4 Alternatives to Professional Headshots

In 2019, there’s really no need to spend money on professional photographers - with such high-quality cameras on phones, the need for a real headshot is simply obsolete. Right?

In this article, we’ve rounded up the top 4 alternatives to a professional headshot, whether it’s for your website, CV, LinkedIn or elsewhere. 

1. Bathroom Selfie in a Suit

Timeless, isn’t it? You’ve suited up - whether for a meeting, night out or another special occasion - and whip out the front-facing camera for a selfie. Your bathrobe hanging off the door in the background only adds to the effect - it’s all about being real these days, who wants a plain white background anyway?

2. The Cropped Best Man/Bridesmaid Photo

You’re looking finer than you ever have before. Fresh haircut, professional makeup, tuxedo and all matching. Who wouldn’t want to employ you? Plus, if you crop it to an awkwardly thin, narrow shape, no one will notice your mates’ arms around your back. Professional, right?

3. The High School Yearbook Photo

If you have to have a professional photo, that’s fine - you’ve got one! And what’s more, the school paid for it. The backdrop, editing and all. I know it’s been over 10 years since you graduated and you probably look very different - and want to come across as a professional, not as a teenager with acne and no work experience. But it’s a professional photo, so it will have to do!

4. The Friend with a Fancy Camera

You get it - there’s no comparing an iPhone to a big Canon machine your friend bought for sightseeing in Africa. It has all those fancy buttons, it’s so big and it cost close to 1000 euros. But still, why pay someone who actually knows how to use the camera, when there’s an auto function? And different lenses are just a way the manufacturers make more money, right? The kit lens the camera comes with is plenty. Ask them nicely and they definitely won’t mind taking a photo for you - that’s all it really is… isn’t it?

Roll back. Let’s get real. 

Professional headshots are essential. 

Here’s why.

Firstly, even if you want an environmental headshot, it needs a professional background and the depth of field should emphasise you. A professional photographer knows how to scout and choose locations. With their fancy lenses and by taking the camera out of Auto mode, they’ll be able to make the background blur nicely and you stand out. 

All those lights and umbrellas and remotes they bring? That’s not just to look cool. Photos are all about the light captured by the lens - how much of it, from which angles, how harsh it is. Have you ever tried to take a picture outside on a sunny day but no matter which way you turned, couldn’t get it right? The photographers aren’t just playing with tripods - they’re carefully planning the light to bounce of you and your surroundings.

They’ll also help you bring out your personality in the camera, relaxing you and helping you find the right pose - having seen many, many before. How to appear professional but friendly? Ask the photographer. How to angle your shoulders and head? Ask the photographer.

They’ll cull the photos taken, quickly identifying the best one. Then, they’ll enhance the colour, straighten and crop the photo properly - stuff they spent years learning how to do. They might even retouch blemishes, if you’re paying for that level of service (which usually starts at 100-120euro).

Ultimately, a professional headshot helps portray you as a reliable, trustworthy and quality business person. 

The story goes that Picasso was sitting in a cafe, doodling on a napkin. A passerby asked him for the napkin, as he was going to throw it away. Picasso was happy to comply - in return for a significant sum of money… tens of thousands of euros, in today’s terms.

“But that took you two minutes!” exclaimed the passerby.

“No, it took me forty years,” responded Picasso.

Never doubt the value of a professional headshot - it’s essential for presenting yourself in the right way to potential employers, clients and colleagues. You can book your headshot at OneCoWork on 25/2/19 here, with prices starting from 40euros for members and 70 euros for non-members.

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