Dress to Impress for Your Headshot

If we had to make a list of the questions our clients ask most frequently, “what should I wear?” would top the list. Some of us struggle with the question daily, but even the most sartorially savvy among us can find dressing for a headshot daunting.

We are here to help. Here are our time-tested tips for dressing for your perfect headshot:

• Solid colors work best. Patterns can date your photo, making a headshot feel stale before its time. And remember, your business portrait should focus on you – not on your clothes. Patterns can draw the viewer’s eye away from you, making your headshot less effective. Some patterns can even produce weird digital artifacts that not even the most skilled Photoshopper can mitigate. Solid colors are clean, classic, and tend to photograph well.

• Don’t channel your inner Darth Vader … by which I mean, black may not be the best choice. While black does convey authority and power – which may be good qualities to highlight – it can also look a bit heavy in digital images. You want to command respect, not strike fear into the hearts of all you encounter. Dark gray or navy are both good choices.

• Wear a collared shirt. But not any collared shirt will do. Polo shirts have collars, but they lack the seriousness that you’d probably hope to convey in a business photo. A dress shirt with a nice, crisp collar signals that you have the social savvy and seriousness of purpose that potential business contacts will be glad to see.

• Tie or no tie? This topic is a little bit more subjective. While some professions encourage a more casual atmosphere, some are decidedly not tie optional. Before your headshot session, imagine how you’d dress to interview for your dream job. If you picture yourself putting a tie on for that occasion, then it’s fairly certain that you’ll want to have a tie on in your headshot, too.

Of course, no matter what you choose to wear for your headshot session, we’ll do our utmost to create a polished, professional image that shows you in the best possible light. But following these tips will make that much easier, and is much more likely to give you a result you’ll be thrilled with. And a headshot that will feel fresh and polished for a long time to come.

To learn more about our headshot philosophy, or to book an appointment, visit http://c1mpp.com/headshots.html. We’d love to work with you.