Written by Alex Harris

When you look around at business photography, you typically see three different types of people photos: headshots, business portraits and environmental portraits. Have you ever wondered what the difference is between them?

Here’s a quick guide to explain each of them, so you know better what to look for next time you need to update your online imagery, or marketing material.

Headshot

A headshot is exactly what it sounds like: a photo of your head and shoulders, sometimes lower. A LinkedIn profile photo is the perfect place for a headshot; it’s also ideal for a magazine article or in a slide-deck for a keynote speech.

Business portrait

A business portrait shows more of the person being photographed. So that can be a three-quarter shot, even a full-length shot. This is a great photo to use on the About page of your website.

Environmental portrait

Environmental portraits show you in your working environment. They relate to the thing you do, they give context to show what your job is, what your business does. A corporate manager in his/her office, for example; a carpenter in the workshop; a fitness instructor training someone at the gym…

The three types of business portrait photo all have their use for any business. Feel free to get in touch and let’s look at which ones you need.