Choosing Colors and Clothing for a Professional Headshot

Part of any great looking headshot includes the right selection of clothing and clothing colors that complement you, as well as amplify your brand. The selection also is made in the context of industry/market norms, the position, and the business’s brand. For example, the CEO of a leading financial services firm is likely going to dress in more business formal attire vs. an E-commerce CEO, who may be a bit more casual.

Regardless of the level of formality, there are things to consider when choosing colors, patterns, and styles of clothing for headshots - let’s explore these below.

Choosing Clothing Colors for a Headshot

Color is a powerful tool in photographs, even in black and white. It can create/convey energy, both positive and negative, and mood. It also can attract/distract the eye – this is important for headshots in particular as the main focus of the image is the face (in particular the eyes and the mouth, which is where approachability, honesty, etc. is conveyed). The viewer’s eye is automatically drawn to lighter areas of a photograph, along with areas of contrast and bold colors. Those often don’t work well for headshots as they pull the eye away from the face.

In addition, lighter colors/shades accentuate shape whereas darker colors minimize – look at this shot of Owen just wearing a white shirt. His shoulders look wider in this image, and your eye is drawn to both his face and his shirt. This is not optimal.

Compare this with the image below – similar expression, pose, yet his shoulders don’t look as wide, and your eye stays more focused on his face, which is where you want the viewer to look.

Color also conveys mood, even in a headshot – warm colors such as reds, yellows, and oranges convey energy, optimism, warmth. But they can also indicate potential dangers or grab your attention (think red stop lights, yellow caution signs).  Cooler colors, such as green, blue, and purple have a calming/soothing effect, but also can convey drama/sadness. And even darker colors such as black convey seriousness. Darker colors are often worn in a business setting and convey professionalism.

You can mix colors together to either enhance or balance the mood/feeling you want to convey from a color perspective. For example, men wearing a navy blue jacket, white shirt, and red tie. The suit takes up more space in the frame vs. the other clothing pieces, limits the image area of the white shirt, as well as the red tie, the latter of which provides a bit of energy to the shot. If you’re going for something with a bit less contrast/formal, you could combine a dark colored jacket, blue shirt, and a tie that has less contrast to the shirt (see image below)

How Formal Should Clothing be for a Headshot?

The level of formality of your clothing choices also plays a significant role in the look of your headshot. How/where the images will be used, your brand/the message you want to convey, who your audience is and what they expect, the industry/market norms and so on will help determine the levels of formality that make the most sense. Your role also plays a part – but the norms that were true years ago (eg, CEO’s wear ties) have long since been replaced by looks that are part of either a personal or business brand (did Steve Jobs even own a tie?). Sometimes a simple change in wardrobe, such as wearing a jacket or removing/adding a tie conveys a very different message. In the examples below, Emma has a more professional look when she’s wearing the jacket.

On the other hand the change is a bit less dramatic in the comparison between Richard’s image with a tie vs. without:

Plan your Clothing/Colors for your Headshot Session

It’s important to give some thought and planning to choosing clothing for your headshot session as it will make a significant difference in how well your images look and deliver the right message. Ideally, you should be able to try different combinations/outfits during your session and create different looks that provide you with choices in order to have the best looks for your needs. And be sure to consider the background color as well.

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