Your Face Communicates More Than You Think
Facial expressions in headshots communicate volumes in a fraction of a second. Research by Princeton psychologists Janine Willis and Alexander Todorov demonstrated that people make reliable judgments about trustworthiness, competence, and likability within 100 milliseconds of seeing a face. Your headshot expression is not a detail -- it is the entire message.
The good news is that great expressions are not about having perfect features. They are about small, learnable adjustments that anyone can make. Here are the techniques we teach and use during every session.
The Squinch
The "squinch" is a subtle narrowing of the lower eyelid that projects confidence and engagement. The term was coined by photographer Peter Hurley, and once you see the difference it makes, you cannot unsee it.
Here is how to do it: instead of opening your eyes wide (which conveys surprise or fear), bring your lower eyelids up slightly -- about 10 to 20 percent. Do not squint. The upper eyelid stays in place; only the lower lid lifts. The result is a look that says "I am interested in you" rather than "I am startled by a loud noise."
Practice in the mirror. The difference between wide eyes and squinched eyes is dramatic in photos, even though it feels like almost nothing on your face. Most people who look "great in photos" are squinching naturally without realizing it.
Jaw Positioning
The jaw is one of the most overlooked elements of a great headshot, and it solves one of the most common complaints: the double chin. Even fit people can appear to have a double chin in photos because of how they hold their head.
The technique: Push your forehead slightly toward the camera while bringing your chin down just a fraction. It feels awkward -- like you are a turtle extending from its shell -- but it creates a defined jawline and eliminates the soft area under the chin that cameras love to exaggerate.
Another approach: think about pulling your ears back. This engages the same muscles and creates the same effect but is sometimes easier to remember in the moment. The key is that the movement originates from the back of the neck, not the chin. Pushing your chin forward just creates tension; pulling from the back of the neck creates definition.
Genuine vs. Fake Smiles
The difference between a genuine smile and a fake one is not about effort -- it is about which muscles are involved. A genuine smile, called a Duchenne smile after the neurologist who first described it, engages both the zygomatic major muscle (which pulls the corners of the mouth up) and the orbicularis oculi (the muscles around the eyes). A fake smile only engages the mouth.
This is why fake smiles look wrong even when the mouth is doing exactly the right thing. The eyes are not participating. They remain flat, neutral, disengaged. The result is a face that appears to be performing happiness rather than experiencing it.
You cannot consciously activate your eye muscles on command. What you can do is think about something that genuinely makes you happy or amused. Think about your favorite person's laugh. Remember a joke that caught you off guard. Recall the last time you felt genuinely proud. These thoughts recruit the right muscles automatically.
We help facilitate this during sessions with conversation and humor. When someone is genuinely laughing, even briefly, the transition back to a settled expression retains the warmth in the eyes. That post-laugh moment often produces the best headshots of the entire session.
The Power of Micro-Expressions
You do not need a big smile for a great headshot. In fact, some of the most compelling professional headshots feature what we call "contained energy" -- a face that is not overtly smiling but radiates confidence and warmth through subtle cues.
These cues include:
- Slight lift at the corners of the mouth -- Not a smile, exactly, but the suggestion of one. This reads as confidence and approachability.
- Relaxed forehead -- Furrowed brows communicate stress or anger. A smooth forehead communicates calm and control.
- Slightly parted lips -- A closed, pressed mouth can look tense. Allowing a small gap between your lips relaxes your entire face.
- Soft eyes -- As opposed to hard, wide, or narrowed eyes. Soft eyes come from relaxing the muscles around your eye sockets rather than engaging them.
These micro-expressions are what separate headshots that feel alive from headshots that feel like ID photos. They are subtle, but they are powerful.
Practicing in the Mirror
We recommend spending five minutes in front of a mirror before your session, not to rehearse specific expressions, but to become familiar with your face in a low-pressure setting.
Try these exercises:
- Relax everything. Let your face go completely neutral. Notice what that looks like. This is your baseline.
- Smile with just your eyes. Keep your mouth neutral and try to create warmth using only your eyes. This is the squinch in action.
- Cycle through expressions. Big smile, small smile, serious, thoughtful, confident. Notice which ones feel natural and which feel forced. Do not judge -- just observe.
- Find your angle. Turn your head slowly left and right. Most people have a slightly better side, and knowing yours can speed up the session.
- Practice the jaw extension. Push your forehead toward the mirror, chin slightly down. It looks better than it feels.
Common Expression Mistakes
The deer-in-headlights. Wide eyes, raised eyebrows, stiff jaw. This happens when someone is trying too hard to look "present." The fix: squinch slightly and drop your shoulders.
The grimace smile. Mouth pulled wide but not actually smiling. This happens when someone is performing a smile rather than feeling one. The fix: think about something genuinely funny before the shutter clicks.
The dead eyes. A technically correct expression on the mouth, but eyes that are flat and disengaged. This usually means the person is focused on their face rather than connected to the camera or the photographer. The fix: focus on the lens as if it is someone you are pleased to see.
The chin tuck. Pulling the chin too far down in an attempt to define the jawline, creating a disapproving or angry look. The fix: extend from the forehead rather than dropping the chin.
The most important thing to remember is that expression coaching is not about creating a mask. It is about removing the tension and self-consciousness that prevent your real personality from showing up in photos. When the mask drops, the best expressions appear naturally.