A profile picture for work is often the first thing colleagues and clients notice. It appears next to your name in messages, on internal pages and in meetings held over a screen. You do not need a professional studio to make a good one. A phone, some daylight and a little care are enough to produce a picture that looks friendly, clear and tidy.
Begin with the light. Stand facing a window, so that the soft daylight falls evenly on your face. Avoid having the window behind you, since that turns you into a dark shape, and avoid strong sunshine, which creates harsh shadows under the eyes and nose. A cloudy day is ideal. Indoors, switch off coloured lamps so that your skin looks natural.
Background, distance and eye contact
Choose a plain and quiet background: a light wall, a door, a hedge or a row of trees. Remove anything that draws the eye, such as a cluttered shelf or a passing car. Then think about distance. Ask a friend or colleague to take the picture from about chest height to just above the head, holding the phone at the level of your eyes. Pictures taken from below or above are seldom flattering.
If nobody can help, prop the phone against a stack of books and use the timer, rather than holding it at arm's length. The arm's-length selfie makes the face look wider and the nose larger. Look straight into the lens, not at the screen, so that the eyes meet the viewer. Take a few deep breaths, relax your shoulders and think of something pleasant. A natural half-smile usually looks best.
Dress simply, in colours that suit you and do not clash with the background. Wipe the lens before you begin, take many pictures and choose the calmest. Crop the picture so that the face is in the middle and remember to check how it looks when it is very small, because that is how it will usually be seen. Avoid heavy filters, which make you look unlike yourself. A simple, honest picture is the one people trust.
