These modern executive headshots are from an on-site headshot photo session in Burnaby for a wireless technology company. What makes them modern and unique are the non-traditional (relaxed) poses that are in deep contrast to the more conservative poses one often sees with executive headshots – notice the crossed arms and hands-in-pocket poses in this set.

Another characteristic of these headshots that make them appear more creative and modern is the high contrast look. This a look that is growing in popularity in many magazines and movie posters. It is a more edgy look than the natural looking headshots I’m often asked to produce.

Using these executive headshots  for profile photos on a website or information sheet will definitely draw attention and separate your organization from companies that use a more traditional approach. These types of headshots are great for large groups that want to feature the personalities of their executive team, management, or staff.

These executive headshots are all photographed on location at my client’s office. I chose a location with almost no ambient lighting and brought in a couple of studio strobes and use Elinchrom Rotalux modifiers to shape the lighting. A similar look can be created using a silver Elinchrom Softlite beauty dish.

Controlling the amount of shadow was a challenge for these headshots. I wanted some shadow without making it overly contrasty before the edit process. Too much shadow in the image would have made the headshots appear a bit too dark and contrasty, so a little bit of fill was brought in to control the right amount of shadow detail.