When it comes to getting professional headshots for your LinkedIn profile, company website, resume, and more, you have a number of options. Which choice is best will depend on factors such as your budget and how quickly you need the photos.
To help you decide where you should get your professional headshots, this guide reviews three of the best options:
- Hire a professional photographer
- Use an AI headshot generator
- Take them yourself with a smartphone
We explain what each option offers, how much it costs, how fast the turnaround is, and the pros and cons of each. After reading this article, you’ll have all the information you need to make the right decision.
Top 3 Options for Getting Professional Headshots
Here’s a closer look at the top three options for getting professional headshots.
1. Hire a professional headshot photographer
A professional headshot photographer specializes in taking headshots and has the experience, portfolio, and proven track record to demonstrate their competence. This is important, since not all photographers are proficient at taking headshots.
Headshot photographers are experts at bringing out the best in their subjects, ensuring the photo shoot goes smoothly. With their extensive experience and access to high-end equipment and studios, they can deliver the highest-quality results. Just make sure to review their portfolio beforehand to ensure their style fits what you need.
When working with a photographer, you’ll need to be prepared for your photo shoot. This may involve buying new outfits, getting your hair styled, and traveling to the studio or photo shoot location.
How much do professional headshot photographers cost?
The cost of working with a professional photographer can vary greatly depending on their experience level, demand, location, and other factors.
You can typically expect a headshot session to cost somewhere between $150 and $800 when working with a professional. However, it can be much higher if you work with a big-name photographer or slightly lower if you work with someone new to the profession.
Working with an experienced headshot photographer is the most expensive option on this list, but many people consider it the most professional choice.
How to hire a professional headshot photographer
If you want to work with a professional photographer, it’s worth taking the time to look around to ensure you hire someone who can meet your specific needs. For example, some headshot photographers may specialize in more formal, corporate-style headshots, while others may cater more to actors or creatives.
Here are some steps to follow when hiring a professional headshot photographer:
- Browse online for headshot photographers in your local area.
- Review their portfolios and note those whose style matches your requirements.
- Compare their prices to see who best suits your budget. You may need to request quotes from them.
- Call the photographers you’re interested in working with to discuss your needs and determine if they’re a good match.
- Schedule a photo shoot with your chosen photographer.
- Prepare for your shoot by making sure you have a suitable outfit and are well groomed.
Pros and cons of hiring a professional photographer
Here are the pros and cons of hiring a professional headshot photographer.
Pros:
- You can expect the highest-quality, professional headshots.
- The photographer can work with you and guide you to ensure the best results.
- A professional is an excellent option for teams requiring multiple headshots who want a uniform, cohesive look.
- Professional photographers offer excellent editing and retouching services.
Cons:
- It’s the most expensive option.
- Typically, it has the slowest turnaround times.
- You may need to travel to the photographer’s studio or another location.
- You’ll need to prepare for your shoot in various ways.
- You only get one “look” or style per session. You’ll need to pay for additional headshots in a different style.
2. Use an AI headshot generator
Artificial intelligence (AI) is disrupting many industries, including headshot photography. The latest AI headshot generators are incredibly simple and quick, relatively inexpensive, and the results are ultrarealistic. If you don’t have the time or budget to use a professional photographer, an AI headshot generator is an option worth considering.
The best AI headshot generators, such as Portrait Pal, use models trained on tens of thousands of professional headshot photographs, so they know exactly what a good headshot should look like. When you use an AI headshot generator, you can always expect the lighting, composition, and other elements to be on point.
AI headshot generators offer excellent customization, versatility, and convenience. There’s no need to go out shopping for new outfits—simply upload a few selfies, enter some text prompts, and let the AI tool generate a variety of headshots in different outfits, poses, expressions, and backgrounds tailored to your specific needs.
How much do AI headshot generators cost?
Most AI headshot generators offer different pricing plans to accommodate people’s differing needs. Here at Portrait Pal, the plans we offer are:
- Starter: $35 for 20 high-quality headshots with a 3-hour processing time.
- Basic: $45 for 60 high-quality headshots with a 2.5-hour processing time.
- Premium: $75 for 100 high-quality headshots with a 2-hour processing time.
Other leading headshot generators offer similar plans, with slight variations in price, the number of headshots provided, and turnaround times.
This means AI headshot generators are much more affordable than hiring a professional photographer, especially when you consider the large number of photos, fast turnaround times, and variety in outfits, poses, backgrounds, and expressions.
The only cheaper option would be to take your headshots yourself with a smartphone, which we discuss below.
How to use an AI headshot generator
Using an AI headshot generator is pretty straightforward, and the turnaround times are fast. Here are the steps involved:
- Create an account with your chosen AI headshot generator by registering with an email address.
- Select and pay for the pricing plan you want.
- Upload 5 to 20 photos of yourself from your phone’s gallery, or take some selfies if needed. The more variety, the better.
- Enter text prompts to guide the AI model.
- Wait a few hours for the AI model to generate your headshots.
- Browse your generated headshots and download your favorites.
Pros and cons of AI headshot generators
Here are the pros and cons of using an AI headshot generator.
Pros:
- You receive ultrarealistic, professional-looking headshots.
- It’s more affordable than using a professional photographer.
- It offers quick turnaround times.
- You don’t need to put in much effort.
- You receive headshots in a wide variety of styles.
- It’s convenient, as it can be done from anywhere.
Cons:
- Some people consider them less professional than headshots taken by a photographer.
- A few of the AI-generated headshots you receive may look overly retouched or unnatural.
- Some people have privacy concerns when using AI services. (Using a service that promises to protect your privacy allays this concern.)
- Although the service is inexpensive, it’s not free, like when you take your headshots yourself.
3. Take the headshots yourself with a smartphone
Smartphone cameras have improved significantly in recent years, especially those from top brands like Apple, Samsung, Sony, and Huawei. If you have a high-end smartphone released in the last few years, chances are its camera is good enough to take a professional-looking headshot.
There are some obvious benefits to this option, such as it being completely free and relatively quick. However, taking headshots yourself or with the help of a friend using a smartphone is a bit of a DIY project. There will likely be some trial and error involved, and you’ll need to spend some time getting set up.
That said, for many people, the results will be good enough to use on their social media accounts, CVs, resumes, email signatures, and other places. If you enjoy taking photos and want to save some money, taking headshots yourself with your iPhone or any other smartphone is worth trying.
How to take headshots with a smartphone
If you’d like to take a headshot with a smartphone, here’s a six-step process to follow:
- Get the lighting right: Avoid using regular household bulbs as they can cause shadows on your face and create unnatural skin tones. Instead, use natural light (but not direct sunlight) by standing near a window or in a shaded outdoor area.
- Choose a backdrop: A smooth or subtly textured wall in a single color, such as white, gray, or navy, can work well. In-office or outdoor scenes can also work, but ensure the background is blurred so it’s not distracting.
- Pick an outfit: Be sure to dress appropriately for the role you’re pursuing by choosing the right outfit. Opt for well-fitted clothing in dark, neutral, or muted colors, and avoid busy patterns and baggy or scruffy clothing.
- Set up your smartphone: Place your smartphone on a stand at eye level or slightly above, about three to four feet from where you’ll be positioned. Set your phone’s camera to Portrait Mode if you have a busy background.
- Snap away: Take lots of headshots using your smartphone’s rear camera and the timer feature, trying out different poses, expressions, and angles. Leave some room below the chest and above the head in each shot so you can crop the images afterward.
- Edit your headshots: Flick through all the headshots you’ve taken, deleting the bad ones and keeping the best. Use your phone’s editing tools to make subtle adjustments to contrast or brightness so the images look as good as possible.
Pros and cons of using a smartphone
Here are the pros and cons of taking the headshots yourself with a smartphone.
Pros:
- It doesn’t cost a dime.
- It’s quicker than using a professional photographer.
- It’s great for people who enjoy DIY projects.
- It can be done from the convenience of your home or from any location you choose.
Cons:
- Results can be hit and miss, depending on how much effort you put in.
- It’s not as fast or simple as using an AI headshot generator.
- It requires effort since you have to do everything yourself.
- The headshots may not look as professional as those from a photographer or an AI headshot generator.
Which Option Is Best for Me?
Deciding which of these three options is best for you depends on your personal circumstances. Let’s go through a few scenarios to help you decide.
If you have a small budget, taking the photos yourself with a smartphone or using an AI headshot generator is probably your best option. If you need multiple headshots with different backgrounds and outfits, an AI headshot generator is generally the most efficient choice since it can generate multiple styles from a single batch of photos.
For those who need a fast turnaround time, taking the photos yourself or using an AI headshot generator are the quickest options. However, if the headshots are for something super important to you, such as securing a high-paying job or a top position, working with a professional photographer is likely your best bet.
If you tend to feel nervous in front of a photographer, you might prefer taking the photos yourself or using an AI headshot generator to avoid that discomfort. If you want the photos taken in a specific environment, such as your office or workplace, working with a professional photographer or taking them yourself would be the best option.
If you prefer the convenience of creating the images from home, using an AI service or using your own smartphone is ideal.
Lastly, if the industry or company you work for has a policy against using AI headshots, you’ll be better off hiring a professional photographer to meet those requirements.
Are There Any Other Options?
Your options outside of the three main ones we’ve listed are quite limited. You could work with an amateur or beginner photographer who may be willing to help you at a low price because they’re trying to build their portfolio.
However, this comes with the risk that the quality of the headshots might not be what you desire. If you choose to go this route, you can often find amateur photographers in your area advertising on sites like Craigslist and Facebook.
Some professional photography studios offer a virtual service where you take your own headshots and send them in. While the quality may not be as good, at least you have professional photographers guiding you and editing or retouching the photos afterward.
Other than that, your only other option for getting headshots would be to use a self-service passport photo booth, the type often found in supermarkets, airports, post offices, and malls. However, we strongly advise against using these for anything other than passport, visa, or driver’s license photos.
Quick recap
We’ve covered a lot in this article, and hopefully it’s given you a good idea of the best options available when it comes to getting headshots, and the pros and cons of each.
It’s worth taking some time to think about what you need your headshots for, how important the quality is, how quickly you need them, and what you’re prepared to spend. When you know all of these key details, it should be pretty straightforward to decide which option is best suited for you.If you’re interested in giving AI-generated headshots a try, check out Portrait Pal and learn how convenient and affordable it can be. You can have your professional headshots ready in just two to three hours.