LinkedIn Headshots: 11 Profile Photo Examples and What Makes Them Work

From AstraZeneca and American Express to Cambridge University and Rockstar Games, explore 11 real LinkedIn profile photo examples photographed by Headshot Company and discover what makes them work.

Before somebody reads your experience, qualifications or recommendations, they see your profile photo. Whether you’re applying for a role, growing your network, speaking at conferences or building relationships with clients, your LinkedIn profile photo is often your first introduction. But what actually makes a good LinkedIn profile photo?

The answer is surprisingly simple:

The best LinkedIn profile photos don’t follow a rigid set of rules. They reflect the professional version of you.

A profile photo for an AI startup founder might look completely different to one for a university fellow, healthcare executive or creative director — and that’s exactly how it should be.

In this guide we’ll look at eleven real examples from our own work and explain what makes them successful.

Looking for LinkedIn headshots for your whole team? Click here to jump straight to our LinkedIn Headshots for Teams examples, featuring real projects we’ve photographed for BBC Studios, American Express, Salesforce, Influencer and the University of Cambridge.

How To Get A LinkedIn Headshot

There are several ways to get a professional LinkedIn profile photo, depending on your circumstances and whether you’re booking for yourself or an entire organisation:

Individual Studio Sessions

If you’re updating your personal profile or building your personal brand, a dedicated studio session gives you complete control over styling, wardrobe and the overall look of the images.

Our Northamptonshire studio sessions are tailored around your industry, goals and personality, whether you’re looking for something traditional, creative or somewhere in between.

You can find out more about our LinkedIn headshot photography sessions here.

Company-Wide Staff Headshot Days

If your whole organisation needs new profile photos, bringing a mobile studio to your offices is often the most efficient solution.

This allows every employee to receive a consistent, professional image with minimal disruption to the working day, while ensuring your organisation presents a cohesive and professional image online.

You can see examples of our staff headshot photography here.

Virtual Headshots

Remote team? No problem.

Virtual headshots allow employees anywhere in the world to capture professional profile photos using their smartphone, which are then professionally edited and matched to your company’s chosen style and background.

It’s become an increasingly popular option for distributed teams and international businesses.

Learn more about our virtual headshot service here.

So What Makes A Good LinkedIn Profile Photo?

Despite what many articles will tell you, there aren’t dozens of hard rules.

In our experience, great LinkedIn profile photos usually have four things in common:

• They look like the person you’ll meet in real life.
• They suit the person’s industry and audience.
• They feel authentic to their personal brand.
• They still work when viewed at thumbnail size.

Everything else is flexible.

Let’s look at some real examples.

1: Match your Industry

Moritz Drachsler — Global Clinical Head, AstraZeneca

Healthcare and pharmaceuticals tend to favour professionalism, credibility and authority over creativity or disruption.

The darker background and understated styling here create exactly that feeling. The image feels premium, senior and trustworthy without becoming overly formal or intimidating.

If you work in healthcare, law, finance or consulting, a more restrained visual style often works extremely well. Moritz’s headshot was taken in our studio.

2. Let Your Environment Tell Part Of The Story

Daniel McKay — Emmanuel College, University of Cambridge

Sometimes the background becomes part of the message.

Daniel’s role is inseparable from Cambridge, academia and history, so photographing him against the cloisters of Emmanuel College instantly communicates context before anyone reads his biography.

Environmental portraits work particularly well for academics, architects, hospitality professionals and founders.

3. Don’t Be Afraid Of Colour

Laura Mills — Founder & COO, Noggin HQ

LinkedIn can be a sea of navy suits and grey backgrounds.

Bright colours can help your profile stand out while reinforcing your company’s visual identity.

Laura’s bright green background mirrors Noggin HQ’s branding perfectly, creating a profile that’s instantly recognisable in comments, messages and search results.

4. Your Expression Matters More Than Perfection

Layla Alikhani — Marketing Executive, American Express

You don’t need a huge smile or a serious executive stare.

What matters is authenticity.

Layla’s relaxed, genuine expression creates an approachable and trustworthy first impression — exactly the qualities you want in a marketing role built around communication and relationships.

People do business with people they feel comfortable talking to. Layla’s headshot was taken as part of a company-wide staff headshot shoot across three of Amex’s offices- check out the case study here. 

5. Dress Like The Professional Version Of Yourself

John Kattenhorn — CTO, Kwalee

You don’t need to be suited and booted for a great LinkedIn profile photo.

John is a CTO, founder and maker. A simple black t-shirt feels authentic to his role, industry and personality.

The goal isn’t to look like a banker if you’re an engineer, or a lawyer if you’re a startup founder.

Instead, ask yourself:

What would I wear to an important meeting with my ideal client?

That’s usually the right answer.

6. Use Branding Intelligently

Kishan Vadgama — Associate Director, McBains

Small details make a big difference.

The orange background mirrors the McBains branding in the banner image, creating a profile that feels cohesive and intentional.

The result is memorable without feeling forced or overly corporate.

7. Remember Where Your Photo Will Actually Be Viewed

Joe Hirst — Creative8

Most LinkedIn profile photos aren’t viewed full-screen.

They’re viewed:

• in comments
• in messages
• in search results
• on mobile devices

That’s why tighter crops tend to work well.

Joe’s profile photo fills the frame nicely while keeping the attention exactly where it should be — on the face and expression.

If your profile photo still works at thumbnail size, you’re probably in good shape.

8. Creative Industries Can (and should) Break The Rules

Tom Stevenson — Founder, Pynea

This image would look completely out of place for a corporate solicitor.

For an AI startup founder?

Perfect.

The dramatic lighting and cinematic feel reinforce exactly the qualities Pynea wants to communicate: innovation, creativity and forward thinking.

The best profile photos don’t follow rules.

They fit the person.

9. Great Lighting Makes Everything Better

Andrew Varda — LinkedIn

Good lighting doesn’t draw attention to itself.

It simply makes people look their best.

Soft, flattering light creates separation from the background, brings life to the eyes and ensures your image remains effective even at small sizes.

10. Your Banner Matters Too

Matthew Hewitt — Rockstar Games

Your profile photo doesn’t exist in isolation.

It works alongside your banner image to tell a story about who you are and what you do.

Matthew’s profile photo and GTA banner work together perfectly to communicate exactly the world he works in before you’ve read a single word of his profile.

Great LinkedIn branding is rarely just about the photo.

It’s about the whole profile working together.

11. Sometimes Simple Wins

Andrew Thomas — CEO, Softwire

After all the colour, creativity and environmental portraits, sometimes the simplest approach is still the right one.

Clean background.

Great lighting.

Strong expression.

Professional styling.

A classic corporate portrait remains incredibly effective when executed well. While on site with Softwire, we also shot a library of corporate lifestyle photography for them. Check out the case study here. 

LinkedIn Headshots For Teams

A strong LinkedIn headshot doesn’t have to stop with one person. For businesses, creating a consistent set of profile photos across an entire team can make a huge difference to how the company appears on LinkedIn.

We’ve photographed teams ranging from a handful of senior leaders to thousands of employees, creating consistent headshots that still allow each person to look and feel like themselves.

Here are a few different approaches we’ve created for teams:

BBC Studios — Branded LinkedIn Headshots for Teams

For BBC Studios, we created a consistent set of team portraits using a bespoke branded background inspired by their visual identity. Each person still has an individual, natural-looking headshot, while the shared colour palette creates a strong and recognisable look across the wider team.

American Express — Clean, Consistent STAFF LinkedIn Headshots

For American Express, the priority was consistency at scale. We photographed thousands of employees across multiple locations, creating clean, professional headshots with consistent lighting, framing and backgrounds. It’s a simple approach that works brilliantly for LinkedIn, giving every employee a polished individual portrait while creating a cohesive look across the wider organisation.

Salesforce — Using Brand Colours in LinkedIn Headshots

Company branding doesn’t need to dominate a headshot to make an impact. For Salesforce, we combined a clean grey background with their instantly recognisable blue, creating a simple branded treatment that still keeps the focus firmly on the individual. Across a whole team, the result is consistent, distinctive and unmistakably connected to the Salesforce brand.

Influencer — Relaxed, Contemporary LinkedIn Headshots

Professional LinkedIn headshots don’t have to feel overly corporate. For Influencer, we created a more relaxed and contemporary style, using informal poses, varied body language and a bold branded background. The result feels consistent across the team without making everyone look the same — allowing individual personality to come through while still creating a strong visual identity for the company.

University of Cambridge — Environmental LinkedIn Headshots

A consistent team style doesn’t always mean photographing everyone against the same background. For the University of Cambridge, we used the surrounding environment to create natural, professional portraits with a strong sense of place. Environmental headshots can be a great option for LinkedIn, particularly when your workplace, location or organisation is an important part of your story.

FINAL THOUGHTS

The perfect LinkedIn profile photo doesn’t exist.

The right LinkedIn profile photo for you does — and for businesses, the same principle applies to your team.

The best images feel authentic, suit your industry and present the version of yourself that people will actually meet when they walk into the room or join the Teams call.

If you’re considering updating your LinkedIn profile photo — whether that’s one headshot for yourself, a consistent set for your team, or a company-wide project involving hundreds of employees — we’d love to help.

After all, every example featured in this article was photographed by us!