Some might think this is superfluous but I say that a picture is worth a million words. Which is why we’re looking at your LinkedIn profile photo today.
Remember when we used to obsess over the selfie we intended to send to our crush? No, just me? Now we’re photoshopping flyaways in our professional headshot in hopes our smile says “pay me more.” Or if you’re anything other than a cis white guy, “pay me fairly, goddamnit.” Gimme some of that he/him money. (Shoutout alli_bellairs for that joke!)
Drop one of these in the comments:
😍 I love my photo. It’s radiates me and my personality. It’s giving. (Or whatever Gen Z would say).
🤨 It’s mid. Not bad. Not good. Tolerable.
🙃 No, I really don’t love it but it’s all I have.
😋 Tbh, I really don’t care! (You’re free to go. Class dismissed!)
Don’t worry, I’m going to teach you how to taking a really good photo. As a former wedding videographer, creative director, self-proclaimed diva and daughter of a professional photographer… I have all the tricks.
But first, let’s get one thing out of the way.
Yes, you heard me. I love you so much, you’re so gorgeous and smart and poised and your AI-generated image ruins all of that.
I say this with all the grace and understanding why people are doing it. I’ve heard the reasons:
“I don’t like how I look in photos right now.”
“I couldn’t afford/don’t have time for professional headshots.”
“I feel ancient in photos.”
“I just want to smooth things out.”
As someone who has photographed hundreds of people at this point (friends, family, brides, and doggos) I need you to know that no matter how good AI gets, humans can tell when they aren’t looking at another human.
There is energy behind and inside every photo you take.
Your bio-electromagnetic field (#science) radiates 6 feet in front of you and can actually be captured on film. (Look up “aura photography.”)
If you saw a picture of a woman with her ex husband and another one with the love of her life, I guarantee you’d be able to guess (with crazy accuracy) which one depicts the happier relationship even if she’s wearing the exact same Cleveland Guardian’s jersey in both.
And here’s the other thing, as Shakespeare (or some other ancient person) said, the eyes are the window into the soul.
If you let AI create your self-image, the invisible, yet very real, light leaves your eyes. You remove the thing that makes people feel connected to you, even through a screen.
One of my best friends is an evidential medium and she channeled my mom while I was going through divorce. My mom said:
“Pay attention to your eyes. They show your longevity. As you become more free and more yourself, your soul will radiate through them.”
In the age of AI, our humanness has now become part of our marketing and self-promotion. We want to be smarter, more capable, more lucrative than a robot. And quite frankly, some of us are panicking in attempts to figure out how to showcase that. So don’t wipe away one of the most obvious, physical parts of your humanity for smoother skin and a better backdrop.
Now that your AI-photo is gone, let’s take the perfect selfie. There’s two tricks you need to know.
Daylight
Dancing (not salsa, or the waltz don’t worry)
Set up your phone camera against a window where natural light can come in. Either early morning or late afternoon. Not direct, high-noon sun. That’s too harsh.
Ideally use your back camera, but you can also take an awesome shot using selfie mode too.
Find an angle where the lens is at your eye level. Not above or below.
Alright, I’ll be real with you. I am using the word dance solely for the alliteration. But really want I want you to do is MOVE.
Motion is the trade secret of all incredible, natural-looking shots.
There’s two ways you can do this to get a good selfie. (PS I have my iPhone camera settings set to 4K at 60 fps for higher quality!)
You can set a timer on your iPhone to take multiple shots while you slightly tilt your head in a few different ways capturing various angles.
Turn on video and just start posing, tilting, swaying, fake laughing. Find a position where you like your stature and screenshot it OR recreate that pose for a timed photo.
Throughout my ten years in corporate, I’ve had a handful of profile pictures for Outlook, Salesforce, Gmail, Slack, Zoom etc. As the daughter of a professional photographer and a Libra with a degree in marketing, I strongly believe that having a personal brand, even if you don’t run a company, is important for landing jobs in corporate. And that starts with the little things like a photo.
Having a photo that you LOVE is a power move in its own right.
It’s also important you keep it updated because an authentic photo communicates that representation of yourself is important. When you put thought into your online presence, you teach people how and WHEN to think about you.
Perfect example is that not only was I leading the company’s largest IT transformation project back in the day, I was also the resident personal brand expert. People who only met me once or twice would not only comment on my profile picture but also ask me how to take their own.
Here’s my spicy take on what you can and can’t have in a photo:
Tattoos?
Yes! It’s 2026. If an employer has an issue with your creative, badass, gorgeous ink…. move along Frog. They aren’t your people.
Piercings? Blue hair?
Yes! YOU ARE SO COOL.
Babies?
I would say nah only because we really want only one human in the photo... you. UNLESS they are part of your brand.
Doggos?
Personally, I say yes. If floofs are wrong, I don’t wanna be right.
Fish?
Bro, are you serious?
Drinks?
Veto. Just like holding a giant tuna you caught on your fishing trip, it’s just distracting! Unless it’s very clearly a matcha and it’s part of your brand.
Got more questions or need help with your photo? Comment below and I’d be happy to assist!
Love you, mean it.
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