Medical Residency Headshots at 415Headshots

What Is A Residency Headshot?

A residency headshot is a professional portrait, usually taken as a part of the application process for a medical residency program. Many medical school graduates use residency headshots for their ERAS application (a medical residency application).

ERAS headshots focus on capturing an applicant's competence, trustworthiness, and confidence. A professional headshot will showcase your positive attributes that can help you get accepted to residency programs.

Why A Medical Residency Headshot Is Important

The profile photo you pick, whether it's for the ERAS system or for your email, will leave a lasting impression on others, even when you meet them in person. Researchers have found that people will have a bias on your personality and likability based upon your profile picture.

With this in mind, your ERAS photo can be a significant factor on your future education and career. It's important you take a professional headshot that will capture your personality and leave an amazing first impression on the admissions committee.

What Do You Wear For Residency Headshots?

For residency application headshots, you should wear a business formal attire. Do not wear your white coat or medical scrubs for your headshot session.

The medical profession is considered to be a more conservative industry, such as finance or law. In this case, the best wardrobe recommendation would be a suit jacket combined with slacks/trousers. A great rule-of-thumb is to stick to solid colors for your attire, such as light gray, dark gray, navy, and black.

Feel free to add a splash of color if you're wearing a tie for your residency application headshot.

What's the Best Backdrop For A Residency Headshot?

The ideal backdrops for your residency headshots are pure white, light gray, dark gray, and off-white.

Do not use outdoor backdrops and/or playful colors, such as bright green, orange, red, etc. as they do not convey a sense of professionalism to the admissions committee.

Should You Smile In Your ERAS Photos?

When deciding on a facial expression for your headshots, the rule-of-thumb is to use a facial expression that comes natural to you. For example, if you always smile in photos, then you should show your smile in your headshot session. If you don't like showing off your teeth, then sticking to a closed-mouth smile will be the best option for you.

Overall, we do recommend a smile for your ERAS photos as it conveys a sense of trustworthiness and warmth to the admissions committee.

How To Pose For Your Residency Headshots

Poses for your residency application are not difficult and tend to be on the conservative side.

When starting your headshot session, it's best to take simple headshots that are facing head-on or towards one side. These close-up headshots are great to show off your preferred facial expression.

Towards the end of the headshot session, incorporate some classic, professional poses, such as crossing your arms and/or putting one hand in the pocket.

ERAS Photo Size Requirements

Your medical residency application photos should not be larger than 2.5 inches by 3.5 inches. The resolution of your headshot should be 150 dpi and the maximum file size should not exceed 100 kb.

What's the Cost Of A Residency Headshot?

Medical residency headshots can have a session fee ranging from $75 to $550, depending on the photographer, the city you're located in, and the package you opt for. However, it's important to find the best value for price.

Many headshot packages vary in price based upon the number of images you'd like retouched and the number of images you decide to license from the photographer. The more number of images you'd like to license and retouch, the more expensive the package will be.

For context, 415Headshots’ individual sessions cost anywhere from $174 to $349, in which you receive 100% licensing to all images taken during your session. In addition, you receive a minimum of two, high-resolution retouched images. Our retouching process includes flyaway hair removal, teeth whitening, color correction, and more.