Should I Smile In A Headshot?

Probably one of the most asked questions I get is, “Should I smile in a professional headshot?”

The simple answer is, sure! There is a multitude of expressions we can make with our face and many of them can have a place in professional headshots or portraits. The truth is, that building a business is not always rainbows and butterflies. Variety is the name of the game if you’re going for an image portfolio. However, I have a strong opinion if we’re shooting one image for your website, social media, or LinkedIn. Read this article on How To Look Good In A Headshot.

Fear or Confidence In Your Professional Headshots?

If we split your face in half horizontally, right in the middle of your nose we have two halves of the expression equation. Your eyes show one of two things. Fear, or confidence.

If your eyes are wide it can make you look vacant or afraid. Not a great look if you’re trying to get people to trust you and hire you. So, if we narrow your eye, what I refer to as a squinch, we start to introduce confidence. PhotoFeeler studies show that images with a narrowed eye rate higher for confidence and trustworthiness while images with wider eyes rate lower for the same things. Here are two unedited images, don’t mind the color and background specs.

Likability comes from your SMILE!

Okay, onto the main topic. Should I smile in a headshot? Here is why my opinion is yes! The second half of the expression equation is your smile. A smile or even just a smirk is enough to bring approachability into your headshots.

Since we’re using a single headshot to bring people into our brand for the first time, it’s important that we show them what our true personality looks like. With almost every client, I get the comment, “I don’t like my smile. It’s awkward.” The reason why, it’s forced almost every time. The best way to get a natural, honest smile is to laugh. That’s where I come in. I have a coaching method that does not include the phrase “Okay, smile.” Instead, I might say something like, “That’s beautiful, perfect, now just 2% less misery and your gold”. People find it silly, so they laugh. Bingo, gorgeous smiles.

If I need to bring out the big guns, to really get a great genuine smile rocking. I use the “give me your best blowfish impression”. Everyone tries it, feels ridiculous, and then gives me a big laugh. I start shooting while the laugh is relaxing, and we end up with killer smiles like this one below.

So, long story short, if you’re going for image content with variety, capture smiles and images of thinking to yourself and more reserved expressions. If you’re going for one solid headshot for your Linkedin or website and online marketing, a natural, honest smile is your best bet.

So, to see what it’s like working with me, click below or give me a call at 410-746-9446 and let’s talk about a headshot session for you!