"Headshot" means two very different things depending on who's asking. A corporate professional and a working actor both need one, but the rules — framing, wardrobe, expression, even retouching — pull in opposite directions. Booking the wrong type is a common and expensive mistake. Here's how they differ and how to know which you need.

They exist for different reasons

A corporate headshot exists to make you look credible, approachable, and current — for LinkedIn, a company team page, a conference bio, or a press mention. The audience is clients, colleagues, and recruiters.

An acting headshot exists to get you in the room. Its audience is casting directors and agents, and its only job is to look exactly like you on your best ordinary day, while hinting at the roles you can play. The conventions are set by the industry, not by personal taste.

Framing and crop

Corporate headshots are usually a head-and-shoulders crop, often with a little breathing room, sometimes shot slightly wider for flexible cropping across a website. Acting headshots follow a tighter, standardised crop — roughly mid-chest to just above the head — because casting directors scan hundreds and expect a predictable frame. The eyes typically sit in the upper third.

Wardrobe and styling

  • Corporate: business or business-casual — blazers, collared shirts, solid professional tones. You're dressing for your industry.
  • Acting: simple, form-fitting, character-neutral clothing in colours that complement you. Nothing that dates the photo or distracts from your face. You're dressing to disappear so the face reads.

Expression and retouching

Corporate expressions land on warm and confident — a real but contained smile. Acting headshots prize a natural, alive expression with genuine connection through the eyes; a range of looks (warm, neutral, intense) is common so an actor can submit for different tones of role.

Retouching is where the difference is sharpest. Corporate retouching can be relatively polished. Acting retouching must stay honest — casting needs to recognise you when you walk in, so permanent features stay and only temporary blemishes are cleaned up. Over-retouched acting headshots actively hurt an actor.

Rule of thumb: if the photo is selling you as a professional, book corporate. If it's selling you as castable talent, book acting. They are not interchangeable.

Which one do you need?

Need it for LinkedIn, your company page, a website bio, or business networking? That's a corporate headshot. Submitting to agents, casting platforms, or for auditions? That's an actor headshot — and our actor headshot guide covers what casting directors look for. Still unsure, or need both? Email us how you'll use the images.