3 Must Have Looks for your Headshot or Portrait session
I get asked a lot about what people should wear for their headshot or portrait session, and my first answer is always that it must be comfortable and it must feel like you. When that gets met with a blank look, here are the things I recommend!
1 - The Crisp White Shirt
Looks great on everyone and most people have one, there’s a reason white shirts never go out of style. They are also great as they reflect clean white light up into your face, giving you a nice glow.
You may think it’s boring, but these images should be about you, not your clothes and a white shirt keep the focus where it should be.
2. Colour By Your Face
A well known trick in public speaking is to place something deeply colourful around your neck as it attracts the eye towards your face. The same works in photography and if you’re looking to make folks stop scrolling and look, this is a great way to do it.
Colour is deeply personal so choose one that you love and that flatters yours skin tone. If your photos are for work, or personal branding, the chances are you’ve chosen your brand colours because you love them and your marketing will look much more ‘together’ if you choose those colours for your photos as well.
3. Texture & Layers
A little bit of a ‘two for one’ here but the two things achieve the same end so I’ll allow it.
People often say that they feel they look like a ‘block’ or a ‘lump’ wearing a single colour shirt and while that’s not normally the case and some good lighting will ensure you look more 3 dimensional, your outfit can also help to make sure that your face isn’t playing second fiddle to block of colour on your body.
Textured items break up this ‘block’ by creating shadows and highlights where the light hits, and layering clothes together is an even stronger way of doing the same, creating shadows which make certain areas recede and highlights which stand out. So for maximum control over your silhouette choose darker on areas you prefer not to show as much, and lighter where you want to show them off.
Ultimately, what you wear for your portrait should be something you love. It must be something that makes you feel confident and that reflects who you are. These are my top tips but there really are no hard and fast rules so if you think something might work, bring it along and we’ll give it a go - it might be perfect!