When getting your professional headshot taken, it’s important to be thoughtful about what you wear. Our clothes affect the way we look, feel, and photograph. You want to get your picture proofs back and feel amazing about them. So to best be prepared, we have put together a list of tips to help you decide what to wear for professional headshots.
1. Keep your jewelry and accessories simple.
When accessorizing for a professional headshot, it can be easy to overdo it. Try and follow the “less is more” method. Flashy jewelry can distract from your headshot. When someone looks at your headshot, you want them to look at your face, not your neck.
2. Avoid loud patterns.
Again, less is more. Patterns can distract from the subject of the headshot. Patterns can hurt the viewers eyes and become distorted in images. But, if patterns are a staple in your personal brand, by all means, do it.
3. When in doubt, go neutral.
The best tops for headshots are neutral-colored. Choosing a neutral color for your headshot is the safest way to ensure a classy and flattering professional picture. However, we encourage you to wear a color that makes you feel fantastic. And if you have an outfit that makes you feel and look your best, wear it! We have a client that has a shirt he calls “results” that he wears to every shoot.
4. Dress for your industry.
If you’re wondering if your outfit is too fancy, or too casual, start by looking at what other coworkers have worn for their headshots. You can also look up other companies in your industry or other colleagues within your industry and see how they dressed for their headshots.
As a rule of thumb, it’s always better to over-dress rather than under-dress.
5. Be cautious when wearing glasses.
If you wear glasses, you have most likely had your picture taken in them before and gotten a picture back where you can’t see your eyes because of a light reflection in your glasses. Glasses tend to reflect any light, natural or studio, and can make it tricky to get a natural-looking headshot.
Of course, if you wear your glasses every day and want to make sure your headshot represents how you look at work, you should wear them. But if you don’t typically wear glasses, avoid them in your headshot as well to prevent any funny-looking reflections in your pictures.
6. Make sure your clothes are ironed.
Wrinkles do show in pictures, and unless you specifically ask your photographer to edit them out, you may receive photos back with wrinkles in your clothes. It’s better to be safe than sorry, so for the best odds, iron your shirt before your shoot.
7. Steer clear of clothes with logos.
Unless the company you work for specifically asked you to wear a company shirt with their logo on it, avoid any tops with large logos and graphics across the front. Try to go for something plain to avoid any distractions in the shot.
