind Hand Placement

Hand placement becomes important if your image is going to have hands. You must keep them relaxed and avoid fidgeting. It not only radiates nervousness, but also gives an inappropriate image at the end of the process. Gently folding your arms or resting them on your lap does the trick.

15. Use Props Only If Relevant

Decent props, such as a laptop, a file, or a bookshelf in the background, can help make the image professional. But remember, you dont have to stuff your background. So keep it clean, and adjust the props as a minimal addition to your image.

16. Adjust Camera Settings Thoughtfully

Camera settings must be tweaked before you start capturing the image. You have to go for a slower shutter speed to capture clarity. Additionally, you need a higher ISO to avoid the image being too dark. Your default camera setting might be ideal for capturing a professional headshot. So by visiting the ‘Pro mode’ in your smartphone’s camera, you can tweak this setting.

17. Maintain Consistent Branding

If you are clicking the picture for a brand, you need to dress in such clothes that convey your brand colors. Such as the color of the blazer, shirt, and the accessories must resemble the brand you are clicking for.

18. Avoid Shadows on The Face

If you are clicking the picture at night, and there’s no source of good light, you should either wait until morning or use a good camera to adjust the lighting. Shadows can not only degrade the image quality but also reduce the overall professional appeal.

19. Control Reflections in Glasses

Eyewear can bounce back the light from your surroundings. To avoid that, you can either reduce the lighting or you can capture the image without the eyewear. Glasses are usually a tough nut to crack when it comes to professional lighting. That is why you should avoid using too much light around them.

20. Mind the Golden Ratio

Positioning the eyes roughly one-third down from the top of the frame often gives good composition. This subtle rule helps balance the headshot aesthetically. Plus, they are most suited for LinkedIn posts or website designs, where you need more creative freedom.

How to change the Image background color with X-Design Background Remover

After knowing how to take professional headshots, you must be wondering how to edit them. We cannot always have a background that is minimal and plain. It is most recommended to capture the best images, but in other cases, you can use the X-Design Image Background Remover to get rid of headshots with cluttered backgrounds. 

Why Use X-Design Image Background Remover?

• Instantly removes the image background using AI. Accurate at detecting the subject of the image and removing the background from it.

• Ideal for instant downloads or exporting transparent PNGs without backgrounds.

• No design skills or experience required. The tool works on your web browser, reducing the dependency on downloads.

Steps to Remove Background Using the X-Design Image Background Remover

Step 1: Upload Your Image to the Tool

Click ‘Upload Image’ and you will be allowed to pick an image from your device library. Also, you can upload images in bulk and remove the background of all your images. 

The tool allows you to upload up to 30 images at once.

Step 2: Add a new plain background

After uploading, the tool automatically removes the background from the image. You dont need to manually select the areas to mark them. Then you can choose a new background from the options, and add a plain white background for professional results.

Step 3: Export the image

You can download the image directly to your device after the edits. All you need to do is click ‘Download’ in the top right corner. Your image will be saved to your device instantly without any quality loss.

X-Design Image Background Remover is free to use if you are a new user. The tool runs on AI algorithms, and it has been trained to detect facial features and a vast range of subjects. That is how it accurately detects and removes the background from your images.

Final Word

Professional headshots are no longer hard or time-consuming to get. Through a couple of essential camera setups and lighting needs, you can take professional photos effortlessly. Plus, if your image has a cluttered background, you can remove it using the X-Design Image Background Remover. It is highly accurate and avoids the manual editing workflow. After background removal, you can place a solid background from the options available. That is how to take professional headshots and edit them with ease!