What to Wear for Headshots: Dos and Don'ts

What to wear for headshots is simpler than it feels the night before: solid colors that suit your skin tone, a neckline that frames your face, clothes that fit you right now, and nothing with a big logo or graphic on it. Inside those rules, pick the outfit you feel most like yourself in.

I shoot professional headshots for business owners on location around Baltimore and Harford County, in offices, in workspaces, on city blocks, or in front of one of my backdrops. So I think about the outfit and the background together. A black blazer in a dark office can disappear. A white shirt against a white wall can too.

What to wear for headshots starts with a color palette

On my list, the palette is neutrals + 1 accent. The neutrals are black, white, cream, camel, gray, navy and charcoal. The accent is one color that loves your skin, worn near your face where the eye lands first. Teal under a black blazer is a good example: the blazer melts into a dark room and the teal does all the talking.

Then match that accent to your skin tone. If gold jewelry looks best on you, your undertones are probably warm, and earth tones like rust, olive, camel and warm cream work well. If silver looks best, you likely run cool, so try navy, emerald, teal, light blue or plum. Mid-tone colors flatter most skin tones, which is why navy and light blue show up in so many professional headshots. Not sure which you are? Hold the shirt up to your face by a window and look at your skin, not the shirt.

All neutrals works too. Cream and camel against a white wall read calm and polished, and tan wide-leg trousers photograph well head to toe. If we’re shooting on one of my backdrops (beige, pink, black or red), skip the outfit that matches it. Head-to-toe black on the black backdrop is how you end up a floating head.

Necklines and collars that frame your face

A professional headshot is mostly face, shoulders and a few inches below the collarbone, so the neckline does more work than anything else you’re wearing. Make sure it frames your face and lies flat when you sit and turn.

• A collar. A button-down, a dress shirt under a suit jacket, or a collar peeking out of a sweater.
• A V-neck or a scoop. Both lengthen the neck and sit well under a blazer.
• A clean crew neck. Better with a layer over it.

Skip strapless tops and thin straps, since a tight crop can make you look like you’re wearing nothing at all. Jackets and blazers add structure at the shoulders and give you two different looks from one outfit: jacket on, jacket off.

Fit, fabric and outfits with movement

Fit comes before fashion. A pull across the buttons, a gap at the collar or a sleeve that swallows your hand all look bigger on camera than in the mirror. Wear what fits the body you have right now, make sure the sleeves sit right when you’re seated, and choose & steam your outfits the night before so nothing goes in front of the camera creased.

Outfits with movement are on my DO list: a wide-leg trouser, a soft blouse, a dress that swings when you walk. Movement makes a walking shot or a turn toward the window look alive. The other DO is comfortable = confident. If you spend the session tugging at a hem, it shows in your face first. (If the camera itself is what you’re dreading, I wrote up how to look relaxed in front of the camera.)

Skip big logos and graphics

Big logos and graphics are the two things on my DON’T list. Words and pictures on a shirt get read before your face does, and they date a photo you’ll want to use for years. Save the conference tee for the conference.

Patterns aren’t on that list. A soft, wide stripe in two neutrals works, and so does linen or a chunky knit. Busy patterns are the ones to test: very fine stripes, tiny checks and tight houndstooth can shimmer when a photo shrinks down for a screen. Snap a phone picture of the shirt from across the room. If it buzzes, bring something else.

Wear this	Skip this	Why
Solid, mid-tone colors	Neon, or a different bright color on every piece	Bright color reflects onto your skin and can tint it
Plain fabric or a soft, wide stripe	Big logos and graphics	Text and pictures compete with your face
Matte fabric with some movement	Very shiny or very stiff fabric	Shine catches the light in hot spots, and stiff fabric fights every pose
Glasses you wear every day	Transition lenses, if you have a choice	They darken outdoors and hide your eyes

Jewelry and glasses

Keep jewelry to one or two pieces you’d wear on a normal workday: studs or small hoops, a simple necklace, a watch. Anything that swings, sparkles hard or clinks when you laugh will distract from your face. Make sure a necklace sits above the neckline, because a tight crop cuts a long pendant in half.

If you wear glasses most days, wear glasses in your headshot. Make sure the lenses are clean. Glare is usually fixable with a small tilt of the frames or a change of angle, so it’s no reason to leave them at home.

Hair and makeup touch-ups

Wear your hair the way you wear it on a good workday, so the person who meets you later recognizes you. Book a cut a week or two ahead so it has time to settle. For makeup, keep your skin matte, let the shine live on your lips, and pack the four things on my don’t-forget list:

• Lip gloss
• Lotion or oil, for hands and elbows
• A hairbrush
• Face powder, for shine on the forehead and nose

Touch up between outfits and leave it there. It’s all about emotion, not perfection.

Suits, dresses and business casual

What to wear for professional headshots is whatever you’d wear to a meeting you care about. For men, that might be a dark suit with a light blue dress shirt, a suit jacket over a white shirt with no tie, or a navy sweater over a collar. For women, a blazer over a simple top, a fitted knit, a wrap dress or a solid blouse all work well. Business casual is fine if it’s what your clients see when they meet you.

You don’t need a suit unless a suit is what you wear. And if your work comes with a tool or a product, bring it. Your hands will know what to do.

Dress for where the photo will live

Headshots end up small, and each place you’ll use yours crops you differently.

• Your LinkedIn photo. It shows as a small circle, cropped close, so the neckline and the color by your face carry the whole outfit.
• Your profile photo for socials. Seen on a phone, at thumbnail size, where busy patterns turn to mush.
• Your email signature. Smaller still. Contrast between you and the background is what makes you recognizable.

People buy from people. Your professional headshot is often the first time a client sees your face, so you want a photo that looks like YOU on a good day, in something you’d wear to meet them. As a Baltimore headshot photographer, I can photograph you where you work, so the photo looks like your business too.

Headshot outfit questions, from color to glasses

What is the best color to wear for a headshot? The best color to wear for a headshot is a solid mid-tone that suits your skin tone, like navy, teal, light blue, olive or camel, worn as one accent with neutrals around it.

What should I avoid wearing for a headshot? For a headshot, skip big logos, graphics, neon and anything that doesn’t fit you right now, because each one pulls attention away from your face. Test very fine stripes and tiny checks with a phone photo before you pack them.

Should I wear my hair up or down for a headshot? Wear your hair for a headshot the way you wear it on a normal workday, so the people who meet you later recognize you. If you switch between up and down, bring a clip and we can try both.

Should I wear glasses in my headshot? Wear glasses in your headshot if you wear them most days, because that’s the face your clients and coworkers know. A slight tilt of the frames usually takes care of any glare from the lenses.

How many outfits should I bring to a headshot session? Bring two or three outfits to a headshot session, all from the same color palette, so there’s a backup and a choice. We’ll pick against the light on the day.

The night before your headshot session

1. Choose & steam your outfits, two or three from the same palette.
2. Pack any props, products, or accessories, plus a lint roller if you’re wearing black.
3. Double-check the location + timing. You want to make the most of the time of your sesh.

Most importantly, relax. I got you!

Whether it’s a quick headshot or a full personal branding session, tell me what the photos are for through my headshot booking form. Business photography starts at $475 and gets quoted from your details, and my Baltimore photography prices page lists every published rate.