In this day and age, there are a million reasons you need a great head shot: LinkedIn profiles, social media handles, business cards, the list goes on.

Faces are notoriously known for ruining photos and one small glitch can be the difference between a right or left swipe on Tinder. Good portrait photographers are surprisingly hard to come by, thankfully Instagram is a great tool to view portfolios and find a photographer who matches your style.

Here’s our shortlist of some of the best local talent out there.

Nickthiessen

The thrill of adventure comes from accepting the risk. w/ @joellefriend #daffodil

A post shared by Nick Thiessen ✞ (@nickthiessen) on Apr 13, 2017 at 6:42pm PDT

If you follow any Vancouver models on the Gram it’s pretty much a  guarantee Nick’s taken their photo at least once. He uses dark tones and captivating textures to make his shots stand out from the crowd.

All black swaggin w/ @leealexandrar

A post shared by Nick Thiessen ✞ (@nickthiessen) on Feb 24, 2017 at 7:48pm PST

Lobanovimages

– one glance, is sometimes all it takes

A post shared by Rodion Lobanov (@lobanovimages) on Jun 3, 2017 at 10:36pm PDT

Photographing Vancouverites in their natural habitat is what Rodion does best. This moment capturing machine is currently looking for potential collabs, shoot him a DM to inquire.

– dont hesitate, just look to the future

A post shared by Rodion Lobanov (@lobanovimages) on Jul 3, 2017 at 9:59pm PDT

Nickjzator

’twas a brisk -7° morning in mid-december ⛄⛄ • human: @shootingkayli • • #peoplescreative #ThatPNWLife #mobilemag #ourcamplife #fpme #sonyalpha #rei1440project #livefolk #liveauthentic #uoonyou #dailyhivevan #pnwwonderland #pnw #greatnorthcollective #optoutside #visualsoflife #thatsdarling #stayandwander #exklusiveshot #artofvisuals #vancitybuzz #aov #visualsofearth #yvr #vancityvogue #dailyhivestyle #portraitsandchill

A post shared by Nick Zator (@nickjzator) on Jan 1, 2017 at 2:45pm PST

Nick is a portrait and lifestyle photographer with a flare for originality. Rather than run of the mill headshots Nick focuses on unique backdrops and camera angles.

Soooo many photos, not enough time to look through them all! Having a full time job is really killin’ my vibe… But hey, money is good too 🤑 • human: @kelseyy__d

A post shared by Nick Zator (@nickjzator) on Jan 31, 2017 at 9:28am PST

Jsonyeh

🌺

A post shared by JASON YEH (@jsonyeh) on Jun 25, 2017 at 12:34am PDT

High fashion everyday. Jason works primarily in the fashion industry shooting up-and-coming fashion bloggers and apparel companies.

I broke outta my shadow 😈 Model: @thesylverlining

A post shared by JASON YEH (@jsonyeh) on Apr 27, 2017 at 9:49pm PDT

Thesamanthachan

When @valentinbrichet pulls off messy hair better than you

A post shared by Samantha Chan • Vancouver (@thesamanthachan) on Mar 20, 2017 at 4:12pm PDT

If you have eyes that pop you can bet Samantha will do a bang up job of making them show. Her portraits leave you entranced staring into the gaze of her subjects.

The best is yet to come.

A post shared by Samantha Chan • Vancouver (@thesamanthachan) on Feb 5, 2017 at 10:52am PST

Young.seeker

A post shared by Salvador Boissett (@young.seeker) on Jun 4, 2017 at 11:19am PDT

Probably the best portrait photographer in Vancouver, Salvador is one hot commodity. By focusing on earthy, natural portraits Salvador keeps focus on the face without sacrificing the rich textures of his backdrops.

Surrounded by the forest 🌲

A post shared by Salvador Boissett (@young.seeker) on Feb 21, 2017 at 7:38pm PST

Zmelhus

Joelle at Rattlesnake Ledge

A post shared by Zack Melhus (@zmelhus) on Apr 4, 2017 at 9:36pm PDT

Ever heard of a hiking portrait photographer? That’s the niche Zack’s created for himself. He hikes, takes pictures of views and posts epic portraits of his friends on trails. The result is a feed of adventurous individuals who have rad profile pictures for life.

A big happy birthday to this guy right here 👊 Nate dawg has been there by my side for almost all my favourite memories the past few years. Whether we were on a mountain top or a law class or landscaping in the rain or hosting a backwoods Christmas party or road tripping the coast – Nate Henczel’s presence makes anything a good time. Cheers to 23 bro 🤘

A post shared by Zack Melhus (@zmelhus) on Feb 9, 2017 at 8:36pm PST

Silent_visuals

Congratulations to Ivy, Ivy studied and compared the correlation between the words sick & sikh at UBC for 5 years. #bachelorofsiiiick

A post shared by Samuel Mallett (@silent_visuals) on May 27, 2017 at 8:50pm PDT

Looking for a top notch photographer to hire? Look no further, Samuel shoots portraits, weddings and basically anything in between. Check out his feed for some epic human captures.

Love thy backyard #theadventuresofIvy

A post shared by Samuel Mallett (@silent_visuals) on Jun 18, 2017 at 6:12pm PDT

Oliver.mann.photography

02.12.17 – the makeup in this shot is 👌also props to the model for going shirtless, outside, in the middle of February🙏 New editorial, Beyond Expectation, out on @hufmagazine -> Link in bio Model: @chvrlieantonio HMUA: @minevahsieh_makeup Stylist: @melissagrafstyling

A post shared by Oliver Mann Photography (@oliver.mann.photography) on May 29, 2017 at 12:28pm PDT

A true unicorn in the portrait photography world Oliver focuses his work on male portraits.

01.22.17 – I dont shoot black and white that often but i think i should change that. Model: Ronan of @keymodels

A post shared by Oliver Mann Photography (@oliver.mann.photography) on Jan 29, 2017 at 6:42pm PST