Guelph Grad Photos · Headshots
Your Headshot, Working For You.
How to get a LinkedIn headshot that earns the click: what recruiters read in under a second, crop and framing rules, what backgrounds say about you, what to wear, and how our $100 headshot session works.
Your LinkedIn photo works whether you are working or not. It gets seen by recruiters at midnight, hiring managers between meetings, and grad-school admissions committees skimming a hundred profiles before lunch. A phone selfie says you have not thought about this yet. A proper headshot says you are ready to be taken seriously. Here is what actually matters in the frame, and how to get one done in a single short session.
What recruiters see first.
On most screens your profile photo renders as a circle roughly the size of a thumbnail. At that size nobody reads your outfit or your background. They read three things in under a second: is the face clearly visible, do the eyes look at me, and does this person look like someone I want on a call. Sharp eyes, a genuine expression, and clean separation from the background do more for you than any amount of styling. Everything else in this guide exists to serve those three reads.
Click through a few of ours below. Notice how each one still reads clearly when you imagine it coin-sized.
Crop and framing.
- Chest up. Head and shoulders fill the frame; full-body shots vanish in a circle crop.
- Eyes in the upper third. A little space above the head, never a lot. Empty sky above you shrinks your face in the thumbnail.
- Face the camera, or nearly. Straight-on reads confident; a slight angle reads relaxed. Profile shots read like you are leaving.
- Mind the circle. LinkedIn crops your photo round, so shoulders near the corners get clipped. We frame with that circle in mind from the start.
What the background says about you.
Backgrounds carry tone before anyone thinks about it. We photograph two clean looks. The soft green reads natural, energetic, and approachable, and it flatters nearly every skin tone and outfit, which is why it has become our signature for new grads. The neutral grey reads composed and corporate-flexible; it belongs equally on a startup team page and a law firm directory. Both share the trait that matters: nothing behind you competes with your face. Busy campus scenes are wonderful in grad photos and wrong in headshots.
Dress simple.
The camera exaggerates whatever is busiest in the frame, so keep it from being your clothes.
- Solid colours in mid tones. Pure white glows, pure black swallows detail.
- Skip fine stripes and tight patterns; they shimmer on screens.
- One structured layer, like a blazer or cardigan, sharpens shoulders in a circle crop.
- Keep jewellery minimal and matte. Anything shiny becomes a highlight the eye visits before your face.
- Dress for the job you are applying to, one notch up. Business casual covers almost everyone.
The session, in and out.
A headshot session is $100, and a $50 deposit holds your spot. Plan for about 30 minutes: enough time to try both backgrounds, a couple of outfits, and a range of expressions without it ever feeling like a production. You will have a sneak peek within 48 hours, so a Monday session can be on your profile before Friday applications go out.
Already booking grad photos? The Premium package includes a LinkedIn headshot, so you can cross this off in the same session. Full details are on the pricing page.
One more habit worth stealing: use the same headshot everywhere. LinkedIn, your email avatar, the company directory, grad school applications. Recruiters cross-reference profiles constantly, and a consistent photo makes you instantly recognisable across all of them. When the photo is one you like, that consistency works in your favour every single time.
Put your best face forward.
One short session now, working for you for years. Book a headshot session on its own, or fold one into your grad session and leave campus with both.