How to take a LinkedIn headshot at home

What a good LinkedIn photo actually does

A LinkedIn photo has one job: to make you recognisable and approachable to someone who might click on your profile. It should look like a current, reasonably relaxed version of you, not a heavily posed studio portrait or a photo from a decade ago. Recruiters and connections use it to put a face to a name, so clarity and a genuine expression matter more than a fancy backdrop.

Framing

Head-and-shoulders is the standard LinkedIn crop, so frame yourself from roughly mid-chest up, with your eyes around a third of the way down the frame. Position the camera at your eye level rather than above or below; a phone propped on a stack of books usually gets you there. Leave a small amount of headroom above your head, not a large gap, and make sure you're not cut off awkwardly at the chin or forehead.

Light

Natural window light is the easiest way to get flattering, even lighting at home. Stand facing the window so the light falls evenly across your face, rather than side-on or with the window behind you, which will silhouette you. Avoid strong overhead light, such as a single ceiling bulb, which casts harsh shadows under the eyes and nose. If you're mixing light sources, try to turn off warm household lamps so you're not blending two different colour temperatures, which can give skin an odd tint.

Background

Keep it simple. A plain wall, ideally a metre or two behind you so it falls slightly out of focus, works better than a busy bookshelf, a doorway, or anything with clutter in frame. Neutral colours (white, grey, soft blue) tend to suit most outfits and don't compete with your face for attention.

Phone settings and setup

• Use the rear camera, not the front-facing one; it's higher resolution and less distorted
• Use the self-timer or ask someone to help, rather than holding the phone yourself
• Be cautious with portrait or bokeh modes, they can blur the edges of glasses, hair or an ear
• Wipe the lens with a cloth first; a smudged lens softens every shot
• Shoot a little wider than you need so you have room to crop precisely afterwards

Clothing and grooming

Solid colours photograph better than busy patterns or fine stripes, which can shimmer oddly on camera. A good rule of thumb is to wear roughly what you'd wear to an interview for the role you want, smart enough to look professional, comfortable enough that you don't look stiff. Take a moment to check hair and collars just before you shoot; small things are easy to miss until you look at the photo afterwards.

Expression

A relaxed, slight smile generally reads as more approachable than a full grin or a neutral stare. Drop your shoulders, take a breath, and try shifting your weight or angle very slightly between shots rather than standing rigidly still. Take a few dozen frames rather than three or four; expressions vary more than you'd expect between shots taken seconds apart, and it's much easier to pick a good one from a wide selection.

Simple edits

Once you've picked your favourite, a light edit is usually all that's needed: crop to the head-and-shoulders framing, nudge brightness and contrast if the shot is a touch flat, and straighten the horizon if the phone was slightly tilted. Avoid heavy filters or skin-smoothing effects; they tend to look artificial on a professional profile and work against the goal of looking like a current, real version of yourself.

When an AI-generated headshot is a reasonable option

If a home shoot isn't working out, whether that's the light, the background, or simply not having anyone around to help, an AI headshot tool can be a practical alternative. Pitanga Labs' LinkedIn Headshot Generator turns your own uploaded photos into a set of polished, professional-style headshots, which is worth considering if you want variety without a full reshoot.

Choosing the final photo

When you sit down to review your shots, look at them small first, roughly the size they'll appear on a profile or in search results, since flaws that stand out at full size often disappear at that scale, and vice versa. Ask a friend or colleague which one they'd pick; people are often a poor judge of their own most natural-looking photo, having spent the shoot focused on how they think they look rather than how the camera actually sees them.