How to Find an Awesome Photographer for Your LinkedIn Profile Photo

Hiring a professional photographer for your LinkedIn profile photo can be confusing.

To help, I used LinkedIn to crowdsource several ideas on how to find a good headshot photographer.

Check out these 4 tips from career experts and LinkedIn users:

1. Ask Local Colleagues

Look at the LinkedIn pictures of local colleagues. Find one you like. Ask who their photographer was.

~ Donna Schilder, Executive Coach

I love a good referral!

2. HeadshotCrew.com

HeadshotCrew.com. They’re trained by Peter Hurley, a well-known headshot photographer.

~ Wendi Weiner, Career Branding Expert

I like Wendi’s idea because it shows you the photographer has had quality training. And they belong to a professional community. Thus, they continue to learn and improve their product.

3. Ask Real Estate Brokers in Your Area

I often recommend contacting a real estate brokerage in your area.

They need headshots on every realtor’s business card. So, they have a good network of (reasonably priced) local headshot photographers.

~ Laura Smith-Proulx, Executive Resume Writer

This would be especially useful in small towns where the two ideas above might not work.

4. The Budget Solution

I randomly met a woman who was an amateur photographer. She was practicing her craft, and we were able to do my headshots for a low price.

My pics turned out great, she was able to add them to her portfolio, and I was able to recommend other people to her. There may be a photography student in your area that needs to practice and will cut you a deal.

~ Stacey Stringfellow, Banking Executive

Vetting Photographers

Once you have a prospect or a list, be sure to check each photographer’s:

1. Portfolio
   
   
2. Pricing
   
   
3. Availability
   
   
4. Proof turnaround time
   
   
5. Approach to ensuring your satisfaction

Note: Be leery of using 5-star review sites for vetting purposes. They’re way too easy to game.

If that works, read the following tips, and you will be ready to go!

3 Tips for Your LinkedIn Profile Photo

1. Use this standard pose and smile that tests best on Photofeeler.com.
   
   
2. Add this jawline trick from (none other than) Peter Hurley.
   
   
3. Wear formal business clothing. It tests best on Photofeeler.com.
   
   
4. Polish your profile’s look by wearing a color in your photo that you echo in your background image.

2 Small Image Tips for Your Photographer

Remind your photographer that this will be a small image on a big page. Because of that, faces get lost:

1. When there’s low contrast between the photographer’s background and your hair color. Fix this at the shoot, not later.
   
   
2. In waist-high and standing shots. So make this a headshot, from the top of your shoulders up.

3 Technical Tips for Your Photographer

1. 400 x 400-pixel image sizes work well.
   
   
2. LinkedIn limits your uploadable file size to 8MB.
   
   
3. LinkedIn limits you to PNG and JPG file types.

Uploading Your Photo to LinkedIn

LinkedIn offers step-by-step help to get your lovely face up and out to the world in seconds.

Let’s Connect on LinkedIn

Please don’t hesitate to invite me to connect on LinkedIn here: Donna Svei, Executive Resume Writer. The more I know about my readers, the better I can make my blog.

Image: Drobot Dean
Updated March 2022

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