312 Elements PhotographyPRICING
Six professional male headshots for business and LinkedIn profiles, showcasing diverse styling and poses by Chicago headshot photographer, photographed by Chicago, IL headshot photographer 312 Elements Headshot Photography

Chicago
LINKEDIN
HEADSHOTS

Profile photos engineered for how LinkedIn actually gets used — recruiters, clients, and former colleagues deciding in a glance whether you look like someone worth a conversation.

GET PRICING

Chicago LinkedIn headshots are professional profile photos optimized for the way LinkedIn is actually viewed — small, round-cropped, and judged in under a second by recruiters, clients, and colleagues. Sessions start at $750 and deliver crops sized for LinkedIn plus your other professional destinations. 312 Elements is led by photographer Michael Schacht, who has photographed 10,000+ people over 16 years for clients including Mastercard, Hyatt, United Airlines, and Salesforce.

See pricing and book a session at LinkedIn headshot pricing and booking.

Built for the thumbnail, not the gallery wall

Portfolio display of distinguished woman in multiple professional headshot variations and studio backgrounds, headshot photographer 312 Elements Headshot Photography | Chicago, IL
A LinkedIn photo lives as a small circle next to your name — in search results, comment threads, connection requests, and recruiter shortlists. Most headshots are composed like portraits and fall apart at that size: the face too small in frame, the expression unreadable, the background eating the subject. These sessions are framed for the crop from the first shutter click. Tighter composition, clean separation from the background, and an expression directed to read as confident and approachable at 48 pixels — because that's the size at which most people will ever see it. You'll also leave with wider crops for your website, bio pages, and press, so one session covers the full footprint.

How LinkedIn headshot sessions work

  1. 1

    Positioning check

    A short conversation about your industry, the roles or clients you want to attract, and what your current photo is silently saying. Wardrobe guidance follows — what reads as credible in finance differs from tech, law, or the creative fields.

  2. 2

    The session

    Studio lighting, multiple backgrounds and looks, direction the entire time. Images are reviewed on-screen during the session, so you leave already knowing your new profile photo is in the set.

  3. 3

    Profile-ready delivery

    Retouched selects within one week: a square crop tested at LinkedIn's display sizes, wider crops for your site and bio pages, and web-optimized files that upload clean instead of compressed to mush.

What Chicago professionals say

I'd been putting off updating my headshots for an embarrassing amount of time — my LinkedIn photo was years old and completely out of sync with where I was as a leader. I'm not someone who enjoys being photographed, and I was genuinely surprised by how natural the session felt. The images are the first professional photos I've ever had that actually look like me at my best.

TB

Thomas B.

Founder & CEO

My faculty photo was everything you'd expect from a faculty photo — stiff, institutional, and completely forgettable. I needed something that would work across my professional website, media appearances, and publication bylines. The results are credible and dynamic, and several journalists have mentioned the images specifically.

DMT

Dr. Michelle T.

Associate Professor of Economics

In my industry, your photograph is often the first thing a prospective client encounters before agreeing to a meeting, so I've always taken headshots seriously — but I'd never had images that actually captured how I present in person. The images are more natural and confident than anything I've had before.

KT

Kevin T.

Commercial Real Estate Broker

What's included in a LinkedIn headshot session

  • Profile-ready square crops verified at LinkedIn's actual display sizes
  • Wider crops for company bio pages, personal sites, and press
  • Multiple looks and backgrounds in one session
  • Honest retouching — current, credible, recognizably you
  • On-screen review during the session, private gallery delivery within one week

Where to take a headshot for LinkedIn?

A professional studio session remains the highest-percentage answer. The alternatives each have a failure mode: phone selfies read instantly as informal even with portrait mode; conference photo booths produce the same flat frame everyone else at the event has; AI generators produce a face that's almost — but visibly not — yours. A studio session with a photographer who shoots profiles deliberately solves the things that actually matter: lighting that flatters at small sizes, an expression that reads as competent and warm, and a background that separates rather than swallows. In Chicago, 312 Elements photographs LinkedIn headshots in a West Loop studio at 212 N. Sangamon Street, with parking and a dressing area on site.

How much should a LinkedIn headshot cost?

In Chicago, professional LinkedIn headshots run from roughly $150 for high-volume mini-sessions to $800+ for full sessions with multiple looks. Sessions at 312 Elements start at $750 and include several looks and backgrounds, direction throughout, retouched selects, and crops for destinations beyond LinkedIn — site, bio pages, press. Price the deliverable, not the appointment: a cheap session that produces a photo you don't use costs more than a session that works for three years.

Does your LinkedIn photo actually matter?

Profiles with photos get dramatically more views and connection acceptances, and recruiters consistently report the photo factors into the first-glance credibility check — before a word of your experience is read. The photo doesn't get you hired; it decides whether the rest of the profile gets read at all. The practical test: does your current photo look like you, taken in the last two years, at the seniority you're presenting? If any answer is no, the photo is working against the profile.

The profile photo, by the numbers

16+ years
photographing Chicago professionals at every career stage
10,000+ people
photographed — including teams at Mastercard, Hyatt, United Airlines, and Salesforce
$750+
session starting price — multiple looks, profile and site crops included
1 week
standard delivery for retouched, upload-ready files

Frequently asked questions about LinkedIn headshots

How much should a LinkedIn headshot cost?
Chicago pricing ranges from about $150 for mini-sessions to $800+ for full sessions. At 312 Elements, sessions start at $750 with multiple looks, retouching, and crops for LinkedIn plus your website and bio pages included. Full details are on the pricing page.
Is a professional headshot worth it for LinkedIn?
If your profile has a professional purpose — job search, client development, speaking, fundraising — yes. The photo is the first credibility check; it decides whether the rest of the profile gets read. A current, professional photo pays for itself the first time someone decides you're worth a conversation.
Where to get a professional headshot in Chicago?
312 Elements photographs LinkedIn and professional headshots in a West Loop studio at 212 N. Sangamon Street, Studio 4B — with parking nearby, a dressing area, and on-screen review during the session. On-location sessions at offices run for teams of six or more.
Can ChatGPT create a LinkedIn headshot?
AI tools can generate a professional-looking image, but the likeness is approximate — colleagues and recruiters who then meet you register the gap immediately, which is exactly the wrong first impression for a professional network. Several platforms also flag obviously synthetic profile photos. For the one image attached to your professional name, photographed remains the standard.
What should I wear for a LinkedIn headshot?
Dress one notch above your industry's daily standard: structured solids in mid-tones, simple necklines, minimal jewelry. Avoid busy patterns, large logos, and anything you wouldn't wear to a first client meeting. A wardrobe guide goes out before every session.
Should you smile in a LinkedIn headshot?
A genuine, relaxed smile outperforms both the stern executive frown and the over-wide grin — it reads as confident and approachable at thumbnail size. During the session you'll get directed variations from warm-neutral to full smile, so you can choose what fits your industry.
How often should I update my LinkedIn photo?
Every two to three years, or immediately after a visible change — new glasses, significant haircut, career pivot. The standard is simple: someone meeting you off the profile shouldn't experience a mismatch.
What size should a LinkedIn profile photo be?
LinkedIn recommends 400×400 pixels minimum (up to 7680×4320); it displays as a circle, so centered, tighter compositions survive the crop. Delivery includes a square crop pre-tested at display size, so what you upload is what people see.
Can you photograph our whole team's LinkedIn headshots?
Yes — on-location team sessions with matched lighting and backgrounds across everyone are the core of our corporate work. Teams of 4 to 1,000+ are covered on the team headshots page; sessions start at $1,200.

YOU MAY ALSO BE INTERESTED IN

Corporate headshot variations by 312 Elements, Chicago

Corporate headshots

Team headshots for Chicago companies by 312 Elements

Team headshots

Personal branding portraits by 312 Elements, Chicago

Personal branding

Behind the scenes of Michael Schacht photographing a professional LinkedIn headshot session in Chicago studio, 312 Elements Headshot Photography

Ready for a profile photo that opens doors?

Sessions start at $750 and include multiple looks with profile-ready crops. See full pricing and grab a session date.

GET PRICING