What makes a good LinkedIn profile photo in 2025? And what to avoid

Most people on LinkedIn look good enough to be ignored.

Blurry selfies, cropped-out conference shots, and dated portraits from five years ago technically meet the photo requirement, but they don’t earn attention.

If you want to be remembered, you need more than a profile photo. You need the right one - backed by small details that work together.

Here’s what I see all the time as a brand photographer working with professionals and founders.

What still works in 2025?

What doesn’t?

And how can you fix it?

Is your headshot still working for you?

Quick Fix Checklist:

Use this as a quick scan. Details below.

✓ Clear, solo photo taken within the last 2-3 years

✓ Soft light, natural posture, clean background

✓ Banner = 1584 × 396 px - keep it simple, on brand

✓ No logos, filters, group shots, or AI avatars

✓ Keyword headline, story-driven About, visible experience

✓ Profile that reflects who you are now, not who you were five roles ago

What makes a good LinkedIn Profile photo?

A strong LinkedIn photo is intentional.

You look like you - on your best day.

In a way that supports what you do and how you want to be remembered.

What that usually means:

• Head-and-shoulders crop

• Soft, natural light (avoid harsh sun or artificial studio flash)

• Expression that feels relaxed and open - not stiff

• Neutral or brand-colour background

• Your face = ~60% of the frame

  
  

Is your current LinkedIn Photo helping or holding you back?

Almost everyone has a photo. But that’s not the point.

Ask yourself:

• Does it still look like you today?

• Do you feel proud to put it next to your name?

• Would someone recognize you on a call, at a meeting, or at an event?

  
  

If not, it’s probably working against you.

And no - you don’t need to be photogenic.

You just need to be visible, human, and confident enough to show up.

LinkedIn photo rules: what’s actually required?

LinkedIn doesn’t need perfection. But it does have basic rules.

Minimum requirements:

• Format: JPG or PNG

• Size: at least 400 × 400 px (800 × 800 recommended)

• Max file size: 8 MB

• Must be a solo photo of you (not a logo or landscape)

  
  

Avoid these even if LinkedIn doesn’t block them automatically:

• Group photos where your arm is cropped

• Filters, AI face-smoothing, or cartoon edits

• Logos, pets, AI avatars

• Images that don’t reflect your real face or energy

  
  

Does the LinkedIn banner still matter?

Yes - your banner still matters.

It’s the wide image behind your profile photo. And no, most people don’t use it well.

Banner size: 1584 × 396 px

Safe zone: Keep key elements centered. Mobile crops tightly.

Your banner needs to support your positioning.

Strong banner ideas for you:

• A clean image of you at work with space around you

• Your office, desk setup, or behind-the-scenes moment

• A subtle Amsterdam skyline or street detail if location is relevant

• Brand colour gradient (but skip the cheesy template designs)

  
  

What to skip:

• Canva banners overloaded with icons, quotes, and stock photos

• Banners filled with text (no one reads it)

• Personal vacation photos or random scenery

What’s outdated in 2025 (but still everywhere)?

Let’s call it out:

• Profile pics from 2017, with poor lighting and heavy sharpening

• White-background portraits that look like corporate ID cards

• Logos instead of faces: people don’t connect with brands; they connect with humans

• Banners with too many fonts, icons, quotes, and stock hands-on-keyboards

  
  
  
  
  
  

If your photo looks like a job application from five jobs ago, it's time to reintroduce yourself visually.

This is what your profile should say before anyone reads a word

• You’re here.

• You’re active.

• You care about how you show up.

• You’re not trying too hard, but you’re not hiding.

• You look like someone worth knowing.

  
  

That’s the baseline now.

You don’t need a perfect photo.

You just need to show up with intention.

🔍 Your quick LinkedIn profile checklist (2025)

✓ Clean, solo head-shot with a natural expression

✓ Profile photo from the last 3 years (or since your last major change)

✓ Banner size: 1584 × 396 px

✓ Banner image that reflects your tone and work

✓ Keyword headline = not just your job title

✓ About section that sounds like you, not ChatGPT

✓ No logos, filters, or AI avatars in your profile photo

✓ Experience and skills that are current, not recycled from five roles ago

Is your LinkedIn photo still working for you?

I see this all the time when I’m photographing professionals and business owners: people forget how quickly their headshot goes out of date.

Three years pass, your style changes, your brand evolves, and suddenly the photo that once felt “right” doesn’t match you anymore.

That’s why I made a super simple self-check.

One page, takes less than a minute, and it gives you an honest answer:

keep your photo or refresh it.

It’s not fluff. Just straight-to-the-point questions like:

• Do you still look like the person in the photo?

• If you didn’t know this person, would you trust them?

• Does the image actually fit the way you want your brand to be seen today?

  
  

If you feel even a little hesitation, that’s usually a sign it’s time to update. Because your headshot shouldn’t just look nice - it should actually represent who you are right now.

👉 Download the free checklist and give your LinkedIn photo a quick gut check.

I don’t believe in PERFECT photos.

If your LinkedIn photo doesn’t feel like you, let’s make one that does.

📸 Book a personal branding shoot in Amsterdam or DM me on LinkedIn.

I’ll tell you (honestly) if your photo’s helping or hurting your chances.