Esther Castillo's blog : 6 Tips for Excellent LinkedIn Profile Photos

A good profile picture is the first step to making LinkedIn look professional. We all know that a good first impression is significant. First impressions are even more critical now than they used to be. There are signs that people's average attention span is getting shorter.

In the online world, customers or potential employers look at your photo and form an opinion about you or your business in less than one second. It's just too important not to have a good LinkedIn profile photo that can grab people's attention and show how professional you are. Here are some tips to help you make a better picture for your LinkedIn Profile.

Clean and simple background.

Do you know why most online stores that sell things use white backgrounds for the pictures of their goods? Because it sells better. A plain background can immediately draw attention because it doesn't do anything else. So don't use backgrounds with a lot going on. Always choose a solid colour for the background.

Since we're talking about LinkedIn profile pictures, choosing a solid, neutral colour like black, grey, or white is best. These are the best ways to show potential employers, customers, or people you know through networking that you are a professional.

Crop your LinkedIn profile picture correctly.

Headshots look best when they are taken from the waist or shoulders up. Keep your framing and cropping within that range when you take photos. Remember that your LinkedIn profile photo is a small thumbnail, so you need to crop it so that people can see your face clearly, but don't make it a "face-only" close-up.

Use the golden ratio or the rule of thirds for the best cropping. What does "rule of third" mean? Your eyes should be at the top third of the height of the image.

If you hire the best photographer dubai has to offer to take your headshot, ask them to shoot a little wider. Their cameras can take very clear pictures. This gives you much freedom to crop your photo later without losing image quality.

Don't use a selfie as your LinkedIn profile photo.

Since Linkedin is a professional site, you need professional photos to use it. Most of the time, selfies need to be fixed. I'll tell you why. When a picture of our face is taken from a different distance or with a lens with an extra focal length, it looks very different.

To look our best, we must choose the right focal length and distance from the camera. This will be taken care of by your professional headshot photographer. When you take a selfie, you will shoot from the length of your arm.

This is not the best distance to shoot from. Many smartphones have wide-angle lenses that distort a lot. If you take a picture of yourself this way, your face will look very different. Look at the pictures below, which were taken with different lenses. In the first picture, you can see how the face is messed up.

Even the 50 mm lens is thought to be the most like a human eye. When taking close-up headshots, the distortion is still very clear. Look at the pictures below, which were taken with different lenses. In the first picture, you can see how the face is messed up. Even 50 mm lenses are thought to be the most like human eyes. When taking close-up headshots, the distortion is still apparent.

Use a recent picture.

Yes, we should always use our best headshots as our profile pictures on social media, but using one taken a long time ago is not a good idea. You'll likely look less skilled. Some professionals, like actors, need to change their headshots more often than others.

Do you have a Facebook page or a business account on Instagram? People will recognise you immediately if you use the same photo on all platforms. It also makes sure the brand stays the same.

Use good lighting

Good lighting can make your features look better and hide flaws in your skin. On the other hand, bad lighting can make you look older, bigger, and more tired. In most portrait photography, soft lighting is preferred. Hard light shows more of the skin's textures and is usually only suitable for people with flawless skin.

Most professional photographers choose soft light for professional headshots. Many of them use strobe lights in the studio with significant light modifiers. They make light that is steady and soft. The quality is much better, and they don't have to worry about the weather. If you can't hire someone to take your headshots, use soft natural light from a window as your primary light source.

Fill in the shadows with a bounce board or a white wall. Only take your headshots when the sun is very bright. The harsh light will bring out the wrinkle and make the shadows look harsh. The bright light will also make you squint your eyes and look bad.

Making use of black and white.

Only some have to do this. Black-and-white photos look more artistic and can be appealing if taken in a well-lit area. Another benefit is that more than 90% of people use images with colour. You can stand out from the crowd with a black-and-white profile picture. But only a few professionals can pull off this look well. Use black and white only if you think it fits you well.

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