A tech headshot has an awkward double job. It has to look credible to a recruiter scanning eighty profiles in an afternoon, and it has to not embarrass you in the Slack channel where your colleagues will see it the day you change your avatar. Most corporate headshot photography is calibrated for banking and law: dark suit, hard key light, arms folded. Drop that photo onto an engineering team page and it reads like a stock image of somebody else's boss.
This page is about the version that works for people who build software — relaxed styling that still reads senior — and what changes depending on whether you write code, run a roadmap, or sign the term sheet.
Where a tech headshot actually gets seen
Worth being specific about this, because it decides how much you should spend. In practice the photo turns up on LinkedIn, where it is often the only picture of you a recruiter or a prospective hire will ever see; on the company team page; in a conference or meetup speaker bio; in an internal directory; as a podcast or webinar thumbnail; and as a 60-pixel circle in Slack.
Here is the honest version: if you are an individual contributor who is not job hunting, not speaking, and not customer-facing, a decent photo taken by a colleague against a plain wall is genuinely fine. Nobody has ever failed a code review over their avatar. The case for a professional one gets stronger the moment the photo starts doing sales work — recruiting, speaking, fundraising, business development — because at that point it is being compared against other people's photos rather than just identifying you. If LinkedIn is the main destination, our LinkedIn headshot sessions are built for exactly that crop, and what makes a great LinkedIn headshot covers the specifics.
Relaxed styling that still reads senior
There are two failure modes and tech people tend to fear only one of them. Too formal — full suit, tie, stern jaw — reads borrowed, like you dressed for an industry you don't work in. Too casual — hoodie, laptop in frame, exposed brick, mid-laugh — reads junior, regardless of your actual title. Both are easy to avoid once you know that neither is really about clothes.
Seniority in a headshot is carried almost entirely by posture and expression. Shoulders square to the camera or very slightly turned, chin level rather than tilted up or dropped, and a settled, unhurried expression rather than a wide smile. That combination reads as someone who has made decisions before. A knit sweater with that posture outranks a three-piece suit without it.
Wardrobe that works
- A solid mid-tone crew-neck or merino knit — the single most reliable option, and it photographs better than almost anyone expects
- An unstructured jacket over a plain tee or shirt, no tie, for managers and anyone customer-facing
- A pressed oxford shirt, collar open — formal enough for a board deck, not formal enough to look costumed
- Skip company swag and conference tees. They date the photo to a job you may well leave, and a logo on your chest competes with your face
- Skip fine stripes and small checks. They interfere with screen rendering and can shimmer in a web-sized crop
On backgrounds: light grey or warm off-white is the safe choice for a team page, because it reproduces cleanly and sits well next to colleagues. A darker background gives more separation when the photo mostly lives as a small circular avatar. Our guide to headshot background colours goes through the trade-offs, and what to wear covers wardrobe in full.
What changes by role
Engineers, data and design ICs. The photo is mostly a recruiter and directory asset, so one strong, neutral, well-lit frame does the whole job. The Mini session ($250, 20 minutes, one retouched image) is sized for this and there is no reason to buy more.
Engineering managers and product managers. More exposure in more contexts: all-hands slides, customer calls, hiring posts, sometimes a conference bio. A slightly warmer expression and one step up in formality tends to serve better here, and having two looks from the same session — knit and jacket — means you aren't using the same image for a recruiting post and a customer deck. That's the Professional session ($385, 45 minutes, two retouched images, multiple looks).
Founders and executives. The photo goes into press requests, fundraising decks and panel bios, where it will be cropped by other people in ways you don't control. That argues for more frames and more variety — the Executive session ($550, 120 minutes, five retouched images). If you're photographing yourself as part of a company story rather than as an individual, our page on startup headshots covers the company-side problem: team pages, investor materials, and photographing a roster that changes every quarter. Executive headshots goes deeper on the senior-profile version.
Distributed and hybrid teams
The recurring version of this problem: a twelve-person company with four people in Toronto and the rest spread across three time zones, and a team page that looks like a ransom note — different backgrounds, different crops, two photos clearly taken at a wedding.
What we can do is book everyone reachable in one sitting, at our Regent Park studio or at your office, and then keep that session's lighting and backdrop settings on file. When someone joins later, or was away on the day, they book an individual session and get a photo that matches the rest of the page. That continuity is most of the value of using one photographer rather than whoever is nearest. Company and team headshots covers how a group session is run; our corporate team shoot page covers what an on-site day needs from you.
What we can't do is match a photo taken by a different photographer in another city — anyone who tells you otherwise is selling you something. If your team is genuinely scattered, the realistic target is one consistent set for everyone who can reach Toronto, plus a written standard — background colour, crop ratio, styling level, no-logo rule — that your remote colleagues hand to a local photographer. It won't be seamless, but it will look deliberate, which is the part that actually matters on a team page.
Pricing
- Mini session — $250: 20 minutes, 1 retouched image. LinkedIn, internal directory, team page.
- Professional session — $385: 45 minutes, 2 retouched images, multiple looks. Managers, PMs, anyone customer-facing.
- Executive session — $550: 120 minutes, 5 retouched images. Founders and executives with an active public profile.
For teams, rates are per person: $175 for 4–9 people, $150 for 10–19, and $125 for 20 or more, with a $3,000 flat day rate for 25-plus and unlimited headcount. Every session includes 24-hour delivery as standard — it is not a rush upsell. Full pricing →, or get in touch with a headcount and a rough date and we'll tell you which structure is cheaper for you.
Preparing for it
- Haircut five to seven days before the session, not the morning of
- Wear your glasses if you always wear them — a photo without them doesn't look like you to anyone who knows you. Anti-reflective coatings still catch studio light, so we shoot angles that kill the glare and remove what's left in retouching. Details in our guide to headshots with glasses
- Book in the morning if you can. A session at the end of ten hours of screens and meetings shows in the eyes, and no amount of retouching puts that back
- Lint-roll knitwear and press shirts the night before. Fabric creases are always more obvious in a photograph than in a mirror
- Bring a second top. It costs nothing in session time and doubles your options
Our full preparation guide has the rest, including the things worth doing the week before rather than the day of.
Frequently asked questions
What should an engineer wear for a headshot?
A solid mid-tone crew-neck or merino knit is the most reliable choice, or a pressed oxford shirt with the collar open. Avoid company swag, conference tees, and fine stripes or small checks, which can shimmer at web sizes. Bring a second option — it costs no session time.
Do I need a suit for a tech company headshot?
No, and for most tech roles a full suit actively works against you by looking borrowed from another industry. What reads as senior is posture and expression, not formality: square shoulders, a level chin, and a settled expression. An unstructured jacket over a plain shirt is as formal as most tech contexts need.
Can I wear my glasses in my headshot?
Yes, and you should if you wear them daily, because a photo without them won't look like you to colleagues. Anti-reflective coatings reduce glare but don't eliminate it under studio lights, so we shoot angles that avoid reflections and remove any that remain in retouching.
How do we get matching headshots for a distributed team?
Photograph everyone who can reach Toronto in one session, at our Regent Park studio or at your office, and we keep that session's lighting and backdrop settings on file so later hires can book individually and still match. For colleagues in other cities, we can't match another photographer's work — give them a written standard instead: background colour, crop ratio, styling level, and no logos.
How fast can I get a tech headshot in Toronto?
Individual sessions are usually available the same week, and retouched images are delivered within 24 hours of the session as standard rather than as a paid rush option. For team shoots, the same 24-hour delivery applies for most group sizes, and 48 hours for very large groups.