Horizontal Headshots: What’s the Deal?
If you’ve ever browsed through a collection of professional headshots, you may have unknowingly noticed that certain images feel fresher and more open than others. You may not have been able to pinpoint why they worked better until now. Those portraits were likely shot horizontally. At Capture Style Photography here in Cleveland Ohio, we frame all of our headshots horizontally, and that is very intentional. Let’s talk about why.
Why We Shoot Headshots Horizontally
Our eyes sit side by side. They aren’t stacked one on top of the other like windows on a skyscraper. Because our eyes sit horizontally, it naturally broadens our scope of view. We are designed to take in horizontal information and that is why movies are filmed widescreen. That’s why large vistas in nature blow our minds. It’s also why horizontal landscape shots feel more natural than their vertical counterparts.
When a headshot is captured horizontally, it conforms to how we naturally see. There is no tension or discomfort pulling at our eyes when we look at it. A vertically shot headshot, on the other hand, creates a subtle feeling of confinement that most people can identify but not quite put into words.
Vertical Headshots Are Limiting
In years past, portrait photographers shot vertically because it emulated the shape of a printed resume or business card. Smartphones have changed all that. Most professional headshots today will live on a screen. LinkedIn. Your website. Speaker page. Press kit. Corporate website profiles. Horizontal is the new standard.
From a design perspective, a vertical headshot creates limitations for the people who will be working with your images. Can your photo be cropped tighter if they need space for text? Can it be used as a banner photo or website header? Can it live alone on a website tile or will it need to be letterboxed? When you give your photographers the freedom to shoot horizontally, you are giving designers options.
How Shooting Horizontally Benefits You
Most importantly, shooting headshots horizontally gives you, the subject, more breathing room. When your photo isn’t squeezed vertically, it just feels more comfortable. Your headshot isn’t claustrophobic and your face doesn’t feel like it’s being squeezed by two walls of empty space.
Visually speaking, horizontally-shot headshots are often more flattering. The camera isn’t being forced upward at your face causing compression, instead your eyes fall naturally above the center line of the frame. Placing your eye above the center line is a tried-and-true composition technique that creates visual impact. Someone looking at your headshot will immediately be drawn in.
Captured Horizontal Headshots Just Look Better
The way we consume professional headshots has evolved. LinkedIn. Company websites. Speaker pages. Press kits. Industry directories. They all share one thing in common; a modern, clean aesthetic. Horizontal headshots fit beautifully into that space. They look current. They look intentional.
Here at Capture Style Photography, we pay careful attention to every detail of our headshot process. From the way we coach you before the session to help you express yourself naturally, to our tethered shooting process that allows you to view your images as they’re taken, we do everything with purpose. Shoot headshots horizontally? Yes. For a reason.
Let’s Get You a Fresh New Headshot
So you’re in Northeast Ohio looking for a professional headshot and want your new image to look like you. That’s where we come in. Howard has years of experience shooting headshots and knows how to get you the best possible results. Shoot professionally in our studio or schedule a location session and have your headshot taken virtually anywhere.
