How to master headshot photography: expert tips from Ivan Weiss

Looking to capture professional headshots for acting profiles, LinkedIn, or company websites? In this guide, London-based portrait photographer Ivan Weiss shares expert tips on everything from lens choice and lighting to building a rapport with clients and capturing images with personality and depth.

Headshot vs. portrait: what’s the difference?

When asked this question, people often say, “Oh, that’s a portrait, not a headshot,” and focus on what the image looks like. But the key difference really comes down to usage. All headshots are portraits, but not all portraits are headshots — unless you use them that way.

A headshot is something people use to promote themselves professionally. They used to be mainly for those in the performing arts, but nowadays almost everyone needs one — whether for a website, LinkedIn profile, or CV. That includes actors, musicians, entrepreneurs, and all kinds of professionals.

A great headshot should also convey the right feeling to the viewer. A medical professional’s photo, for example, should inspire trust and reassurance. A headshot of an actor or musician might aim to spark intrigue or excitement.

How to prepare for a headshot session

To create a truly effective headshot, you first need to understand its purpose and who it is that you’re shooting. What do they do for a living? Why do they need a headshot? And what message or impression are they trying to convey?

Most of the headshots I create are for people in the performing arts — actors, dancers, and musicians — but I also work with writers, entrepreneurs, and professionals whose work depends on trust, presence, and individuality rather than performance alone. In all cases, the goal is to create images that serve a clear purpose and feel authentic to the person using them.

When someone books a session with me, I do a bit of research beforehand. I might look them up online to get a general sense of who they are and what they do, though I keep it light, since they could be looking to rebrand or change their image entirely. Once they arrive at the studio, we talk through all of that, including their goals and expectations for the shoot. That early conversation is essential for shaping the direction of the session.

Working with clients during the session

As a photographer, it’s important to really listen to what your clients say, but also to read between the lines. Often, people come in with a clear idea of what they want, but through the process, they discover something entirely different that feels more authentic or better reflects what the headshot needs to communicate.

One of the key parts of my workflow is shooting with the camera tethered to a computer. This allows clients to view the images in real time, so we can make decisions together as the session unfolds. It’s also a great way to build trust. The moment someone sees that they look good on screen, they start to relax a bit. Getting clients past that initial moment of self-doubt is one of the most rewarding parts of the job.

While it’s my role to deliver what the client wants, it’s equally important to guide them through the process toward the shot that truly works. That’s where collaboration, intuition, and a flexible approach make all the difference.

Distance and lens choice in headshot photography

Proximity is extremely important in headshot photography, and it’s often the starting point for decisions around composition and lens choice.

The distance between you and your subject directly affects how the final image feels to the viewer. If you stand a long way from your subject, they will feel distant, even if you zoom in. A person photographed from far away can also appear more reserved or aloof, which can work well in certain contexts, such as when you want to present someone as a leader or someone to look up to. But if you want to create a more approachable feeling, you need to move closer to your subject. This usually means using a shorter focal length. A good rule of thumb is to stay at a normal conversational distance, like how far you would stand when chatting to a shopkeeper.

Rather than starting with focal length, I think first about distance and psychological proximity — how close the subject feels to the viewer. Different lenses simply help me maintain that relationship while shaping the frame.

Here are the focal lengths I use most often, depending on the composition:

• 85mm for tight head-and-shoulders shots
• 50mm when including more of the upper body or waist
• 35mm when I want to show more of the environment or deliberately introduce a sense of perspective

Lighting tips for headshot photography

Lighting choices should always be driven by how the image needs to be received. In some cases that means openness and reassurance; in others, authority, depth, or ambiguity. Heavy shadow can be visually striking, but it can also undermine trust if it conflicts with the message the image needs to convey.

Flat lighting can feel open and honest, but it often lacks visual interest. When I want to present someone as approachable, I use shadow along the z-axis. This means the front of the face — the part closest to the camera — is brighter. It creates contrast and makes the image more engaging, without casting shadow over the most expressive areas of the face, like the eyes, eyebrows, mouth, and nose. Finding the right balance is key.

In other contexts, shadow can add a sense of mystery or tension, inviting the viewer to project meaning onto the image and engage more actively with it.

You want their audience to feel that this is the right person for the job — or in the case of performers, someone with a bit of edge, drama, or intrigue. Of course, when it comes to dentists, it’s best to steer clear of danger!

How to capture personality in headshots

While there’s no strict formula, most clients need to feel some level of rapport with the photographer — especially if they aren’t used to having their picture taken. In headshot photography, the goal is to help them forget about the camera, even if only for a split second. That brief moment of authenticity can make all the difference. Talk to your subject. Engage with them. Give direction when needed. If there’s no real connection between you and the person in front of the camera, it’s unlikely the picture will convey one.

With headshot photography, the focus should be less on what someone looks like and more on what they feel like. That emotional presence is what brings depth and personality to the image.

How to retouch headshots for different clients

I do all my retouching in Affinity, and it’s fundamentally about removing distractions rather than polishing someone into something they’re not. Color, contrast, and tone are tools for shaping how an image feels, not just how it looks.

If I’m editing a shot for a financial advisor’s website, I want to present them in a fairly natural way, so I’ll use Affinity’s color tools to make sure their skin looks realistic. On the other hand, if I’m creating a more dramatic image for a musician, I might use those same tools to shape a different mood. In that case, I’m less concerned with accuracy and more focused on how the image feels.

Accuracy matters, but it isn’t the goal. The goal is coherence — making sure every decision supports the purpose of the image and how the person using it needs to be perceived.

The post-production workflow I cover in my long-form tutorial — and the LUT packs I’ve made available — were developed entirely in Affinity, using the same tools and decision-making process I rely on in my day-to-day work.

If you’d like to learn more about headshot photography, I recommend headshotcrew.com, where I regularly share in-depth discussions and education around the craft.

About the contributor

Ivan’s approach to photography is shaped by over a decade living in Florence, where his love for classical composition and portraiture took root. Since 2011, he has built a reputation for creating images that combine technical precision with emotion, whether he's photographing performers, professionals, or entrepreneurs.

Through his website, Ivan also shares in-depth educational resources, including a comprehensive video tutorial and color tools built around an Affinity-based workflow.

To see more of his work and educational resources, visit ivanweiss.london, Instagram or headshotcrew.com.