Home Wikituition Browse all terms Categories
Random term
Genres, Movements & Theory

Headshot

A tightly framed portrait of the head and shoulders, made for professional identification and representation.

In depth

The brief is functional: the person must be recognisable, approachable and appropriate to their field, and the image must work small on a website or a badge. Conventions are consequently tight — even lighting, a clean background, eyes sharp and on the upper third — and the craft lies in getting a natural expression within them.

Examples in practice

A corporate headshot is shot at 85 mm and f/4 so the face stays sharp while the office behind dissolves cleanly.