What to Wear for Professional Headshots

Short answer: wear a solid color that contrasts gently with the background, fits you well right now, and looks like what you would wear to meet an important client. Bring two outfits if you can, skip busy patterns and big logos, and take care of grooming a few days ahead instead of the morning of. That is genuinely most of it. The rest of this guide explains why, so you can make good calls on the details.

Start with the goal of the photo

A headshot has one job: to make you look like you on a good day, competent, approachable and current. Clothes support that job. Anything that pulls the eye away from your face is working against you, which is why simple almost always beats interesting in a headshot. When I shoot professional headshots in Louisville, the people who feel best about their photos are almost never the ones who bought something new and complicated. They are the ones who wore simple, well fitting clothes they already trusted.

Colors that work on camera

Solid mid tone and deeper colors are the safest place to start: navy, charcoal, burgundy, forest green, deep teal and rich plum all photograph beautifully and work against both light and dark backdrops. Jewel tones flatter most skin tones and hold up well under studio lighting.

A few color notes worth knowing. Pure white on its own can reflect so much light that it loses detail and competes with your face, so wear it as a layer under a jacket rather than as your only top. Bright red is powerful and can work, but it sometimes overwhelms fair skin on camera. Neon and very bright fluorescent colors are the one true avoid, they cast color onto your skin and date the photo fast. Pastels are fine for a softer, friendly look, especially in spring and summer branding, as long as the color does not wash you out against a light background.

Patterns to avoid, and why

Fine stripes, small checks and tight herringbone patterns create a shimmering effect on camera called moire, where the pattern seems to vibrate in the photo. It cannot always be fixed afterward, so it is better to avoid it in the first place. Busy floral prints, loud plaid and novelty patterns pull focus for the same reason a logo does: the eye goes to the pattern instead of your expression.

Big logos and text on clothing are the other classic problem. Your headshot should advertise you, not a brand, and a logo instantly makes the photo feel casual and dated. The one exception is a deliberate company uniform or branded shirt for a team photo where the whole team matches, which is a different kind of session. For team sessions, see how a corporate headshot day handles wardrobe consistency across a whole office.

Fit and necklines matter more than price

The camera is honest about fit. A jacket that pulls at the button, a collar that gaps, or sleeves that swallow your hands will show. You do not need expensive clothes, you need clothes that fit your body today, not the size you plan to be. If a favorite blazer is almost right, a tailor can usually fix the fit for far less than a new jacket, and it shows in the photo.

For necklines, a simple rule: V shapes and open collars elongate and flatter most people, while very high crew necks can shorten the neck in a head and shoulders crop. Collared shirts look sharp but check that the collar sits flat and even, because an uneven collar is oddly distracting once you see it. Layers are your friend, a blazer, cardigan or structured sweater over a simple top adds shape and gives us an easy second look when you take the layer off.

Glasses, jewelry and grooming

If you wear glasses every day, wear them in your headshot. People should recognize you. Clean the lenses right before we shoot, and be ready for one small trick: a slight downward tilt of the frames usually kills the glare from studio lights. If you only wear glasses sometimes, bring them and we will shoot a few frames both ways.

Keep jewelry simple and classic. Small earrings, a simple necklace and a watch photograph well. Anything large, jangly or trendy will date the photo and distract from your face. For grooming, get a haircut about a week before the session, not the day before, so it looks settled. Keep makeup natural and close to how you wear it on a good workday; heavy contouring and brand new products you have never worn are risky on camera. If you are considering a spray tan, do it several days ahead, never the night before, because fresh spray tan can photograph orange under studio light.

What to bring to your session

• Two complete outfits, one more formal and one more relaxed
• A blazer or structured layer that goes over both
• A lint roller, because dark fabrics show everything on camera
• A comb or brush and any touch up basics you normally use
• Your glasses, if you wear them, plus a cleaning cloth
• A water bottle, and a snack if we are shooting at your office between meetings

Because Louisville Photo Studio is a mobile studio, your session happens at your office, your home or a location we pick together around Louisville, so there is no studio wardrobe to fall back on. That makes this short list worth the five minutes it takes to gather. When you book, I also send a short prep note covering the same ground, so you are not relying on memory the morning of your session.