Shoot a Pro Headshot in a Hotel with a Lamp and a Shower Curtain

Gather Your Hotel Room Toolkit

You’re in a hotel room with a Zoom call in two hours and a headshot that looks like a mugshot. We can fix this. Your kit is already here. First, find the lamp. Not the ceiling light—that casts harsh shadows under your eyes. You need the desk lamp or the bedside lamp with a movable neck. Unscrew the shade if it’s one of those fabric domes; you want the bare bulb. Next, raid the bathroom. Grab the white shower curtain. This is your diffuser, your secret weapon for soft, flattering light. If there’s a second curtain liner, even better. You’ll also need a hair clip or some tape from the front desk to secure it.

Your camera is your phone. Use the back camera, not the selfie camera—it has a better sensor. Prop it on books, the TV, or the ironing board. A stack of hotel notepads works perfectly. I once used three Gideon Bibles and a remote control to get the right height for a client. You’ll also want a plain wall. The one behind the desk is usually best, free of art, mirrors, or textured wallpaper. Clear the nightstand of the phone and the room service menu. Clutter distracts.

Position Your Lamp and DIY Diffuser

Where do you put the light? Never directly in front of you. That flattens your face. Set the lamp about three feet to one side of your camera, and point it at your face. Now, hold the shower curtain between the bare bulb and you. See how the harsh glare melts into a gentle glow? That’s the magic. Secure the curtain’s top edge to the lamp or a chair so it hangs between you and the light source. If you have a second liner, drape it over a chair behind the lamp to bounce a little fill light back onto the shadowed side of your face.

Height matters. The lamp should be slightly above your eye level, angled down. This mimics professional Rembrandt lighting, creating a small triangular highlight on your cheek. I watched a CEO try this with a floor lamp; the light came from below his chin, casting monstrous shadows up his nose. He looked like a campfire storyteller. We moved the lamp onto the desk, and his whole face opened up. The difference was five inches.

Frame Yourself Against a Clean Wall

Stand about two feet from the wall. This creates separation and prevents your shadow from looming behind you. Frame the shot as a classic headshot: from the mid-chest up, with a bit of space above your head. Look directly into the camera lens, not at the screen. Use the timer function or a Bluetooth shutter remote if you have one. No remote? Use the volume button on your headphones as a shutter.

What should you wear? Solid colors. A navy blazer over a grey t-shirt reads as professional on camera. Avoid loud patterns, thin stripes, or pure white—it can blow out. A client once showed up for a last-minute virtual interview wearing a bright floral shirt; on screen, it was a vibrating, distracting mess. We had him turn his hotel laundry bag inside out—it was a solid heather grey—and wear it like a vest under his suit jacket. It worked.

Avoid the Glare and Shadow Pitfalls

Check your glasses. Do you see the bulb reflected in the lens? Tilt your head down just a fraction, or adjust the lamp a few inches higher. The reflection should vanish. Now, look at your neck. Is there a hard shadow from your collar or jawline? That’s the second shower curtain liner’s moment. Drape it over a chair on the opposite side of the lamp to bounce a little light back and fill that shadow. No second liner? Use a white towel or the bedsheet.

The biggest mistake is yellow skin. Hotel bulbs are often warm, around 2700K, which can make you look like you have jaundice. On your phone camera, tap the screen to focus, then swipe up or down to adjust the exposure. Look for a sun icon with a +/-. Swipe down to cool the color temperature slightly. You want your skin to look neutral, not orange. Take a test shot. Zoom in. Are your eyes sharp? Is the light even across your face?

Capture and Upload Your Final Shot

Take at least twenty shots. Change your expression slightly each time. A genuine, slight smile reaches the eyes—think of something that actually amuses you. Use burst mode by holding down the shutter. After the shoot, review them all. Which one feels most like you, but on a very good day? Edit sparingly. Use your phone’s native editing tools. Bump the exposure +5, increase the shadows +10 to soften any remaining darkness, and add +5 to vibrancy (not saturation) for a healthy glow. Do not use a beauty filter; it blurs detail and looks fake on a professional platform.

What’s the final test before uploading? Send the shot to a trusted friend via text. Ask, “Does this look like me in a meeting?” If they say yes, you’re done. Crop it square for LinkedIn, and you have a pro headshot that cost you nothing but twenty minutes and a little ingenuity. You turned a lamp and a curtain into a tool. That’s the real skill—seeing what’s already there and using it right.

If this one does not settle the question, Look Sharp for Court: A Lawyer's Guide to Headshot Outfits treats the same problem from a different angle.