When the portrait becomes a compliance question

Most headshot decisions are matters of taste. Competition entries are not — they come with published specifications, and that changes the order of operations entirely.

What gets specified

Stated dimensions. Sometimes a stated background. Sometimes a required aspect ratio, a file format, or a submission deadline that does not move.

Why it matters more than it sounds

A rejected photograph does not cost a retake. It costs an entry cycle, and the requirements are usually published somewhere unhelpful — a PDF appendix rather than the page you were reading.

The order that avoids it

Find the specification first. Produce the portrait second. The reverse order is how people end up with a good headshot in the wrong aspect ratio a week before a deadline.

What is still a judgement call

Within the specification, the same three variables decide whether it works: contrast between hair and background, crop, light direction.

A compliant photograph can still be a bad one, and nobody checks that for you.