What to wear to a headshot photo session

You’ve found your headshot photographer, you like their work, and booked your date. Amazing! Before each headshot session, I offer as much help as possible for you to prepare. From getting lots of sleep and drinking water through to how to find the meeting point. What to wear for your session? How much to bring? What are the best colours to wear for headshots? The most asked questions revolve around wardrobe and clothing choices, so here are my main tips to choose the right tops and shirts for your headshot photo session.

Q: How much should I bring?

If you feel like you’re going away for 6 months, it’s probably right. Don’t limit your options by bringing just your favourite 3 tops. Bring as much as you can. At the start of the session, we will go through your options and discuss which colours and cuts go best with the looks we want to achieve, the lighting, your skin, eye and hair colour. The more options you bring, the more we can shoot. We may not go through all options you bring, but it’s best to have more than you need. Even in a 1-hour session, we can go through 4 - 6 looks, so you really want to bring options, options, options.

Q: What colours work best for headshots?

Mid-tones across the range tend to work best in headshots, as do darker tones of colours.
Browns, orange, greens, deep reds, yellow for warmer colours convey approachable characteristics in a headshot. Cool colours like blue and grey convey the opposite.

Pick a shirt colour that contrasts against your skin colour, instead of one that blends in to your skin, it’ll really make your headshot POP. A good rule of thump is also to bring a colour that is close to your eye colour, as it’ll make your eyes stand out.

Black of course is a popular choice, and always works well. The good thing about wearing a black top is that it is so dark, it will naturally shift the attention to your face. But everyone probably has a headshot in a black top, and you want to stand out. Having said that, a black shirt can be a great base for a layered look.
Avoid white. We expose for your face, and white shirts (or colours close to white) tend to make you look washed out.

Q: Can I bring jackets?

Yes, please! Layers are a great way to create depth and structure in a headshot, without distracting from you! Adding a shirt and / or jacket to a top can create a whole different look and character to your headshot. Again, go for mid-tones or darker shades, but feel free to bring different materials if you can. Leather jackets are always a big hit, but even a button-up shirt on a top can work wonders to create a different look.

Q: V-Neck, round neck, off-shoulder?

Again: bring a range! Different neck lines can help portrait different characters. Bring a variety of necklines, this includes jackets and jumpers, but also just bring cuts that you would normally wear and feel comfortable in.

Q: Can I bring patterned tops?

If you wear a shirt with a logo on it or a plaid shirt, that is fine. Just try not to pick anything that has really distracting patterns or designs on it. Logos can be retouched if necessary. Remember, the focus of your headshots should always be your face and not the clothes you are wearing! Small lace edges,

Q: Can I wear my glasses?

You definitely should for some of the shots we take. If you wear glasses all the time, we will make sure we choose the right look to incorporate them in your range. However, a casting director will want to see your face without any distractions so we would take the majority of images without the glasses.

Q: What kind of accessories can I wear?

As little as possible is usually a good rule of thumb, but a subtle necklace or earring is fine. As long as it’s not distracting, it’s fine. For piercings, like a nose ring, I’d recommend to take it out if you can just to be on the safe side for your casting.

Q: Any final tips?

Wear things you are comfortable in. Tops and shirts you know make you feel good, but make sure they fit well. Not too tight and certainly not too loose. We want to show your physique to some degree to help casting directors see why you are perfect for the role, but don’t want to reveal too much ;)