Getting a professional headshot is incredibly necessary nowadays if you want to be taken seriously. A strong headshot makes you appear powerful and conveys professionalism. If you want to stand out and appear as talented as you are, wearing the right clothes and a good pose helps. What to wear for professional headshots is hugely confusing for someone just entering the corporate world.
We guide you on what to wear to appear highly professional in your headshots. Anyone who looks at your photo can tell you mean business. Dive right in to get good headshots and attract a beneficial crowd!
Want to Appear Professional? Here is What to Wear!
If you want to make the best impression, your clothes must be suitable to grab the right attention. What to wear for professional headshots? It is the biggest concern of people who don’t have any experience with business casual clothing. Don’t worry; we have your back! Follow this fantastic guide to stand out in your professional headshots:
1. Avoid Prints
Professional headshots convey that you have a strong personality and a powerful persona. To be taken seriously, you have to dress accordingly to appear more severe and somebody who gets things done. There are no rules to dressing up; you can wear different prints and textures.
However, avoid prints when taking a professional headshot, as it makes you appear more casual. Always dress in the best business attire, and choose solid colors over patterns. Black, blue, white, beige, and cream tones look best in headshots. You can look at the photos of professionals online and try to imitate how they dress. If you have primarily prints in your wardrobe, wear a basic white button-down, which should do the job.
2. Avoid Funky or Bright Colors
Physical appearance affects your well-being immensely; hence, we all try to improve it as much as possible. Some people have bright personalities and love to wear funky colors. It is a way of expression that most people appreciate in casual settings. You cannot let your bright, colorful personality seep through in a professional headshot. Opting for colors that make you appear like a man or woman, in their words, is essential. Black and white are the two most common colors that make you appear solid and robust.
Avoid the urge to wear bright colors like yellow, pink, or orange in a professional headshot. These colors are more forgiving if you are from the fashion industry and looking for jobs in the same domain. Beige, white, cream, and pastel colors look good in a professional headshot.
3. Avoid Wrinkled Clothes
Your personality has to be solid and viscous in some capacity to climb the corporate ladder faster. The way you dress does not only make you look powerful but feel unbeatable. You cannot mean serious business if you don’t look the part. Wearing wrinkled or unironed clothes for a professional headshot is a big NO.
Make a special effort to properly iron your dress shirt or top before heading for the shoot. Carry a portable iron to ease any creases that form along the way. Besides that, you can wear another shirt for the drive and carry your actual shirt in a hanger. It avoids wrinkles and makes your professional headshot even crisper.
4. Contrasts for a Winning Headshot
Your headshot should be well-planned and make you stand out, not blend in. Often, the background is white, and you are wearing a white shirt. You melt into the background, and the picture does not appear as powerful as you’d like.
You can consult with your photographer and ask for background color options. Tell them the color of your shirt so they can plan the shot and background well in advance. Contrast always looks good and makes the headshot stand out.
5. Keep Your Target Industry in Mind
Keeping your target industry in mind when taking a professional headshot is crucial. A business suit or a crisp white shirt looks best if you enter the corporate world. On the other hand, a headshot for a fashion magazine is much more forgiving; you can wear colors or prints.
Studio lights are quite different, and the option of what you wear might not look perfect in the shot. Hence, it is best to carry a few shirt options to get the ideal image you are looking for. Keep a basic color shirt and pants to enhance your physical appearance, making you look good. Try to lower your anxiety levels before the camera and pose naturally.
6. Accessorize Smartly
Following trends and fashion is good in a casual setting, but avoid it in your professional headshot. Being smart with accessories is super essential to make your headshot stand out. Now, many women have multiple piercings that they like to accessorize. However, it is necessary to avoid wearing studs in all your piercings and stick to only one. Wear dainty earrings and avoid over-accessorizing, as it can make you look loud.
As far as men go, don’t wear a thick, chunky gold chain or studs that make you look like a punk. Get a haircut that makes you look neat and professional. Slick back your hair to make your face more prominent and chiseled.
7. Wear the Right Expression
Our feelings and our expressions are clear indicators of our personality. A picture can tell a million things about you, but sometimes, you need to keep things a mystery. In a professional headshot, wearing the correct expression can make a world of difference.
You don’t have to look very serious or have an arrogant expression, but a neutral smile works. Don’t show your teeth or laugh openly in the headshot; it does not make you look serious. A small smile with a neutral expression is more than suitable for a successful headshot.
Final Verdict
What to wear for professional headshots is always an issue, especially for beginners. However, we have got you sorted with our suggestions to make you look powerful. Wearing the right clothes helps you be taken more seriously and add the right power to your image. Don’t forget to consider our suggestions when going for a professional shoot.
