Headshots for Men: Why "I'm Not Photogenic" Is Not the Story

"I'm not photogenic."

That sentence opens almost every man's headshot session in my studio. CEOs, lawyers, entrepreneurs, doctors. People who run boardrooms with complete confidence, who speak in front of hundreds of people without a flicker — and in front of a camera turn to wood. The shoulders rise, the jaw locks, the smile comes out like an ID card.

After hundreds of headshots for men I can say this with certainty: "not photogenic" is not a trait. It is what happens when nobody has directed you what to do in front of a camera. And that is exactly what a professional headshot solves.

Why men "don't come out well" in photos

The short answer: because nobody taught you how to stand.

In everyday photos someone pulls out a phone, you smile a forced smile, and that is it. No angle, no light, no direction. The camera recorded your least representative moment — and from those photos you built the theory that "I'm not photogenic".

In the studio it works the other way round. I direct every second: where the shoulder goes, where the chin goes, when to breathe, what to think about. Most men discover that the problem was never their face — but the direction that was missing.

Suit or shirt — the question of the message

Clothing is not a question of "what looks nice" but of who your audience is.

A full suit — lawyers, finance, senior management. Authority, seriousness, institution. If your clients expect a suit in a meeting — it should be in the photo too.

A button-down shirt without a jacket — entrepreneurs, high-tech, consulting. Professional but approachable. This is the most common choice in my sessions, and usually the right one.

The rule that always works: dress as you would on the day you meet your most important client. No more, no less.

And what holds for everyone: solid colours with no prints, a garment that sits properly on the body (a jacket that is too tight is worse than no jacket), and bring two or three sets to choose from. I have gathered the full instructions in the guide to preparing for the shoot day.

Beard, hair, glasses — the small details that show up large

Beard — the perfect timing for a shoot is a day or two after a haircut and beard grooming. Too fresh looks too sharp; two weeks later — already unruly. And no, you do not need to shave clean if that is not you. The photo needs to show you — on a well-groomed day.

Balding — one of the most common concerns, and one of the most unnecessary. With the right lighting a bald or balding head looks excellent — a matter of the angle of the light, not of hair. Some of the strongest portraits I have made are exactly that.

Glasses — if people know you with glasses, we photograph with glasses. Glare on the lenses is a lighting failure, and in professional studio lighting it is solved completely. Undecided? We shoot both versions.

The difference between a photo that works and a photo that merely exists

A good headshot is not supposed to look "photographed". It is supposed to look like you — on your very best day. That is the difference between a photo that makes a prospective client feel he already knows you, and a generic photo in a suit that could be anyone's.

That is what the briefing call before the shoot is for: what the role is, who the audience is, where the photo will appear — LinkedIn, the company website, conferences. A photo of a senior partner at a law firm should not look like a photo of a startup founder. I have written about these differences at length in the guide for senior executives as well.

How it works in practice

The shoot takes place in the professional studio — quiet, complete privacy and controlled lighting — or in the mobile studio that comes to your office anywhere in the country, with exactly the same equipment. A busy executive frees up twenty minutes; a whole team is photographed in one day without stopping work.

We choose the best photos together, each one goes through professional retouching, and you receive all the raw material as well. The prices and packages are detailed on the services page.

In summary

"I'm not photogenic" is the story most men tell themselves — until the first professional shoot. A good headshot is not a matter of the face; it is a matter of direction, light and the right conversation beforehand. The rest — is my job.