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Professional Headshot Examples

The best AI headshot generator for professional headshots

Eighteen real headshots grouped by industry, each with the wardrobe, background and expression that made it work - plus the selfie eight of them started from.

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Selfie used as input for the BetterPic AI headshot generator
Studio-quality professional AI headshot generated by BetterPic's AI headshot generator
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What every good headshot has

Four things separate a headshot that works from a photograph of your face.

Chest-up framing
Head and shoulders, with your eyes about a third of the way down the frame. Wider than that and it stops reading as a headshot.
Soft, frontal lighting
Light from the front and slightly above, with no hard shadow cutting across one side of the face.
An engaged expression
Eyes on the lens. A small genuine smile reads as approachable; a wide one dates faster.
A background that recedes
A plain colour or a blurred setting. Anything with detail competes with your face once the image is displayed small.

Corporate and finance headshot examples

The most conservative end of the range. These are the shots that sit on a partner page, an annual report or an investor deck, where looking dependable matters more than looking interesting.

  • AI headshot of a man in a mid-blue suit with a matching tie and a white pocket square, on a blurred city street
    Blue suit and tie, city street
  • AI headshot of a man in a black suit and dark tie beside a black-framed window
    Black suit and tie, window light
  • AI headshot of a woman in a cream blazer over a black blouse with a bow, in a bright modern office
    Cream blazer, modern office
  • AI headshot of a woman in a light blue hijab and grey blazer in front of a city office window
    Grey blazer, office window
Attire
Dark suit or navy blazer over a crisp shirt. A tie reads as more senior in law and finance and as overdressed almost everywhere else.
Background
Solid charcoal or grey studio, or a clean office wall thrown well out of focus.
Expression
Composed, with a closed mouth or the smallest of smiles.
Best for
Executive bios, annual reports, law and finance team pages, LinkedIn.

Business casual and tech headshot examples

One layer down from corporate, and the default for most office work now. The jacket stays; the tie usually goes.

  • AI headshot of a man in a navy suit with an open-collar white shirt, leaning against a stone column
    Navy suit, open collar
  • AI headshot of a man in a blue button-down shirt beside a window in a bright modern interior
    Blue shirt, modern interior
  • AI headshot of a woman in a light grey double-breasted blazer and white shirt against a textured concrete wall
    Grey blazer, concrete wall
  • AI headshot of a woman in a white button-down shirt in a bright stairwell
    White shirt, bright stairwell
Attire
Blazer over an open-collar shirt, or a shirt on its own in a solid colour.
Background
A light studio grey, or an office interior blurred enough to read as texture.
Expression
Warmer than corporate. A visible but closed smile.
Best for
Consulting, tech, sales, recruitment, company about pages.

Healthcare and medical headshot examples

Patients read a clinical headshot for competence and warmth at the same time, which is why the uniform does most of the work and the expression carries the rest.

  • AI headshot of a woman in a white lab coat over a blue shirt with a stethoscope, in a consulting room
    Lab coat and stethoscope, consulting room
  • AI headshot of a man in a white lab coat over green scrubs, in a clinical room
    Lab coat over scrubs, clinical room
  • AI headshot of a woman in white scrubs with a stethoscope, in a hospital corridor
    Scrubs and stethoscope, hospital corridor
Attire
Lab coat over a shirt or scrubs. A stethoscope reads as clinical rather than administrative.
Background
Plain and light. Clinical settings photograph badly and date quickly.
Expression
Open and reassuring, with a genuine smile.
Best for
Hospital and practice directories, ERAS and residency applications, medical team pages.

Creative and startup headshot examples

Where a corporate shot would read as stiff. The looser wardrobe only works if the lighting and crop stay disciplined.

  • AI headshot of a man in a light grey polo shirt against a red brick wall
    Grey polo, brick wall
  • AI headshot of a woman in a white blazer in front of a black and white chevron mural
    White blazer, patterned mural
  • AI headshot of a man in a light blue shirt against a deep navy interior wall
    Blue shirt, navy wall
Attire
Smart casual. A knit, an open shirt or a light jacket, in a solid colour.
Background
Natural light outdoors, or a bright studio colour.
Expression
Relaxed, often a full smile.
Best for
Design and agency teams, founders, speaker bios, portfolios.

Outdoor and natural light headshot examples

Daylight and depth of field instead of a studio backdrop. It suits client-facing work where being approachable matters more than looking formal.

  • AI headshot of a woman in a powder blue blazer with a river and rooftops blurred behind her
    Powder blue blazer, riverside
  • AI headshot of a woman in a navy blazer and white shirt in a sunlit park
    Navy blazer, sunlit park
  • AI headshot of a woman in a white shirt with woodland foliage blurred behind her
    White shirt, woodland
  • AI headshot of a woman dressed in white leaning against a stone column in warm evening light
    White outfit, evening light
Attire
Anything from a blazer to a knit. Solid colours hold up better against a busy background.
Background
Greenery or architecture, blurred far enough that no single object is identifiable.
Expression
Open and unposed.
Best for
Real estate, coaching, therapy, personal brands, LinkedIn.

Every headshot here started as a selfie

The same eight people, photographed on a phone and then generated as a professional headshot. This is the part a photographer's example gallery cannot show you.

  • The original phone selfie a person uploaded
    Selfie
    The professional AI headshot generated from that selfie
    Headshot
  • The original phone selfie a person uploaded
    Selfie
    The professional AI headshot generated from that selfie
    Headshot
  • The original phone selfie a person uploaded
    Selfie
    The professional AI headshot generated from that selfie
    Headshot
  • The original phone selfie a person uploaded
    Selfie
    The professional AI headshot generated from that selfie
    Headshot
  • The original phone selfie a person uploaded
    Selfie
    The professional AI headshot generated from that selfie
    Headshot
  • The original phone selfie a person uploaded
    Selfie
    The professional AI headshot generated from that selfie
    Headshot
  • The original phone selfie a person uploaded
    Selfie
    The professional AI headshot generated from that selfie
    Headshot
  • The original phone selfie a person uploaded
    Selfie
    The professional AI headshot generated from that selfie
    Headshot

What separates a good headshot from a bad one

The same five decisions account for most of the difference, whichever industry you are in.

DecisionWhat worksWhat fails
CropHead and shoulders, eyes about a third down the frameA full-body shot, or a crop so tight the chin is cut off
LightingSoft and frontal, both eyes clearly litOverhead or hard side light leaving half the face in shadow
BackgroundPlain, or blurred enough to read as textureA kitchen, a car interior, or somebody else's shoulder
WardrobeSolid colours, one layer more formal than you dress dailyTight patterns and logos, which break up at small sizes
ResolutionAt least 1000 px on the short side, so it survives being croppedA screenshot, or one face cropped out of a group photo

Frequently asked questions

What should a headshot include?
Your head and the top of your shoulders, both eyes visible and in focus, and nothing else competing for attention. No props, no second person, and no part of the setting sharp enough to identify.
What is a professional headshot example?
A chest-up photograph on a plain or blurred background, lit softly from the front, with the subject looking into the lens. Every example on this page follows that pattern; what changes between them is wardrobe, background and how much they smile.
What colours should I avoid for headshots?
Avoid anything close to your background colour, because the outline of your shoulders disappears. Avoid tight patterns and stripes, which alias into moire at small sizes. Solid mid-tones photograph most reliably.
What is the best pose for a headshot?
Shoulders angled slightly away from the camera, head turned back towards it, chin forward and very slightly down. Squaring both shoulders to the lens flattens the frame and reads as an ID photo.

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