Why are white background headshots so popular?

Scroll through LinkedIn for any length of time & you will see many different styles of business headshots. There’s the classic studio portrait, the office backdrop & the outside shot. But one that pops up more often than any other is the white background business headshots. 

Why? 

Why is this simple, clean & sophisticated style so popular?

What makes it so special?

And should you consider it for your business?

Below I explore five reasons for the increasing popularity of white background headshots & why it might be a good option for your business.

Five reasons to choose white background business headshots

Consistency

White background headshots give the greatest visual consistency for companies, especially for those with large teams spread over multiple locations.

With a white background, headshots can be taken on different days, in different places (and even by different photographers) yet maintain the same corporate look & feel.

Environmental headshots can be lovely & are often considered to be more creative. However, it is very difficult to achieve visual consistency across different days or locations with this approach. Using a white background the photographer has full control over all the variables (eg. light & background) & can make sure your headshots match.

Visual consistency is particularly important for headshots on a company’s website. You want all the photos on the team page to look the same. This consistency also makes it easier to add new employees to your website at a later date.

Croydon-based business HCML has a large & growing team spread across the UK. They opted for white background business headshots for visual consistency on their website & to make it easy to update with new team members.

Simplicity

I love the simplicity of a white background.

A good headshot photo shows the viewer who a person is & offers a hint of their personality through their expression & smile. Its purpose is to help potential clients identify you & your team. 

Most headshots are viewed on small screens; think of the size of the classic LinkedIn profile photo or photo on the company website. For this reason, headshots need to stand out.

A white background removes any distractions to the viewer. It provides a neutral colour reference & doesn’t detract from the person being photographed. It is clean, simple & sophisticated. The sitter is the sole focus.

Versatility

A white background gives great versatility as it means that a headshot can be used in a variety of ways, not just as a profile photo. 

With a white background, it is easy to manipulate the image. We can add extra space around the photo. Turn it into a social media banner, change the background, colour match to the brand colours or even create a composite photo.

Headshots taken on a white background can drop nicely into print adverts or online graphics & will rarely clash with other marketing materials.

A white background is also fairly timeless giving a headshot longevity. Clothing & hairstyles will probably date quicker than the image style!

Professional

Pure white backgrounds say professional. It is a difficult look to imitate with a phone snap or selfie. To achieve pure white, a professional photographer will light not only the subject but also the background. There may also be post-production work involved. Amateurs & keen enthusiasts will not have the knowledge, skill or equipment to do this.

The pure white background in your business headshots makes it quickly evident that you value your business & invested in professional photography. This meticulousness will make an impression on potential clients.

It only takes seven seconds to make a first impression on another human being (Harvard study of communication). People form impressions based almost entirely on what they see – your clothes, hairstyle, smile, how you carry yourself, and the rest of your nonverbal communication; eg. your headshot.

These quick impressions can be lasting ones. Headshots may be tiny but the impression they give can be big.

Creativity

This may sound counter-intuitive as surely a plain white background is the least creative background for a headshot.

The creativity comes with what can be done with the white background. The white can be digitally removed, creating a transparent background that enables the subject to be placed onto another background.

Suddenly there are all sorts of creative options. The background can be changed to match the brand colours, as the revenue management system brand Duetto did here.

Or perhaps you can add some gravitas to your headshot & move from your Croydon office to one overlooking the London skyline.

A white background is also ideal for generating composite images for adverts or social media graphics.

By thinking creatively, a white background headshot can be used in many different ways.

Where can white background business headshots be used?

• Website profile photo
• LinkedIn profile photo
• On other social media platforms like Facebook & Instagram
• As a social media banner image
• In social media graphics
• In print adverts
• In magazines
• On billboards
• Not sure whether white is right for your business? Have a look at this blo0g

Croydon, London, Surrey & the South East Business Headshot Photographer

I am a headshot photographer with over ten years of experience in shooting corporate headshots. Clients range from solo entrepreneurs, start-ups & SMEs to large London, national & international businesses.

It is super easy & convenient for you & your team. 

I come to you. 

I have a portable photography studio set-up that allows me to set up a white background studio space in your office. This means I can shoot your team in Croydon, your team in London & your team somewhere up north on different days & in different locations but with the same result.

Based in Croydon, I am ideally placed for business headshot photography shoots in London, Kent, Surrey & the South East.

Want to find out more about white background business headshots?

Read this blog post where I talk about different headshot styles.