How to take a professional headshot with only your phone
Updated 25 October 2026
Face a window in soft daylight, stand a metre or two in front of a plain wall, and have someone shoot from eye level with the back camera at 2× zoom, framing your head and shoulders. Wear solid colours, relax your face with a slight smile, and take plenty of shots.
1. Light: face a window
Soft daylight from a window in front of you is the most flattering light there is. Avoid direct midday sun, which makes you squint, and overhead room lights, which cast shadows under the eyes. On a bright day, a north-facing window or a shaded spot outdoors works well.
2. Background: plain, and not too close
A plain wall in white, grey or a muted colour keeps attention on your face. Stand a metre or two in front of it so you don't cast a shadow on it, and so it falls slightly out of focus.
3. Camera: back camera, eye level, 2× zoom
Use the main back camera, which is sharper than the selfie camera. Hold the phone at eye level (a stack of books or a cheap tripod helps) and use 2× zoom or portrait mode from a little further away: a close wide-angle shot makes noses look bigger. Use the timer or ask a friend.
4. Framing and pose
Frame from the middle of your chest to a little above your head. Turn your shoulders slightly away from the camera and your face back towards it, push your chin slightly forward and down, and keep your back straight.
5. Clothes and grooming
Wear what you'd wear to work, in solid colours: a blazer, a collared shirt or a neat kurta. Avoid busy patterns, logos and anything that blends into the background. Check your hair and collar in the first photo.
6. Expression, then many shots
A small, relaxed smile with slightly narrowed eyes looks confident and friendly. Take twenty or thirty shots, then pick the one that looks most like you on a good day, and crop it neatly. Keep edits light so it still looks like you.
Or start from the selfies you already have
If you'd rather not set up a shoot, Professional Headshots makes studio-style headshots from 1–4 selfies in under a minute. These are AI-made photos, fine for LinkedIn or a résumé but not for exam or passport forms.