Congratulations, you decided to invest in your online appearance, and get professional headshots done for your office. Which begs the question, what should I wear for my corporate headshots? Getting your photos done can be a vulnerable exercise. As photographers, we understand. This is why we have ways to help ease the nerves. We aren’t just good with the camera, we are also specialists in body language, posing, lighting, and how to make you look your best.
Let’s get to it, what should you wear for your headshots?
- Comfortable clothing
I believe we’ve all opted for the cute outfit over comfort and immediately regretted it once we got to our event. We then spent the whole evening or day, being uncomfortable and not able to pay attention or enjoy what was going on around us. Opting for comfort doesn’t necessarily mean yoga pants and the raggedy T-shirt you’ve had since college. By comfort, we mean, clothes that fit, and fabrics that feel good on your body. And primarily something you FEEL good in.
2. Confidence-boosting wardrobe
We all have that one outfit that gives us a boost of confidence, if you don’t, go find one. There are tons of amazing stylists out there now that are happy to help, in many major clothing stores they are often on staff even. When you feel confident, it shows in your expression and body language. I’m not the only one who looks at you and sees all the beauty, grace, and poise you naturally possess. You will too.
3. What you normally wear
If you dress a certain way for your job, then mimic that. You can dress it up a bit if you like, but when it comes down to it, the purpose of your headshot is to connect with your clients. If you normally wear jeans and a shirt, that’s what you should wear. But step it up one level: clean, tidy. If you normally dress casually and wear a full on business professional to your headshot, you become unrelatable to your online crowd. Try to stay as close what your clients see. This becomes tricky for those that work behind the scenes online, and work in their pajamas every day. You have a fun option. Wear the pajamas, or go with whatever gives you the most confidence. Or think if you were to give a talk in front of a group of your ideal clients, how would you want to be seen? I like to recommended going up ‘one step’ from up your daily outfit at least one level — clean, tidy, well fitting.
4. Uniform
This one applies to those that normally wear a uniform at work. We are circling back to making sure our clients recognize us. A fun way to break this up, would be to highlight on your website the person who you will see, and the person when they are off duty. Bring two outfits, your uniform, and your favorite outfit.
5. Bring options
If you aren’t sure what to wear, talk to me, I’ll help you make that decision. Bring a few outfits, and together we will put together the perfect option for what fits you the best.
6. Stay on brand
If you have a strong brand, stick with the same color scheme. Is your brand bright pink, wear a bright pink outfit? or maybe something complementary of that strong color. If your brand is more neutral-colored, go neutral, or be the pop of color! You get my drift. Brand consistency is incredibly important when it comes to business, which translates into your wardrobe.
Now that we got the basics covered, let’s dig a little deeper
7. Wear clothes that fit
If you believe wearing baggy clothes hides your body, you are wrong. Form-fitting clothes flatter all body sizes and shapes. Baggy clothes don’t photograph well and tend to transform you into a shapeless blob. I will help you look your best in your images!
8. Patterns and Prints
When it comes to patterns and prints, you do you. If it fits within your brand, flaunt it like the royalty you are! If you on the other hand, always wear solid colors, or minimalistic patterns now is not the time to go wild. We want the best representation of you.
9. Accessories
Again, you do you. In this studio, we celebrate the essence of who you are. If you want to wear a crown, I’m here for it! That being said, from a photographer standpoint, we do suggest that unless it fits your brand, keep the bling to a minimal. The goal is to draw attention to you, your eyes, your smile, your face, and mostly YOUR MESSAGE. We don’t want to distract from that.
10. When in doubt
When in doubt, tell me. I’m here to help. I’ve been doing professional corporate headshots for a long time. I’m an expert in my field and I’m happy to help you pick out your outfit. My main goal is that you feel confident and comfortable. Once that’s achieved, we get absolutely stunning, and amazing photos.