A LinkedIn photo doesn’t need to show the best you’ve ever looked. It needs to show the person someone will meet tomorrow.
If someone met you tomorrow having only ever seen your LinkedIn profile, would they recognise you immediately? If the answer is yes, then you’re probably in good shape.
But if the answer is “well… mostly”, or “I had a lot more hair back then”, or “I’ve definitely aged a bit since that conference in 2018”, then it might be time for an update.
People often think of headshots as something you only replace when they become embarrassingly old. In reality, they become outdated much more gradually than that. You change jobs. Your style changes. You grow a beard. You stop wearing suits every day. Your hair gets longer (or shorter… or disappears entirely). None of those things happen overnight, which is why people often don’t realise their photo no longer represents them until somebody else points it out.
Despite LinkedIn being a professional network, it functions much like Instagram in that your profile photo is usually the first thing people see before they’ve read a single word about you. Long before they’ve looked at your experience, your recommendations or your qualifications, they’ve already formed an impression based on one small square image.
That doesn’t mean your photograph has to be perfect. It doesn’t need to make you look younger, more glamorous or more successful than you really are. In fact, I’d argue that one of the biggest mistakes people make is hanging onto a headshot because it’s the best they’ve ever looked, rather than the most accurate reflection of who they are today.
It’s probably a fair assessment that plenty of people’s LinkedIn profile still shows the version of themselves they wish they looked like. It’s not a mortal sin, but perhaps does creates a tiny moment of confusion when you meet them in person.
In my opinion, a good LinkedIn photo should quietly reinforce trust by confirming that the person someone expected to meet is exactly the person who has just walked into the room.
So if you’re looking for a rule of thumb, I’d agree with a lot of the internet and say people probably benefit from updating their headshot every two or three years. But that’s not because some imaginary expiry date has passed.
Update it because something about you has changed. Maybe that’s your appearance. Maybe it’s your career. Maybe you’ve started your own business and the old corporate headshot no longer fits. Maybe you’re finally proud of what you do and want a photograph that reflects that.
Whatever the reason, your LinkedIn photo should feel current enough that nobody notices it. And perhaps that’s the irony of a good headshot.
The best ones don’t make people think, “That’s a great photograph.” They justmake people think, “That’s exactly who I was expecting to meet.”
“I know I should update it… I just hate having my photo taken.”
If this is the thing that’s holding you back from booking your session, don’t worry – I totally understand. And I can reassure you you’re not alone.
It’s extremely rare that I meet someone who walks into the studio and says, “I’m brilliant in front of a camera.” Much more often, the first thing I hear is some variation of, “You’re going to have to help me because I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing.”
The good news is that you don’t need to know ‘what you’re doing’. A big misconception about headshots is that the photographer somehow expects you to arrive knowing where to put your hands or what expression you’re supposed to have. In reality, that’s exactly what you’re paying me for.
The session is much more collaborative than that. We’ll spend the first few minutes chatting, trying different ideas and making small adjustments as we go. You’ll be able to see the photographs on a professional monitor throughout the shoot, which means nothing is left to chance. If something isn’t working, we’ll change it. If we find an angle, expression or outfit that really suits you, we’ll build on it together.
The aim isn’t to create a version of you that feels impossibly polished or completely unlike the person who walked into the studio. It’s simply to create a photograph that feels relaxed, current and recognisably you.
And if you’re already worrying about what you’re going to wear, don’t.
I’ve written a separate article on exactly that, because I think many people overcomplicate it. The short version is this: don’t try to reinvent yourself for the sake of one photograph. Wear something that feels like yours, bring a couple of options, and we’ll work it out together on the day.
By the time most people leave, they’re usually surprised by two things. Firstly, that they actually enjoyed the experience.
And secondly, that looking comfortable in a photograph has very little to do with being naturally photogenic.
It has much more to do with feeling relaxed enough to forget the camera is there. And that’s my job to make you feel that way!
Looking comfortable in a photograph has very little to do with being naturally photogenic. It has much more to do with feeling relaxed enough to forget the camera is there. And that's my job to make you feel that way!
