Should I Smile in a Headshot?

It’s a common question: do you smile in a business photo? Should I smile in my corporate headshot? For Gen Z this question might sound like a softball no-brainer question and they’d answer, “bet; you should smile this is brainrot content show your rizz.”

But after 20 years as a headshot photographer, I can say it’s a fair and complicated question. Case in point: smiling in Asian and South Asian cultures is treated differently than in Western cultures. In China, for example, and especially with older generations, it’s not common practice to smile at strangers and might even be considered rude in some situations. In India, most family portraits you see from past generations depict stoic, unsmiling faces because not smiling for a professional portrait was considered a sign of seriousness, dignity, and modesty.

When I just started out as a professional portrait photographer I remember hearing myself say, “smile. Smile bigger. SMILE.” over and over again during headshot sessions and wondering why someone wouldn’t grin as widely as I was, but this was why. I’ve also had several women tell me ahead of time that they don’t want to smile in their headshot because they’re in a powerful position at work and want to be taken as seriously as men in their industry. So for some, not smiling in a photo is a direct challenge to the patriarchal demands of women and all femmes to appear sweet, pretty, and an act of defiance to a culture demanding they “smile more.”

But back to the original question: should I smile in my headshot photo? Since there are very few instances in which an expressionless headshot that looks like a passport photo or a straight-up frown would make sense, then the short answer to the question is “yes.” Yet that doesn't narrow it down much because there are smiles showing teeth, smiles showing no teeth, and about 11,000 facial expressions in between. A smile can be warm, approachable, knowledgeable, sly, vindictive, smart, silly, funny, happy, sad, cheesy, confident, scared, etc.

What kind of smile do you need for your headshot?

Different smiles can say different things in a headshot because human beings’ facial expressions are complex and deliver nuanced meanings, which can be difficult to express on camera when your expressions and body language are not being read in person. Crafting your smile for a professional headshot should take your entire facial expression and body language into account in order to represent your best professional self. A therapist’s smile for their headshot will probably differ greatly from an MMA fighter’s smile.

Here are some example smiles:

The confident power smile

When you want to be seen as in charge, in control, perhaps even the benevolent dictator of the team, it’s usually a no-teeth smile. Something that isn’t stern or rough, and certainly not expressionless, but full of complexity and character.

The warm authority smile

Take that calm confidence and add amiable warmth. This smile usually still has no teeth but they can sometimes find their way into the picture as gentle friendliness fills the frame.

The upbeat ally smile

The most common smile you see in a business headshot is one with teeth. An upbeat smile that welcomes everyone as a friend: this is the smile most people use when they meet someone for the first time and want to make a great impression. That’s why it’s so popular as a corporate headshot when the first time someone meets you is through your LinkedIn profile photo or in your picture in your email signature.

The energized collaborator smile 

A great way to smile and show your energy and enthusiasm is with a laugh or near laugh. This is the full monty of smiles: a huge, warm smile with teeth, sometimes even parted teeth, that openly announces yourself as engaged, energized, and inspired.

When you’re having your headshot taken, think of your smile as being on a volume meter– capture every notch on the volume knob and then choose the one that resonates with you the most. Start with a calm smirk and a confident power smile and then slowly turn it up more and more until you’re laughing. Then find the expression that shows everyone the first impression you want to make.