LinkedIn Headshots in Boston: What Works

What size and crop should I plan for on LinkedIn?

LinkedIn recommends a 400×400 minimum, displays most feed thumbnails at 64×64 pixels, and shows the profile header photo at roughly 400×400 cropped to a circle. We frame deliberately for this: face and upper shoulders centered, eyes at the upper third of the frame, with enough headroom that the circular crop doesn't slice anything important. Every delivered file is exported at 2048×2048 square so you're future-proofed as LinkedIn's display sizes increase.

What expression should I aim for in a LinkedIn headshot?

Slightly warmer and more approachable than a formal corporate headshot. A soft, genuine smile with direct eye contact consistently outperforms neutral or closed-mouth expressions in LinkedIn's own engagement data — profiles with warm-smile photos receive more profile views and connection acceptances than those with stiffer expressions. Industry matters: tech, sales, and consulting lean warm; law, finance, and medicine lean toward a confident, closed-mouth half-smile.

How is a LinkedIn headshot different from a corporate headshot or a casting headshot?

Corporate headshots prioritize authority and formality — often used for directory pages and press kits. LinkedIn headshots prioritize connection and approachability — the goal is to make someone want to reach out. Casting headshots are different again: they showcase a performer's range across theatrical and commercial looks. All three can come from one Photography Shark session, but each is lit, framed, and directed differently in the shoot.

How often should I update my LinkedIn headshot?

Every 18-24 months is the standard recommendation, or sooner after a significant appearance change — new haircut, new glasses, weight change, or a role transition. An outdated photo creates a moment of dissonance when someone meets you in person, and LinkedIn quietly weights account activity and freshness in feed visibility — a current photo signals an active profile.

What's the most common mistake in DIY LinkedIn photos?

Cropping from a group or event photo. It forces the viewer's eye to decode context rather than register the face, and the lighting is almost never right. The second most common: a selfie taken from below, which distorts facial proportions through the phone's wide-angle lens. Both problems disappear in a studio setting.

What should I avoid wearing for a LinkedIn headshot?

Busy patterns (compress to visual noise at thumbnail size), pure white on a light backdrop (loses texture), pure black on a dark backdrop (same problem in reverse), and anything with a visible logo or text that reads as branded. Solid jewel tones — navy, burgundy, charcoal, forest green — photograph cleanest and work across industries. Bring 2-3 options.

How much does a LinkedIn headshot cost at Photography Shark?

$395 for a 30-minute studio session with 10 fully retouched high-resolution images. On-location sessions are $495. Files are delivered in 3-5 business days via a private online gallery, sized and cropped for LinkedIn as well as any other professional platform you need. Add-ons include additional session time ($150), outfit change ($150), and group shots ($100).