When time comes to have a new professional headshot most people don’t know where to start. That’s why I have a series of blog posts on this topic from “How to find the perfect headshot photographer”, “What to wear for business headshot?”, “Should I wear my glasses for my headshots?”, “Do I need makeup for my headshot session?”
The next important question to ask before having your headshot is: “Should I smile or be serious in my headshot?”
When we look at a photograph the first thing we see is subject’s expression. Most of the people have no idea should they smile or look serious in their headshot.
Here are some of the advantage and disadvantage of smiling in your headshot:
Advantages:
1. If your smile is genuine you look friendlier and more approachable.
2. They make the viewer more comfortable with you.
3. They make you seem easy to work with.
4. They can help you look younger.
Disadvantages:
1. Your eyes can become squinty. Fix this by looking at the top part of the photographer's camera, or do a more subtle laugh/smile instead of a big one.
2. Wrinkles can show on your face, or your face can look wider.
These are some advantages and disadvantages of serious expressions:
Advantages:
1. They can help you appear older if you look young and like to look older and more experienced.
2. If you do a very subtle, closed-mouth smile, it can show confidence with approachability, which is an awesome look.
Disadvantages:
1. If you're not careful, you can look blank, or mean/angry. A simple fix to this would be to keep your lips closed and do a subtle laugh to create a tiny little approachable smile that still looks like a serious shot.
2. You can look older than you are.
