Styles
Executive headshots
An executive portrait is a judgement about judgement. It has to look senior without looking like a stock photograph of a chief executive.
The signals of seniority
Seniority is communicated by restraint: a dark suit, a plain background, even light and a composed expression. The clichés to avoid are the folded arms, the glass office and the dramatic half-shadow, all of which read as staged.
The other signal is framing. A slightly wider head-and-shoulders crop with space around the head reads as confident; a tight crop reads as a headshot, which is a different genre.
- Dark suit, plain shirt, muted tie.
- Neutral or dark background, slightly darker than the face.
- Direct gaze, level chin, relaxed shoulders.
- Space around the head; avoid a tight crop.
Where executive portraits appear
An executive portrait is reused constantly: the company site, the annual report, the investor deck, the conference programme, a press release, a regulatory filing. Several of those are print, which means high resolution matters.
It also means the photo should be timeless. An executive portrait that is visibly from a particular year undermines the point of the image, which is to project continuity.
- High resolution, suitable for print and for a large hero image.
- Timeless clothing; no seasonal trends.
- Consistent with the rest of the leadership page.
- Updated every few years, not every few months.
A leadership page that matches
Leadership pages are usually assembled from portraits taken in different cities, in different years, in different light, and it shows. Applying one style to each executive's own photos produces a page that reads as a board rather than a collection.
It also solves the timing problem, which for executives is the binding constraint: a new appointment in March needs a portrait in March, not at the next photography session.
How it works
Three steps from a phone photo to a finished image
Upload your photos
Six to ten selfies with different angles and expressions.
Pick a style
Business, editorial, black and white, cinematic — or a profession set.
Download the set
A consistent batch of portraits, ready for your profile.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What should an executive wear in a headshot?
A dark suit with a plain shirt and a muted tie. Executive portraits rely on restraint — the signal is steadiness rather than style — and the dress is the first part of that.
How do I avoid the clichéd executive photo?
Skip the folded arms, the glass office and the dramatic half-shadow. A plain background, a direct gaze and a slightly wider crop read as senior without looking like a stock photograph.
What resolution does an executive portrait need?
High resolution, because the image is used in annual reports, decks and press material, often at large sizes. Shoot and export larger than a profile picture requires, and keep the original file.
How do we get consistent leadership portraits?
Apply one style to photos each executive already has. Leadership pages are usually assembled from different cities and different years, and a single style applied to everyone is what makes the page look like one company.
Try it on your next photo
Free to download on the App Store. iPhone and iPad only.