Top 10 Corporate Headshot Trends of 2025

The classic corporate headshot isn’t going anywhere—but in 2025, it looks a lot different than the stiff, one-background portraits of years past. Today, it is imperative for companies and executives to have highly specific, technically flawless portraits that project authenticity and individuality. And it is becoming increasingly important to feature environment in corporate headshots, and to include “lifestyle photography” as well. Whether you’re a CEO, creative director, or tech founder, your image has become an extension of your personal brand and you don’t do it correctly, your brand suffers.

I’ve created a list of the Top 10 Corporate Headshot Trends of 2025, as seen in the work of Kendo Brown Photography, and also seen in the work created by the handful of top studios from Los Angeles to New York—and on every successful LinkedIn feed in between.

1. Editorial-Style Headshots

Corporate portraits are taking cues from magazine photography. Think cinematic lighting, real environments, and intentional storytelling. Executives want to look approachable and powerful—less “corporate ID photo,” more Vanity Fair meets Forbes.

2. Authentic Expression Over Perfection

The “serious face” era is over. In 2025, people want to see natural smiles, subtle laughs, and confident personality. Headshots are about who you are, not just what you do.

3. Environmental Office Portraits

More companies are moving away from studio-only shoots. Portraits in modern offices, co-working spaces, or creative environments tell a more complete story. These backgrounds add context—and credibility—to your image.

4. Lifestyle Lighting

Natural light and cinematic tones are replacing flat, over-lit setups. Whether it’s a downtown office with big windows or a stylized studio setup, lighting now aims to feel real, not sterile. When in a studio, the lighting needs to find a balance between looking natural, but also looking “next-level” in terms of technical proficiency.

5. Personal Branding Sessions

Instead of a single headshot, executives are investing in mini-branding shoots—portraits, candid moments, and environmental details they can use across their website, social media, and press features. It’s about building a visual identity, not just a profile picture.

6. Team Cohesion, Not Uniformity

Company-wide headshot days used to mean everyone got the same background and lighting. In 2025, businesses want cohesive yet individualized portraits that reflect diversity while maintaining brand consistency.

7. Color Makes a Comeback

While clean white and gray backgrounds still dominate, color has re-entered the chat. Soft blues, muted greens, and warm tones are giving headshots depth and personality—without losing professionalism.

8. Cinematic Crops

Creative framing is trending: wide angles, off-center compositions, and headroom that adds modern visual balance. These are designed to stand out online while still feeling sophisticated.

9. AI-Free Authenticity

With AI-generated portraits flooding the internet, real photography has never felt more valuable. Executives are seeking headshots that feel human—crafted by a professional photographer, not a prompt.

10. Multipurpose Visuals

Corporate photography is now strategic. Companies are asking for image sets that can be used on LinkedIn, press kits, websites, and internal branding—future-proofing their investment in authentic, versatile portraits.

Final Thoughts

In 2025, the corporate headshot has evolved from a simple photo to a brand statement.

If you’re ready to update your image and stand out in today’s professional landscape, book a corporate headshot session at www.KendoBrown.com

The Art of Bespoke Photography.

Why Kendo Brown Leads the Way.

In today’s business world, image is more than a headshot — it’s your first handshake, your personal brand, and your digital reputation all rolled into one. It’s also your “position statement.” The higher quality your image, and I’m talking Vanity Fair level quality, the more the viewer perceives you as successful, confident, and someone they want to do business with. I’m often asked to do branding imagery for CEOs and “C-Suite Level” photography for leadership. But I don’t believe this level of photography should be limited to leadership. I help my clients lean into this idea and make this level of photography accessible and affordable. That’s why so many professionals and brands turn to Kendo Brown Photography.

Kendo Brown Photography has built a reputation for creating images that feel both elevated and real — portraits that make people say, “That looks like me… on my best day.” The work captures the confidence of leaders, the spirit of innovation in teams, and the genuine human side of business. Whether it’s an executive portrait, an on-location corporate branding session, or lifestyle imagery for a company website, Kendo Brown Photography’s approach blends precision lighting, refined direction, and a rare ability to bring out natural expression.

What sets Kendo Brown Photography further apart isn’t just technical mastery — it’s connection. Every session is a collaboration. Moreover, every session is a branding opportunity. Clients consistently describe the experience as effortless and empowering. Even those who usually dread being in front of a camera end up saying it was actually fun — and the images prove it. Client’s regularly comment about how clients interact with them, reach out to them, or perceive more positively after seeing their Kendo Brown “Bespoke Corporate Imagery.”

Let’s be honest. Most corporate photography is stiff, not engaging, and actually works against the branding goals of professionals. Kendo Brown Photography changes this. From startups to global brands, law firms to creative agencies, Kendo Brown Photography has become synonymous with sophisticated, modern corporate imagery. The work doesn’t just look impressive — it tells a story, builds trust, and strengthens a brand’s visual identity.

Because in business, your image isn’t just what people see. It’s HOW they see you. Are you in a Timex or a Rolex? Did you drive up in a 19 year old Kia, or a new BMW 7 series. How you’re seen is what they remember. Go big or go home. Go “bespoke.” It matters.

The Power Pose and Why it Matters.

The Power Pose: Because Apparently Your Spine Can Negotiate Too

There comes a time in every executive’s life when they must face the ultimate test of leadership: standing in front of a camera pretending to be comfortable. Well, if you know the right way to stand, you actually WILL be comfortable.

Popularized by TED Talks and posture-optimizing consultants, the power pose is the executive's version of war paint. Hands clasped confidently at the waist? You’re trustworthy. Arms crossed? You’re decisive. Sitting forward, elbows on knees, looking directly at the camera like you’re about to rewrite market reality? You’re probably on a venture capital website already.

Kendo Brown Photography and Executive Photography LA know this. We’ve studied the subtle lexicon of executive body language extensively, and will direct you towards poses that work because we know the stakes, and we know how important body language is in conveying confidence and leadership:

Kendo Brown actually brings reference for you, so you’re not just getting direction, but seeing the goals in advance so they make sence.

And just like that, your posture becomes part of your personal brand architecture and your physical presence in photos carries weight, or lightness, or whatever is true to your brand. The pose becomes a proxy for your gravitas or your approachability. In short, your pose is your posture, not just literally but figuratively as well.

So the next time someone points a lens at you and says “look powerful,” tell them that you shot with Kendo Brown photography and he SHOWED you how to look powerful. r

What Makes a Great Executive Headshot? …Location Helps.

By Kendo Brown Photography, Los Angeles

A great executive portrait is not about perfect teeth, power suits, or the magical tilt of the chin. It’s about credibility. Nobody hires a leader because they can smolder like a super model under studio lights. A strong portrait communicates competence, confidence, warmth, intelligence, and because I do it right—a strong dose of actual humanity. 

Too often, executives lean on clichés: the crossed arms, the fake smirk, the mistaking of looking mean for looking competent, or being so dry that they look like they are pondering the next fiscal quarter or the minutia of a balance sheet. A great portrait skips the bad theater and instead lands somewhere in that sweet spot between polish and authenticity. Your best TRUE you.

Location is the underrated accomplice in this endeavor. A boardroom might scream “corporate,” but does it scream “your brand”? For some it's a luxury estate, for some it's a writers office, and for others it IS a boardroom. But the location must match and enhance your brand. 

Place someone in a context that reflects their industry, their personality, or even their ambition, and suddenly the photo says something bigger than “I own a suit.” A venture capitalist photographed in an urban high-rise suggests reach and scale; a creative director shot against street art implies edge and innovation. The right setting functions like a visual shorthand, adding layers of story before anyone even notices the subject’s choice of tie. A sterile studio image is a blank page; location gives you prose.

And let’s be honest—in business first impressions make lasting impressions, and every headshot is a ad for your brand. Executives know this, which is why they get very specific about their LinkedIn photo, with more urgency than their quarterly filings. The choice is simple: look like another generic figure with a LinkedIn Premium subscription, or use portraiture and location to make your personal brand feel like it has actual weight. After all, people remember the leader who looked like they belonged exactly where they were standing.

Shot in my client’s home office.

What Do I Do With My Hands? (The Executive Edition)

There you are—dressed in your sharpest suit, tie perfectly centered, hair obeying gravity—and suddenly you’re struck by the eternal question: what do I do with my hands? Do I cross them? Do I let them dangle like unused software updates? Or do I go full Superman power pose and hope the boardroom doesn’t notice? Relax. Hands don’t have to be awkward props—they’re one of the easiest ways to project confidence and presence in your executive portrait.

Think of hands as punctuation. Folded lightly in front says “thoughtful.” One hand in pocket says “I know what I’m doing, and I’m not threatened by quarterly reports.” Resting on a desk says “I’m approachable, but also I run things.” What doesn’t work? Clenched fists (you’re not in a boxing promo), finger guns (HR will not approve), or the dreaded “T-Rex hover” where your arms float with no clear destination. The key is intention: where your hands go, your confidence follows.

The best part? You don’t have to overthink any of this. At Kendo Brown photography, we guide you through every pose, from the classic CEO power stance to the modern “relaxed but brilliant” vibe. Our job is to make you look sharp, confident, and yes—like the kind of leader people want to follow. Which is exactly why Kendo Brown is the top executive photographer in Los Angeles. Hands down.

www.KendoBrown.com

Why you shouldn’t let AI create your executive headshot.

AI can code. AI can write (sort of). AI can even whip up a picture of an executive with a Superman physique riding a bull down Wall Street. But authentic executive headshots? Yeah… No. AI is not built for that. Not yet. 

Here’s the thing: Humans have nuance. To AI, that's a dreade prompt. Nuance is the little spark in your eye that says, “I’m confident but not arrogant.” It’s the way you lean just slightly forward to look approachable while still exuding authority. AI doesn't get nuance. It get pixels. You smile, it makes it bigger. You want to look "fresher," it make you look like a plastic figurine. 

I've heard countless stories of people paying $29 for an AI headshot, hoping to look like a CEO, and suddenly they’re rocking an extra thumb and a "smile" that looks both manic AND psychotic. 

On a serious note, the human eye is more nuanced than the "AI eye," and quickly recognizes and pulls away from artifice. And consider this, while your short-term ego may be appeased, you will fall flat if you look radically different in your executive portrait than you do in person. People will perceive you as inauthentic, or insecure, or untrustworthy. 

AI also struggles with racial and ethnic bias. According to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, while adept at recognizing objects, AI struggles with accurately representing diverse individuals. People of color have reported unsettling alterations to their appearances, particularly in hairstyles and facial features.    

An algorithm is still incapable of feeling. I think it will always be incapable of real feeling. But if it could feel, I think it would resent photographers. We get to talk to people, makes them laugh, ease their nerves, form connections, and then—bam—capture a photo that makes you look like the best version of yourself. Confident, real, and polished without being plastic. While AI is sitting, alone, in the cloud, spitting out images that look like Madame Tussauds meets Photoshop on a sugar rush.

And remember, that while we all want to look out best, vanity can be the enemy when creating professional images. Yes, we all wish we had no lines, perfectly smooth skin, a stronger jaw line, whiter and straighter teeth, thicker and shiner hair, contoured features and a cure for any dysmorphic feelings, presenting an inaccurate and stylized version of ourselves fails in two ways: Firstly it exacerbates a lack of self acceptance, and secondly, it makes you seem like a phony to potential clients. 

So, get off of that cheesy AI headshot generator and …get real. 

At Kendo Brown photography, there is one goal, which is to make you look beautifully, wonderfully, compellingly HUMAN.  AI can't do that. Although I do strongly recommend using it if you're looking to create an image of dachshund with a lightsaber. 

www.kendobrown.com

AI render of hands. Very Artificial. Not so much Intelligence.