25 Professional Headshot Tips.
By Josh Line · Las Vegas Headshot Photographer ·
I’ve photographed executives, attorneys, real estate agents, actors, conference attendees, and full corporate teams. The sessions that produce genuinely great photos share one thing: the client came prepare headshot session prep guided. The sessions that don’t? Almost always the same few avoidable mistakes.
This is the prep guide I send every client before they walk through my door. I’ve refined it over 10 + years in Las Vega. Read it, follow it, and you’ll walk out with headshots that actually work for you.
The AI Headshots Question. Let’s Get It Out of the Way
I get asked about AI headshots constantly. The short version: they’re immediately recognizable as AI to anyone who’s seen a lot of professional photos, and they’ve cost people opportunities. I’ve had clients come to me after submitting AI headshots to casting directors, law firm websites, and LinkedIn profiles the feedback was not kind.
AI headshots can look polished in isolation. Next to real professional photos on the same page, they don’t hold up. For anyone whose headshot represents them professionally attorneys, executives, sales professionals, anyone in a client-facing role a real session is still the standard.
That said, if you’re curious, I understand the impulse. They’re cheap and fast. Just know what you’re trading.
What Actually Makes a Great Headshot
Before we get into specific tips, it’s worth defining what we’re aiming for. A great professional headshot does three things:
- It looks like you not an idealized, overprocessed version of you. Authentic.
- It communicates something approachability, confidence, authority, warmth. Not all at once. One clear thing.
- It works in context on LinkedIn, your firm’s website, a conference speaker bio, a business card. The same image should hold up across all of them.
A technically perfect photo that communicates the wrong thing is a bad headshot. An imperfect photo that nails the expression and communicates exactly who you are is a great one.
Most headshot tips are about execution but this framing matters, because it tells you how to evaluate your own results.
The 25 Professional Headshot Tips
Wardrobe
Tip 1: Solid colors, always.
Busy patterns, stripes, and prints pull attention away from your face. They also distort under studio lighting in ways that are hard to predict. A solid color keeps the viewer’s eye on you — which is the only thing that matters in a headshot.
Tip 2: Avoid neons, bright reds, and anything too bright.
Under studio lighting, bold colors can bleed and dominate the frame. Navy, charcoal, dark grey, muted greens and burgundies consistently photograph well. Bright reds tend to pop aggressively. Neons just don’t work.
Tip 3: Avoid tops that bare the shoulders.
A bare shoulder on camera can read as if you’re not wearing anything at all. Keep something covering your shoulders a blazer, a structured top, a jacket. It gives the image more visual weight and looks more intentional.
Tip 4: Avoid baggy or loose clothing.
Clothing reads larger and heavier on camera than it looks in person. A top that feels comfortable and relaxed in the mirror can look oversized in photos. Opt for something with a little more structure.
Tip 5: Bring options. A lot of them.
You cannot wear what you didn’t bring. My studio has a full garment rack bring a dozen tops if you want. Tops swap out in under a minute and give you completely different looks. I’d rather have too many options than spend time wishing we had alternatives.
Tip 6: Dress for the role you want, not where you are now.
Think about where this image will live LinkedIn, your firm’s website, a speaker bio, an investor deck. Dress for that context. Not overly formal if your industry is creative. Not too casual if you’re positioning for executive roles. Match the level you’re reaching for.
Tip 7: Men. Windsor knot. Every time.
If you’re wearing a tie, a full Windsor knot photographs clean and authoritative. A single knot can look unfinished under close-range studio lighting. If you own ties and want the sharpest result, go Windsor.
Tip 8: For teams — brief your employees before the day.
On-location corporate team days fall apart at the wardrobe stage. Someone shows up in a graphic tee, someone else in formal black tie. Send a two-paragraph wardrobe brief two weeks before the session. It takes 15 minutes to write and saves everyone frustration on the day. (Team headshot days: how I run them.)
Hair
Tip 9: Get your haircut 5–7 days before not the day before.
A fresh cut looks rigid and sharp in a way that photographs differently than hair with a week to settle. Hair stylist tip that genuinely matters: schedule 5–7 days out. Same applies to hair coloring — do it a week early, let it oxidize and soften.
Tip 10: Apply your normal routine don’t overdo it.
You want to look like you on your best day, not an overdone version of you. Heavy product, extreme volume, or elaborate styling tends to distract. Apply what you’d normally do on a polished work day, and let the session do the rest.
Tip 11: For women be open to putting your hair up.
A mid-session ponytail or updo can give you a completely different look with zero wardrobe change. It often produces cleaner results because it brings the focus entirely to your face. Come flexible and willing to experiment.
Tip 12: For men less product, not more.
It’s easier to add product on set than to remove it. Arrive with minimal product. If you’re deciding between clean-shaven and stubble — my studio has a bathroom, bring a razor, and you can shave for a second look mid-session. Trim nose and ear hair before you arrive. Small detail, real impact.
Skin and
Makeup
Tip 13: For women — use a professional makeup artist if you can.
Camera-ready makeup is a specific skill. It accounts for how studio lighting flattens dimension, how different colors read on camera, and how makeup holds up over a 60-minute session under lights. I have trusted makeup artists I’ve worked with for years. Ask when you book and I’ll connect you before your session.
Tip 14: If doing your own makeup go lighter than you think you need to.
Heavy makeup tends to look overdone under studio lighting — it gets amplified. Start lighter than you’d normally go. My studio has a full makeup station so you can apply on arrival with time to adjust. Specific notes:
- Exfoliate and moisturize a few days before foundation applies better to smooth, hydrated skin
- Avoid heavy contouring and powder they flatten under direct lighting
- Keep lipstick close to natural, or use a non-glossy lip moisturizer dry lips are difficult to retouch
- Avoid dark, heavy eye makeup and false lashes they tend to overwhelm the frame
Tip 15: Hydrate your skin starting three days before.
Not the morning of three days before. Well-hydrated skin looks fuller, more even, and catches light more cleanly than dry skin. Drink significantly more water than usual starting three days out. Visible improvement, zero cost.
Tip 16: Get a full night of sleep.
Studio lighting is honest. Tired eyes, tension in the face, dull skin — all of it shows clearly. Protect your sleep the night before. This is one of the most practical professional headshot tips you’ll get, and the most commonly ignored.
Posing and Expression
Tip 17: You won’t need to figure out what to do with your hands.
One of the most common pre-session anxieties I hear: “I don’t know what to do with my hands.” I’ll direct you. That’s the job. You don’t need to arrive knowing what to do you need to arrive ready to follow direction. The posing, angles, and timing are handled on my end.
Tip 18: Real expression beats performed expression every time.
The most common mistake in headshot photography is performing a smile instead of having one. The difference is immediately visible — a performed smile looks tight and slightly dead in the eyes. I’ll give you prompts during the session that produce a genuine expression. Don’t try to manufacture one before we get there.
Tip 19: The first 10 minutes are the warm-up. Don’t judge the session on them.
Almost everyone is awkward in front of a camera for the first few minutes. I expect it — it’s built into the process, not a problem with it. The photos that actually work usually come after that initial phase burns off. If you feel uncomfortable at the start, keep going. It gets better fast.
Tip 20: Think about a specific person you genuinely respect when we shoot.
This is one of the more counterintuitive coaching prompts I use. Thinking about someone you admire shifts your expression in a specific way it adds a layer of warmth and openness that reads naturally on camera. It’s not about the person, it’s about what thinking of them does to your face.
Session Day Logistics
Tip 21: Arrive 10 minutes early.
Rushing into a session raises cortisol, tightens your face, and takes 20 minutes to shake off. Arrive slightly early, take a few minutes to get settled, and walk into the session calm. It makes a visible difference in the photos.
Tip 22: Bring water and a light snack.
Low blood sugar affects your face — literally. You get slightly pale, slightly tense, and it shows. Don’t arrive hungry. Bring a small snack and stay hydrated throughout the session. Especially relevant in Las Vegas where you can get dehydrated fast without noticing.
Tip 23: Silence your phone and close your mental loops before you arrive.
The best headshots come from people who are fully present. If you arrive mid-crisis checking Slack, running through a mental task list — your face shows it. Do what you need to do to hand off the mental load before you walk in. Put the phone away. The session is 60 minutes. The rest can wait.
After the Session
Tip 24: Update your headshot on every platform at once.
When you get your new headshots, update everywhere simultaneously LinkedIn, your firm’s website, your bio page, your email signature, your Google Business profile. Inconsistent photos across platforms erode trust. One session, one update sweep, done.
Tip 25: Plan to update again in 1–2 years.
Your headshot should look like you look right now. An outdated photo creates a trust gap someone meets you in person and finds someone noticeably different from the image they researched. It’s a subtle thing that costs you credibility before you’ve said a word. Build the habit of updating every couple of years, or when you change your look significantly.
Headshot Tips by Professional Type
Attorney and Legal Professional Headshots
The legal industry has a specific visual standard — conservative, authoritative, clean. For attorneys, the headshot appears on your firm’s website, LinkedIn, bar directory listings, and sometimes court-related documents. It has to hold up at every level.
Key notes for attorneys: Navy or charcoal suits, no busy tie patterns, clean background (gray or off-white), minimal jewelry. The image needs to convey authority without being unapproachable. If you’re booking a Las Vegas attorney headshot session, I send detailed wardrobe guidance specific to legal professionals before your session.
Real Estate Agent Headshots
Real estate headshots need to communicate approachability above everything else. You’re asking people to trust you with the largest transaction of their life — your photo should feel warm, direct, and confident, not formal and stiff.
Color choices matter more here than in other industries — a pop of color can work in real estate where it might not in law. Bring options that include both formal and business-casual looks. You’ll likely use both.
Executive and C-Suite Headshots
Executive portraits carry additional weight — they appear in press coverage, investor decks, board materials, and speaking bios. The standard is higher. The image needs to communicate authority without being distant, and confidence without being closed off.
For executive sessions I typically run longer — 90 minutes instead of 60 — to get enough variety for multiple use contexts. Press kit, LinkedIn, website bio, and investor materials often need slightly different crops and expressions.
Conference and Convention Headshots
Attending a Las Vegas conference? The studio is 10 minutes from the Venetian and LVCC. Conference sessions run 20–30 minutes and I can schedule around your event calendar. Book well in advance — conference week fills fast. Conference headshot booth details here.
How to Evaluate a Headshot Photographer Before You Book
Not all headshot photographers are the same. A few things worth evaluating before you commit:
Do they coach? Look at their portfolio. If every subject looks stiff, they’re pressing the button but not directing. A photographer who coaches you through expression and posing gets fundamentally different results than one who just aims the camera.
Do they specialize in headshots, or is it a side offering? Event photographers, wedding photographers, and commercial shooters all occasionally offer headshots. But the specific technical and interpersonal skills that make a great headshot session are different from other genres. Someone who does headshots every day is a different resource than someone who does them occasionally.
Do they review images with you during the session? You should never leave a headshot session not knowing what you got. If the photographer doesn’t show you the work while there’s still time to adjust, that’s a problem.
What does retouching include? Know this before you book. Basic retouching (skin smoothing, minor blemish removal) is different from heavy compositing. Most professional headshots should look like you on your best day, not like a different person.
Professional Headshot Dos and Don’ts
DO:
- Bring at least 8–10 top options tops especially
- Get your haircut 5–7 days before
- Start hydrating 3 days before
- Get a full night of sleep
- Arrive 10 minutes early, phone silenced
- Follow direction let the photographer handle the posing
- Update across all platforms simultaneously when you get your photos
- Plan to update again in 1–2 years
DON’T:
- Get a haircut or color the day before
- Wear patterns, neons, logos, or off-shoulder tops
- Arrive rushed, hungry, or sleep-deprived
- Try to direct your own expression
- Use a 3–5 year old photo and call it current
- Book when you’re sick, jet-lagged, or haven’t slept
- Submit AI-generated headshots for professional use
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does a headshot session take?
Studio sessions run 60–90 minutes including wardrobe changes and live image review. Conference and convention booth sessions run 20–30 minutes per person. Executive sessions typically run 90 minutes to allow for more variety across use contexts.
How much do professional headshots cost in Las Vegas?
Individual studio sessions start at $495 — that includes coaching, live image review during the session, and retouched final files. Team and on-location sessions start at $300 per person for groups of five or more. Full pricing and session details here.
Do I need a professional makeup artist?
For women, I strongly recommend one. Camera-ready makeup is a specific skill — it’s different from everyday makeup. I have trusted makeup artists I’ve worked with for years; ask when you book and I’ll connect you before your session. My studio also has a full makeup station if you’re doing your own.
Can I get headshots at a Las Vegas conference or trade show?
Yes — I bring a complete portable studio setup to your venue, or you can visit my studio, which is 10 minutes from the Venetian and Las Vegas Convention Center. Conference headshot booth options here.
What if I hate having my photo taken?
This is the most common thing I hear. A warm-up period at the start of every session exists specifically for this. Most people are surprised by how quickly they relax once we’re actually shooting. Getting people comfortable in front of a camera is the job not an afterthought. I’ve been doing it for 15 years.
How often should I update my headshot?
Every 1–2 years, or whenever your appearance changes noticeably. An outdated photo creates a credibility gap — people meet you and find someone different from the image they researched. It’s a small thing that costs you trust before you’ve said a word.
What’s the difference between a headshot and a portrait?
A professional headshot is purpose-built for one specific job: representing you professionally in a business context. Portraits are broader — they can be artistic, personal, environmental. A headshot is tight framing (head to chest), neutral or simple background, business-appropriate wardrobe. It’s optimized for LinkedIn, websites, and professional profiles, not for wall art.
Should my headshot have a white or gray background?
Both work, and the right choice depends on where the image will be used. Gray is more versatile — it reads neutral on light and dark backgrounds alike, and has a slightly warmer quality. White is clean and modern but can feel stark depending on the application. During your session we can shoot both and you’ll see the difference live on the monitor.
Ready to book? Contact Josh here — or call (702) 557-2709 if you want to talk through which session type is right for you before committing.
Josh Line Photography · 2065 E. Windmill Lane, Unit 114, Las Vegas NV 89123 · (702) 557-2709
