Headshot vs Portrait - What's the difference?

What’s the difference between a headshot and a portrait?

I always encourage my headshot clients to consider adding a portrait to their session. It doesn’t cost extra, so why not? But then I need to explain the difference between a headshot and a portrait.

I like to say this: A headshot is like a haiku, or a sonnet. A portrait is like free verse, or a rock song.

Headshots

There are business headshots, and purely social headshots, like for dating services. Today I’m going to address business headshots. Of course, a business headshot can and should be used for appropriate social media. 

A headshot has a specific purpose. It needs to

• Show you looking your very best
• Show that you are an expert in your field
• Make people want to work with you; hire you; promote you

Like haikus or sonnets, successful headshots need to follow certain rules to achieve those goals.

The Number One rule of Headshots is this:

There is nothing to distract from your face and your expression.

This is how you communicate who you are. We don’t want anything to take attention away. To do this, we crop tightly, at the sternum. We don’t include unnecessary things, like hands, hats, accessories or jewelry. We keep clothing simple, and avoid busy patterns, anything shiny, or anything that calls attention to itself.

Next, we are looking to express something specific about you. We aim for a mix of confidence, and approachability. 

We want the viewer to feel that you are an expert at what you do, and feel that you could solve their problems, achieve their goals, improve their company, build a client base, etc. This is the “confidence” part.

We also the view to feel like you are someone they would want to work with; someone they would like to get to know. You should look warm and friendly as well as confident. This is the “approachability” part.

During a headshot session, we shoot a variety of expressions. Some lean more into the “confidence” part. These may be more serious expressions that have great value for editorial use – when you are publishing an article, speaking at an event (virtual or otherwise), publishing a book, etc. 

Other looks lean more into the “approachability” end. These may be perfect for anywhere, including your Zoom profile, your chat rooms, etc. 

Most of our images aim for a good balance between confidence and approachability. These will serve you well almost anywhere.

Of course, for actor’s headshots, this is a bit difference. We will want to showcase your range, and show your ability to portray a variety of characters. More about actor’s headshots in another article.

Lighting and backgrounds for headshots follows the same principle of not taking any attention away from you. They are usually an even, solid grey, black or white.

Portraits

A portrait can be almost anything! It can be as creative as you like.

Portraits can be personal portraits, or business portraits.

Business portraits start from the same base as headshots, and expand it. They can be half-body or full body. They can be shot in the studio, or at your workplace. They can show environment details, like a desk, your office, or a studio set-up with table or chair. They can certainly include hands, and a variety of poses and backgrounds.  Portraits give even more information about you than headshots do.

Personal portraits are even broader. There is no limit, and creativity has full reign. What do you want to communicate about yourself? Who are you? Who might you be? We can discuss ideas and directions ahead of time to plan out your portrait. Or, if you’re intrigued but not sure, we can discover directions together at the shoot. I will get to know you, and be able to suggest directions, moods and looks. Since I shoot tethered, you will be able to see what we are creating, and we can adjust as we go along.

Portraits can be shot with white background, black background, or colors – warm and painterly, or bright and bold.

What's more, we can be very creative in the post-production treatment of a portrait image. There's no limit to where we can go!

When you make the investment in a photography session, it makes sense to get the most out of it that you can. I urge my clients to select a variety of headshots to use for different platforms and needs. More formal; more casual; and a range of expressions. Entrepreneurs should know that changing the image on their website regularly helps with SEO.

In addition to a variety of headshots, it makes sense to do some portraits as well. There is no extra charge, and no obligation to purchase. 

Sometimes you don’t know what you want until you see it.