Making a positive first impression is crucial for executives—they need to come across as credible and capable leaders right from the start. A polished, professional-looking executive headshot can help set the right tone for business relationships, whereas a poorly done or outdated one might have the opposite effect.
To help executives and others in high-ranking positions get their headshots right, we’ve created this comprehensive guide. It will walk you through how to plan and prepare for executive headshots effectively, provide a breakdown of costs, offer expert tips, and examine the different types of services available.
What Are Executive Headshots?
Executive headshots are professional photographs of people who hold executive and other high-level positions in organizations, such as CEOs, CFOs, directors, and managers. These close-up photos, focused on the face and upper body, are used to convey a sense of professionalism, competence, friendliness, and confidence.
Often used for company websites, press releases, LinkedIn profiles, email signatures, and investor presentations, they help the individual and organization create a strong first impression and build trust and credibility.
Planning for Your Executive Headshots
To help ensure your executive headshots are as successful as possible, it pays to plan ahead. However, the amount and type of planning required varies depending on whether you use a professional photographer or a professional AI headshot generator.
Here are the key elements you should plan for:
Know How You Will Use Your Headshots
The first important step is to have a clear idea of how and where your executive headshots will be used. This will ensure that you plan for your headshots in a way that aligns with your objectives.
Do you need headshots for multiple purposes, such as LinkedIn, a company website, and marketing materials, or just for one specific use? Make a list and consider what styles will work best for each application. For example, you could look at how other headshots appear on your company’s website so you know what style to aim for.
If you need headshots for multiple purposes, you’ll probably want to have several different executive headshots, as using the same one everywhere can look amateurish.
Consider Which Backgrounds Will Work Best
Choosing the right background for headshots can make all the difference.
Neutral backgrounds in either black, white, or gray are often used for executive headshots since they provide a timeless, professional look that doesn’t distract from the subject.
However, in-office and outdoor backdrops, such as an urban environment with modern architecture or a natural setting like a park or garden, can also work well, as long as the background is sufficiently blurred and not overwhelming.
If you’re using a professional photographer, this will require some planning and coordination to arrange a suitable location for the shoot. For AI headshots, it still helps to have an idea beforehand so you can choose a service that offers the types of backdrops you want.
Pick the Right Outfits
What you wear for headshots can make a big difference in how you come across. This is especially true for executives in the corporate world and industries like law and finance, where business suits, button-up shirts, and other formal attire are very much the norm.
Choosing a good outfit will instantly make you seem more experienced and credible in your industry, helping you create a favorable first impression with potential clients, investors, and others. It’s worth looking at what the norm is in your industry to see whether formal, smart, or casual attire will work best.
Fitted clothing generally works best as it is flattering and has a slimming effect, whereas loose, baggy clothing can look unprofessional and distracting. Some other important aspects include:
- Clothing should look new or be in good condition, not old and worn out.
- Clothes should be washed and pressed, not full of creases.
- Neutral, dark, or muted colors tend to work best.
- Avoid busy patterns that can be distracting.
If you are hiring a professional photographer to take your headshots, this will require more planning as you’ll need to try out different outfits to see what works, and potentially buy new ones.
On the other hand, AI services will generate your executive headshots in a wide range of outfits, from which you can pick the best. Still, knowing what types of outfits will work well can help you guide the AI using text prompts and in your final headshot selection.
Style Hair and Ensure Proper Grooming
While you shouldn’t try out brand new hairstyles right before a shoot with the photographer, as this could be risky and make you feel uncomfortable if it goes wrong, you still want your hair to look as good as possible. The safest option is to go for your usual style, but take steps to make it look its best.
For men, that could mean taking a trip to the barber to get your facial hair trimmed and shaped, having your regular haircut, or getting a clean shave. For women, it’s better not to get a haircut less than a week before your shoot, as you will want to be comfortable and confident in styling your hair yourself.
If you’re using Portrait Pal, you don’t have to worry as much about getting your hair perfect. However, you’ll want to upload photos of yourself to the platform showing your preferred hairstyle. That’s because the AI will generate headshots with hairstyles that closely resemble yours for realism, enhancing them so they look well-groomed and styled.
Try out Different Poses and Expressions
Depending on the organization executives are from, certain poses and facial expressions may work better than others. For example, executives in corporate finance may opt for a more serious expression and powerful pose, such as having their arms crossed.
On the other hand, a healthcare executive may choose a warm, compassionate smile and a standard pose, or put their hands on the hips. There aren’t strict rules on which poses and expressions each industry should use, as a variety can work, it’s just a case of thinking about which works best for the organization you represent.
Generally, for executives, simple and minimalist poses work best as they showcase professionalism and convey confidence.
When working with a photographer, they will usually direct you and provide posing instructions during the shoot. However, you can practice your facial expressions in the mirror beforehand if it helps you feel more comfortable.
AI services will generate headshots with various poses and expressions, so you don’t have to worry about performing on the day. Plus, you can use text prompts to direct the AI if you want something specific.
How Much Do Executive Headshots Cost?
The cost of headshots for executives varies a lot depending on how many people you need headshots for and the type of service you use.
For a Single Executive Working with a Photographer
As a single executive, the cost of headshots generally ranges between $200 and $1,000 per session if you work with a professional photographer. A session will typically last between 30 minutes and two hours.
For a Team Working with Photographers
Many photography studios offer packages for corporate clients, as organizations often have several executives, managers, and other staff members who all need headshots done simultaneously and in a similar style.
These packages usually cost between $500 and $1,500 per hour, and photographers can typically capture images of 5 to 10 executives and staff members during that time. This means that corporate packages can be more cost-effective if you have multiple team members who all need headshots.
Other Factors Influencing Photographer Costs
When working with a photographer, several other factors can influence the cost of executive headshots, including:
- Photographer’s skill level: From amateur to big-name photographers, the price can vary greatly. Executives generally won’t skimp on quality and will look to work with a professional with a solid reputation.
- Location of the shoot: The cheapest option generally is to have your headshots taken in the photographer’s studio. Having the photographer come to your office or an outdoor location can increase the price.
- The number of headshots you need: Since capturing multiple outfits, poses, and backgrounds adds additional time to the process, photographers must charge more if you require several headshots, each with a unique look.
- Licensing: If you plan to use your executive headshots in magazines, publications, advertisements, press releases, or commercial contexts, photographers often charge an additional fee for editorial and commercial usage rights.
- Additional services: Some photography studios offer complementary services, like professional makeup, hairstyling, and wardrobe consulting to help you achieve the perfect look. However, these services come at a significant additional cost.
- Hidden costs: There are also some hidden costs, such as taking time from your busy schedule to attend the photo shoot, travel costs, and purchasing new outfits.
For Executives Using an AI Headshot Generator
AI headshot generators generally cost between $20 and $100 to use for a single executive. Some AI services offer packages for teams that can give you a slight discount per person if you have several executives and staff who all need headshots.
The main factors that influence the price of AI executive headshots include:
- The service you use: Not every AI headshot generator costs the same, since some use more advanced AI models or have a better reputation and track record.
- Number of headshots: AI services often offer different pricing packages that provide varying numbers of headshots. The cheapest package may give you 20 ready-to-use headshots, while the most expensive could generate up to 100.
- Turnaround time: Often, the higher priced packages will provide faster turnaround times than the less costly ones, but this isn’t always the case. For instance, the basic package may deliver your headshots in two hours, while the premium one might deliver in 30 minutes.
- Outfits, backgrounds, and poses: Again, the basic packages may offer a smaller variety of backgrounds, outfits, and poses, compared to the more costly ones. One package may offer five different backgrounds, outfits, and poses, while the other generates 40.
- Customization: Some AI headshot generators offer free editing and customization tools you can use to tweak your executive headshots, while others may have human editors you can hire to make changes for an additional fee.
While prices do vary with AI headshot generators, you’re only looking at a variation in the tens of dollars. Whereas, with professional photographers, the variation can be several hundred dollars depending on the influencing factors. Even with the lowest-cost AI headshot packages, you get a variety of outfits, backgrounds, and poses.
AI services can offer a much lower price point because they don’t require studio space or a photographer’s time, and instead utilize the latest cutting-edge AI technology to produce your headshots.
Expert Tips for Executive Headshots
To utilize your executive headshots most effectively, here are a few expert tips.
Update Them Regularly
Your executive headshots should reflect how you actually look today, as this helps build credibility and trust. Therefore, you’ll want to renew them at least once every year or two.
You may also need to update them if there are any major changes in the organization’s branding, such as on the company website or marketing materials, so your headshots align and don’t look out of place.
Use High-Resolution Headshots
You’re sure to receive high-resolution images when working with a professional photographer or a reputable AI headshot generator.
However, these images can sometimes be compressed to a lower resolution or resized when shared and sent between different platforms, such as email or messaging apps like WhatsApp.
Before sending your executive headshots off for printing or publishing, always check that they are sized appropriately and at a high resolution to avoid issues like blurring that can make them look unprofessional.
Make Full Use of Them
If you’ve gone through the effort of having professional-looking executive headshots made, you might as well use them to their full potential.
Even if you initially had them created only for the company website, you can update your email accounts or social media pages that have missing or outdated profile pictures with your new executive headshots.
This helps ensure you look professional across all platforms, helping to build trust and credibility, and making it easier for others to identify and remember you.
Photographers vs. AI Headshot Generators: Which Is Better for Executives?
It isn’t a case of one being better than the other, since both have their advantages and disadvantages.
Executive headshots taken by a photographer can be considered more authentic since they are real-life photos of you. Whereas, AI headshots are super-realistic representations of your likeness. However, even photographers utilize Photoshop and editing techniques such as airbrushing to remove imperfections and present you in a more favorable way.
Some executives may prefer AI-generated headshots like Portrait Pal because they save valuable time. Most executives have busy schedules and need to be both efficient and effective. Since AI-produced headshots don’t require taking time off from work, traveling, or buying new outfits, they will be the best option for some executives.